What’s in my closet? Is it a monster, a ghost, or a ……Noooooo!! It’s a dust bunny with legs! How did this happen? I vacuum every time I clean my room, I dust my ceiling fan and my furniture. How did it get in there and on top of that an ant decided to hitch a ride with it! That’s where legs came from!
Let’s Spring forward to find out and de-clutter to make room for pastels, shorts, sandals and cute sun hats! Keep it Clean with TGP!
Step One: Prepare yourself mentally. Believe it or not letting go of personal things even if they don’t fit us anymore and no close friend or family member will fit we still want to hang on to it tightly. Who can help us when we are cleaning our closet out and preparing it for Spring? Friends!! True friends are honest with you. If you don’t fit it, don’t look good in it, or outgrew it your friends will tell you! At least my friends are brutally honest and they don’t care about my feelings all that much when it comes to cleaning my closets. Family although well meant will tend to agree with you more when you don’t want to let go of an item, shoes, or clothing! I’ve had theses pair of navy blue shorts from Macy’s for 20 years with no tears nor bleach stains nor food stains! But they were missing the cinch rope in the front to tighten to fit. After losing weight my shorts fall down while I walk. I didn’t even get an opportunity to say goodbye to them, my friend just picked them up as I protested “Hey wait! I may gain those 30 pounds back!” Needless to say it didn’t work so guess where those shorts are at? My give away pile. (One of many started). Did I tell you how much I dislike my friends when I need to clean my closets out?
Step 2: Open a bottle of wine or hot tea, and drink a glass/cup as you start placing items in the appropriate piles your friends lovingly compiled for you! Share a glass of wine or cup of tea with them. It’s okay to mourn for the pieces you are parting ways with. I get it! Remember when we always screamed “I have nothing to wear!” Every morning or every time we were going out on a date or to the library? Watching all those piles getting larger just got really serious all of sudden right? After all the piles started I became anxious thinking I really don’t have nothing to wear! But you have a pact with your friends that you will get their input and if more nays then yays the item has earned a trip to the pile. How do we determine that?
A) You haven’t worn it for over a year.
B) It has pen, food or mold stains.
C) A moth just flew out of the left pocket of your jacket.
D) Too trendy, meaning the style is outdated but you keep it “Just in case” toss it in the pile!
E) I’m keeping it in case I gain weight. Everyone needs a pair or 2 of pants, shorts and shirts if I overeat for like 6 months straight! You never know! Wrong! All goes in one of the piles.
F) Every trinket, letter, card, or small porcelain items have their place and it’s not in a box in the back of your closet. Invest in a plastic tote to place small items in there and secure in the closet. Boxes, brown bags, and plastic bags attract bugs of all types.
Step 3: Remove your clothes from hangers, and place in washer to remove all dust, and insects, plus musty smell. While clothes is washing dust your closet from the inside including doors. Make sure you get in the slits if your closet doors have them. Dust the top shelf, walls, light bulb, side shelves if you have any and get the floor ready to vacuum. Unfortunately it will be a little difficult to remove all dust bunnies from the sides of closet. Use your vacuum tools! They come in handy and you can pick everything up. If it’s tile or hardwood floors you can use a tooth brush to remove dust and bring to the center to pick up with broom and dust pan or vacuum. Once all that has been done, spray Lysol or Essential Oil diluted in water to make it smell clean and fresh.
Step 4: Once all clothes are washed, and dried, fold clothes neatly in plastic bags and either donate to a homeless shelter, crisis center, domestic violence shelter or Goodwill. Any of these organizations are wonderful to give to and clothes, toys, purses, shoes and scarves are always needed. If you give to a charitable organization you will also feel so much better parting ways with the clothes you wanted to keep for the “just in case.” Organize hats, scarves, sunglasses, and caps on hooks. Blouses, dresses, dress pants, and jeans should be hung up neatly on hangers. Shorts, tank tops, and t-shirts nicely folded in wooden boxes or in dressers. Shoes don’t go in your closet but we will cover that topic next week! Keep it Clean!