Closet Cleaning

I cleaned my bedroom closet today.  It took just over three hours.

It seemed like a great rainy day activity and I needed to make space for my summer clothes, coming out of storage.  I live in hope that warm weather will eventually come.

Normally, I am orderly about the house and meticulous with my clothes. I have one bad habit. It is possible that I have more than one, but this is the only one I’m willing to own up to today.

Once in awhile when I am rushed at straightening up messes and there is a time pressure, I will chuck things on to the floor of the bedroom closet to hide them. I always mean to get at cleaning, sorting out and putting away directly after someone leaves, or after the perceived deadline is passed. 

However…once I start doing this, I can get worse and worse with it, until the closet is decidedly in a muddle when I open the door. And thank goodness there is a door on my closet; otherwise contents would spill out everywhere, in disarray.  

The mess grows exponentially and quickly becomes a helter-skelter pile of shopping bags and small, lovely boxes, colourful ribbons and sparkly wrapping, bright sandals, plain and dressy shoes, shoe polishes, picture hanging hooks and wires,  a couple of pictures waiting to be hung, white string and silver safety pins, a warm wool blanket, empty gift bags for all occasions, my own small hammer, delicate pliers and numerous measuring tapes, beige files of information on my three cats, old worn suede-covered journals… partially full,  out-of-season purses,  cards I have received and loved, and a bit of grey fuzzy dust, since vacuuming has become impossible in there.

Today is the day to tidy it all up again.  It always feels like a gigantic task, consequently I avoid it, coming up with ever more creative excuses about why I can’t face it.  But…today is the day!

I was going to post “before and after photos” on my blog, but the reality was just too awful…so I haven’t done that.  Instead I searched online for images of “cleaning closets”.  After looking at hundreds of photos of messy closets, I feel much better about mine, even a little superior!

It took me only three hours once I got organized:  

• a blue garbage bag for “throw-aways”,
• a cardboard carton in which to pack winter clothes to go to storage,
• another bag to hold clothes that I will give to someone else,
• a small box for items, with which I can’t bear to part and yet, don’t know what to do with…so back into the closet they go, albeit in a tiny, tidy neatly-labelled carton.

I’m pleased with myself and admire the way my immaculate closet feels and looks.  Until the next time, when I’m in hurry and needing to store something out of sight, it will stay in pristine condition, all items freshly folded, neatly hung, color co-ordinated.