Four Weeks To Clutter-Free Closets

Hi, friends! Tips & Tricks Thursday will be back next week.

On Monday and Tuesday's posts, I mentioned that I was going to hold a Spring Cleaning Challenge. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I was still debating on how to implement it. I promised it wouldn't be very intense, because I know we all have busy lives and schedules. At first I was thinking a room-by-room plan, with a few deep cleaning projects included, but there are so many other good tutorials and cleaning challenges, and cleaning isn't really my thing.

To be clear, I do clean, but my house isn't spotless by any means. I probably do the big cleaning 

jobs less often than I should, but we're definitely not living in squalor either. Just keepin' it real. :)

Anyway, if you're looking to do a full-on spring cleaning, I'm not your girl. If you're interested in Spring Cleaning resources, check out some great ones here, here, and here. Instead, I'll be focusing on closets in the month of April, specifically how you can best use the space you have.

Why Closet Organization?

• If you have organized storage in place, your home will be neater. I know in my home, most of the mess comes from items that don't have a designated or convenient place. If you have a good storage system (and use it), there will be less clutter and therefore your home will feel cleaner.
• Storage needs are constantly changing. This is definitely true as we change seasons - in summer, you'll need easy access to sunscreen, not hats and gloves. However, this is equally true as we change seasons of life as well. What worked for your household last spring may no longer work this spring. I know I have to re-evaluate our needs regularly and make the appropriate changes as we go. 
• Closets can become "stash and dash" zones. I am so guilty here! If I have company coming, or if I just don't know where to put something, it's sometimes easiest to hide extra "stuff" in a closet. 
• Organized closets make me happy! Call me weird, say what you will, but when I see a well-organized and maintained storage space, I can't help but smile. 

The Plan:

We will tackle a closet each week. Every Wednesday, I will share my closet before & after and give a few tips for the next week's assignment.

Week 1 (April 3-9): Linen Closet

Week 2 (April 10-16): Coat Closet

Week 3 (April 17-23): Clothes Closet

Week 4 (April 24-30): Pantry

A Few Guidelines:

• Evaluate your space and needs. Start by figuring out how you could best use the space. What needs to be stored? (These would be the items that tend to clutter up the area). How would it best be accessible for you?
• Purge. Take everything out and discard or donate items that you no longer use or don't really need. Move stray "stash & dash" items to their proper homes. My goal is to remove at least 5-10 items from each space I organize.
• Make a plan. Before (and as) you put things back, think about the best place for them. Less-used items should go up high, and more frequently-used items should be within easy reach.
• Keep it low-to-no-cost. If you want to spend big bucks on something fancy, that's fine, but don't feel like you need to shell out cash for organization systems and bins. Get creative! Shop your house for what you already have, try the dollar store, or make your own creative storage out of boxes, like I did here: 

•  It doesn't have to be a closet. We all have different storage situations. If you don't have a designated closet for the week's challenge, organize the space you have, whether it's a shelf, a cabinet, or drawers.
• Maintain the space. This is the most important part!! Once you've gone to all the work of cleaning out and re-organizing a closet, it would be a shame to let it go back to where it was. Take a few extra minutes to put things where they go, rather than on the floor or stashed in a corner. 

Let's get this party started!

So, what do you think? Would you like to join me? I'd love to have some company as I organize my closets and prepare for spring! If you'd like to join the challenge, leave a comment below. I'd also love to see how you do. If you share via Facebook or Twitter, I'll include your before & after pictures in a post each week.
Ready, set, go!

If you're looking for inspiration, here are a few of my favorite organizing posts:

I'm linking up at these fabulous link parties.