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Post by Polar Bear on Jun 10, 2010 21:26:05 GMT -5
The time has come!
I am going to clean out my messy closet!
(Not my clothes closet - this is the closet version of a "junk room.")
Who would like to join me?
Keepers of all kinds of messy closets are welcome - clothes closets, bathroom closets, linen closets, junk closets. Post your progress or cheer someone else on.
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Post by Polar Bear on Jun 10, 2010 21:35:29 GMT -5
Today I:
*took everything out of the closet and put it in a giant heap (uh-oh)
*vacuumed the closet floor
*made a small pile of papers to shred
*cut down two broken-down boxes
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Post by success19 on Jun 11, 2010 1:17:35 GMT -5
Good job - going to throw stuff away? It is a challenge - but I KNOW you can do it.
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Post by dtesposito on Jun 11, 2010 9:40:48 GMT -5
Well Polar Bear, I'm cheering you on with your closet cleaning because I just did a major overhaul on my bedroom closet a couple of days ago. The weird thing was, I hadn't even been thinking about that closet, I hadn't touched it for years (except for trying to cram more stuff into it). It was evening, I had been planning to go to bed early because I needed to catch up on some sleep, and all of a sudden I looked at the closet door and thought--maybe it's time I finally got rid of some of those videotapes--I can work on it for 10 minutes before bed. That 10 minutes turned into a couple of hours, then the entire next day was spent removing everything from the closet, throwing a ton of stuff away, finding lots to donate, and ending up with about a third of the stuff neatly back in the closet.
The videotapes were really hard for me, they were all ones I had recorded with favorite movies, shows and music. I know the technology is changing, I know tapes don't last forever, some of the ones I tried to watch recently were not in good shape, which made me realize I had to get rid of them, but there was so much good stuff on there. I started with about 300 tapes, I was able to throw away over half--I kept the music ones, several favorite movies (all of the MST3K shows) and the few pre-recorded ones that I own. I have no doubt that I will go back and get rid of many of those eventually, too. I also got rid of many old tote bags, kitchen items, etc.
I didn't mean to hi-jack your thread, but I wanted to let anyone who's contemplaing closet cleaning know how liberating it was throw that stuff away. Closets are especially dangerous because you can close the door and pretend the stuff isn't there. That means you end up keeping stuff for long periods of time, and stuff that is completely useless, because you can't see it and remind yourself that the point at which you might have needed it is long gone. They are also hard to clean because you can't always do it a bit at a time--sometime you have to make a mess while you're emptying it out. I can't tell you how good it felt to take those bags of garbage to the dumpster though!!!
So if you are off this weekend, take the plunge and start on the scary closet--when it's neat and clean you'll be so happy. (I keep opening the door to look in now, just to see the neatness!) I also still have 4 empty shelves--they won't stay that way long, but that means I can store away something that is now in plain sight and cluttery. Just trying to think about it before I fill them up though--I want to put something there that's worth keeping.
I also have to deal with some of the stuff I took out--some to put away and some things to wash to donate. I think I'll visit the memorial purge thread too, to list my videotapes gone...
Diane
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Post by still on Jun 11, 2010 10:11:29 GMT -5
*took everything out of the closet and put it in a giant heap (uh-oh)
*vacuumed the closet floor
*made a small pile of papers to shred
*cut down two broken-down boxesWoo-hoo! Excellent start! You know all of us are cheering you on to the finish line! Here we are, your SOOS family: Go, Polar Bear! Go, Polar Bear! You can tame that closet and have room to spare! You can get so you can find everything in there! We believe in you so - GO POLAR BEAR!!! 
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Post by success19 on Jun 11, 2010 15:32:53 GMT -5
Yep I understand that video tape thing - I had the same addiction. But I know people who do the same thing with DVDS - look at all that money - I know people who have thousands.
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Post by Polar Bear on Jun 11, 2010 18:44:33 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for all the encouragement, especially to still for the cheerleaders!!!
*shredded papers
*cut down another box
*sorted out some papers I need to keep, not shred
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Post by Polar Bear on Jun 14, 2010 20:48:55 GMT -5
*shredded 1/2 big black bag full of papers
*cut down another box
*organized some financial papers
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Post by notsomessyshell on Jun 14, 2010 20:52:15 GMT -5
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Post by Polar Bear on Jun 14, 2010 20:56:04 GMT -5
Thank you! I'm beginning to think I can do this! Motivation follows action!!!  OK, what to do next? I need a break from papers. I think I might tackle the sentimental stuff - cards, letters, childhood mementos - just put it all in one box so I can see what I have. That's my next goal. |
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Post by slothzilla on Jun 16, 2010 13:42:52 GMT -5
I started reorganizing my bedroom closet last week, and am still working on it. I took everything out, threw a bunch of stuff away, but am still having trouble getting everything to fit in there again! I guess I need to get more ruthless about throwing stuff out.
I'm still trying to tame my mountain of dirty clothes, which is mostly in two large rubbermaid bins in my closet. I put all my dirty towels and blankets into a large duffel bag, and its taking up a lot of space. I guess I should just get rid of half of them, even if they were all clean, I wouldn't have room for them.
A bad habit of mine is to just buy new towels and blankets (and clothes too) rather than washing the old ones, when I am running short on time (a situation which never really seems to improve). So I've got way more towels and blankets (and socks, shirts, etc) than I actually need.
I'd like to donate them to goodwill or an animal shelter, but I don't want to give them dirty stuff, and it would take forever to wash all this (plus it would cost a lot).
I think I am going to take some of my dirty laundry, stuff I want to keep, to one of those places that will wash it for you, and charge you by the pound. Doing that several times might be the solution.
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