A Daughter Tackles Her Closet

I don't go into my girls rooms to clean. That is their responsibility. But I do encourage decluttering from time to time. Sometimes they dive in on their own, but usually it is my idea and I'm nearby. Since I'm on this decluttering kick for spring, I asked my oldest daughter if she wanted to work on her closet yesterday. I got a 'yes'!! She even let me take pictures.

After I got these before pictures of each side of the closet, she dove in to the clothes. I asked about a few things from my vantage point on the bed. I know she got rid of two spring dresses, a hat, a pair of flip flops, four shirts, a sweater and a tank top she said she had not worn in three years!

She had three costumes from tumbling recitals that were hanging up. Those we pulled out, but put in a bin to store in the basement. She wasn't ready to get rid of them yet. I think taking them out of the closet was the first step in letting go. I don't have any idea what she will ever do with them!

The stuff animals stayed. She did get rid of some crafty items and found two items to give to her sister. The biggest issue in her closet is her art supplies and drawings. The girl is a creator. There is a lot of paper options. There are multiple sizes of sketch books. Okay, I could go on, but she did pare down quite a bit. Some of the art she was ready to part with. There was some that I kept that she didn't want! I think some of the 'old' should be kept, as you never know how far she will go. It is already fun to look back at her growth, just imagine the future of that. :)

Here's an in progress picture:

She did nearly all the decision making. My job was to take piles of things to the recycling bin and empty the trash. I also brought a bin up to put donations in, as well as, items that now will be stored in the basement. It will be my job very soon to sort that bin and get the items in the right place. This bin is full, and shouldn't take me too long to deal with today. I will reward myself with more Mad Men episodes ( I want to get those done on Tuesday so I get it listed).

Here is what her closet looks like now. Much, much better!

My daughter said she does like having my support when she is decluttering. She said it makes it easier and less overwhelming. Do you find you like decluttering with a friend or family member? Or do you like to work alone? Would making a pile for later be a problem for you?

And just a reminder: Decluttering is simply the act of removing something that is no longer useful to you or is in the wrong place and putting it where it needs to go. This might be the trash, the recycle bin or another place in your home. Organizing is more about grouping like things together and making it easy to find things. It is easier to declutter first and organize once you have less stuff to deal with. Happy decluttering!!