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Your One-Month Custom Closet System Cleanout Plan
Few things are as disheartening as seeing your once beautiful and pristine custom closet system get cluttered and messy over time, never to return to that original state. If nothing you do seems to put a dent in the mess, it might be time for a cleanout plan.
In one month, you can turn even the most unruly custom closet system back into a model of what a closet should be.
Once you’re ready to get started on your one-month custom closet system cleanout plan, you should:
- Week 1: Consider adding or adjusting shelving and cabinets.
- Week 2: Create clear keep and toss piles.
- Week 3: Separate your clothes by type or category.
- Week 4: Don’t neglect your wall and door space.
- And one bonus task to do after the month is complete: Create and stick to a regular cleaning schedule.
Let's take a look at each of these in order, then you can plan which day (or days) each week you'd like to implement them.
Week 1: Consider Adding or Adjusting Shelving and Cabinets
If nothing you do seems to be helping, the first culprit might be insufficient custom closet systems. While your closet might be just fine to suit your needs, there’s a chance that it isn’t optimized.
To fix this, look for any ways to optimize your storage. Maybe you could use additional shelving or larger cabinets. Whatever the case, your first step should be to look for ways to improve the overall design of your closet.
Week 2: Create Clear Keep and Toss Piles
Once you’re done with assessing your needs and making sure your closet meets them, it’s time to take a look at your clothes. You can start by making clear keep and toss piles. This can be difficult to stick to, so one way to help this process along is to separate clothes you haven’t worn for months (and have no plans for wearing anytime soon) from those you get regular use from.
You’d be surprised by just how much room in your closet you can save by downsizing and getting rid of the garments you no longer have any use for.
Week 3: Separate Your Clothes by Type or Category
Once you’ve gotten rid of clothes you don’t wear anymore and put in new closet systems that can help you stick to your new changes, it’s time to separate your clothes by type or category. Not only will this make it easier to get ready in the morning, but it will also allow you to free up space without getting rid of things.
You can take any out-of-season clothing and store it in plastic bins away from your closet. That way, you can free up quite a bit of space and save it only for clothes you’re wearing now.
Week 4: Don’t Neglect Your Wall and Door Space
One of the least-optimized areas in any closet is the wall and door space. Homeowners make great use of custom cabinets and shelving, but they neglect the potential they have sitting right in front of them and within arms’ reach.
By incorporating wall-mounted hooks and shelves as well as handy devices like closet door organizers, you can give yourself entire shelving units’ worth of extra space in your custom closet system.
After You're Done: Create and Stick to a Regular Cleaning Schedule
As the pros at Better Homes & Gardens point out, the best way to stick to a cleaning routine is to set clear goals and meet them. Instead of being done with your cleanout plan once everything is organized, you might want to set a weekly upkeep reminder so that your closet stays this clean.
Simply put a reminder to go off on your phone, maybe on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon (or whenever you’re free), and then use that time to check that everything’s still in its place and that clutter hasn’t once again reared its ugly head.
Conclusion
Getting your custom closet system back into shape can seem like a daunting task, but it really doesn’t have to be. By sticking to these simple steps and maintaining a regular upkeep routine, you should have no problem getting your closet in order within one month - then it's just a matter of keeping it that way.