Closet cleaning and organizing fun! *pic heavy* - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Closet cleaning and organizing fun! pic heavy

Medicechic

(website)

I'm jumping in with both feet. Here are some before pictures. Wish me luck!

1. New full length mirror! Yay! Not sure where I'm going to put it yet, so haven't taken off cardboard.
2. Messy unorganized closet.
3. Messy unorganized dresser.
4. Totally empty closet.
5. Stuff everywhere! Clothes on pool table are all clean and have been there for about a week... not all mine, some are SO's. His closet will be next!

This post has 5 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

General

31 replies

Latest reply was from Medicechic

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Great start! I am anxious to hear your progress. I am also redesigning my very small walk in closet.

April

Veteran

MC -- my heart beats faster when I hear that someone is organizing a closet!

Did you see our closet thread from a while ago? http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....t-thread-1

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I did mine a few weeks ago and it is so much easier to make outfits now. It is also easier to spot the gaps and know what I have enough (too much of) already.

Hope you enjoy the results.

Medicechic

(website)

modgirl- Thanks! So far I've got a huge donate pile of clothes I still had from middle school that I knew do not fit anymore! LOL Also have a trash pile for the things that are worn out... not much in that pile, mostly panties and socks.

April- No I hadn't seen it. I'll have to take a look. Maybe it will inspire me! I'm also keeping a journal of my progress. **Edit: I looked at it, your closet is amazing!

dianthus- I hope to enjoy it too! Just taking a break for right now.

I have decided to catagorize: dresses, skirts, pants, sleeveless shirts, short sleeve shirts, 3/4 sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, shorts, pj's etc.

I also have a lump catagory for work clothes. Right now the pile includes my long johns and such since I mostly wear those at work during the winter.

I have a few golf shirts and haven't decided what to do with them yet. Really I haven't decided what to do with anything. I guess I'll figure it out as I go. I do want to order by color also. This might take a couple days.

I'm having trouble with the layout though... not sure what to do with the space. There is a ton of vertical space above the shelves, along with the side shelves being pretty wide. I live in an old house and I'm guessing the original owner put the shelves in. My SO's closet has the same kind of shelves and a hall closet does also.

MsMary

Veteran

Nothing like a good closet project, I always say!

Lisa

Veteran

Oh this will be fun!

Mellllls

Veteran

looks great. you look like you have a lot of space to work with which is great!

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I had a fair bit of shelf space too and bought metal book-ends to use to put purses on one. I also bought fabric boxes with attached lids at the dollar store. They are about 6" deep and I picked up plastic dividers for them so I can make smaller squares. I used one for belts that don't hang behind the door and one for tights. I rolled them and put them in a square. I bought another box that is cube shaped and bigger to put stuff I rarely use on the really high shelf. It isn't quite finished but getting close and I now have more room in my giant antique dresser for other things.

Are you planning to take pics? I'd be interested to see how someone else arranges things.

Medicechic

(website)

I have 2 trash bags full to donate, threw away old socks etc, finished going through shirts, dresses, and such. I was able to do most of it before trying things on. There were only a few things I tried on that I got rid of. It's bed time! Tomorrow will be pants/shorts and going through clothes on pool table. Then I have to figure out where to put everything!

MsMary

Veteran

Awesome! Go, you!!

patti

(website)

Awesome and inspiring! Two trash bags already -- imagine all the space you're going to have when your project is done!

rute

Veteran

Good luck! Have fun!!!!

Lisa

Veteran

Two trash bags, that's awesome work, keep up the good job!

rae

(website)

Veteran

You are brave - I don't have the heart to tackle my closet, lol!

Marigold

Brave project, love the pictures! I try to rearrange/organize my smallish walk in closet twice a year when I change the layout of warm/cold weather clothes.. But we live in an apartment and have space restraints so my wardrobe closet must serve as a miscellanous stuff closet as well, I just cleaned it out nicely a few weeks ago and was pretty organized but then had to clean out my daughter's closet completely out of stuff to make space for her toys and have a BIG pile of things to organize/put away/donate/garage sale in front of MY closet... I swear the pile grows as I'm looking at it... Not fun, sigh.

Medicechic

(website)

Thanks for the motivation everyone! I made it through my pants and actually kept more than I thought I would once I tried on dressy pants with boots etc. I also went through my shoes. Easy since I don't have many

I have a few questions though...

1. how much can you get pants altered? I have one pair of nice brown cords from eddie bauer that are pretty much a little big all over. I got them during my "everything needs to fit loose because I'm not a teenager" stage. They really need about an inch taken out of each leg and more in the waist. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch around bum area.

2. For all you rainy weather folks out there... I have a pair of wellies I LOVE and will probably keep for as long as I can keep them looking nice. I just got done washing them in the bathtub because they were muddy. I used dish soap because I wasn't sure what else to do. Probably the wrong thing. Anyway, the question is, how do you keep them looking nice? Yes they are rubber, but do you wax them or use some sort of polish? I think they were shinier when I first got them.

3. Ok shoe people... I have a few pairs of dressy shoes and I'm not sure about them. Every time I try to wear a pump style or really almost any dressy shoe, I get horrible painful bleeding blisters. I have a cute purple pair I tried to wear the other day just for a quick outing. I was probably in them 2 hours and already had a horrible blister. They even had the heal insert thingies (but they didn't stay stuck and slipped around). HELP!

Now I have 3 1/2 bags to donate. 1 bag is a pile of stuff I had stored in another room already, so really no gained closet space. On to clearing off the pool table.

I have no idea how I'm going to organize all this stuff. Any ideas? What do you hang and what do you fold? What to put in drawers? Shelves?

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

My husband just posted this link for me.
https://www.facebook.com/pages.....38;theater
Do you think this means he's giving me the green light to get one of these?!

Medicechic

(website)

That is awesome! It really does look like it has always been there. What a great use for "wasted" space.

I have made more progress! I now have 4 bags full of stuff to donate, a books a million bag to donate with a purse and a few pairs of shoes in it.

I went to Wally World (it's all we have here in our small town) and bought 40 wooden hangers for about $25... I thought they would all match, but when I got them home for some crazy reason, 20 of them have black metal for the hook, and 20 of them have silver. Grrr!! It was the last 2 boxes they had or I'd probably take them back. Yes I'm that picky. I also got 8 skirt hangers and a few "shirt" hangers for some of my nicer coats in the front closet. And for around $10 the best invention ever, a closet extender. Made my 1 tier hanging space into 2! Now my shirts/jackets/sweaters are on top, and my skirts and pants are on bottom! It adjusted to the perfect size for my closet!

I didn't think I would fill up the hangers, but I did! I even went back and edited to find my black plastic hangers and had just enough to put my dresses on those. I'll have to get more when I have some more money to spend. For now things are a little mixed up still.

I also donated my smaller drawers to SO's closet... the bigger ones don't fit in there. The 2 bigger ones I have left are holding socks and stockings/hose.

My dresser now has my lingere, tank tops/cami's, workout wear, tshirts, and pj's. Everything else will be somewhere in my closet. I think one shelf will have shorts for now, and another shirts that can be folded. Elsewhere in closet will be my sweatshirts and sweaters and work clothes. I also have added some non-slip liner for my shoe shelves and they hold mostly nice shoes that don't get worn often. My boots are on the floor in a space. And I have a space behind my dresses that I will probably put my carry on suitcase as I don't have space elsewhere to store it and it doesn't fit under the bed.

I have so much vertical space left above the top shelves, I'm thinking about getting some more shelving... maybe some brackets and have boards cut at home improvement store to add shelving above to store seldom used items/ out of season stuff. Obviously I would have to have a step stool to reach it, but it seems like wasted space.

I also want to get a tie hanger to hang my necklaces, belts, etc. I got a special hanger for belts/scarves, but I really don't like how it looks. It will work for now, and later get donated to SO's closet most likely. I still say his closet is next.

As for the pool table, I have separated mine and SO's clothes. Mine are in a basket I still need to go through. I have made progress though!

Will post pictures tomorrow.

Medicechic

(website)

Oops. I'm at work today. Will post pictures tomorrow.

Medicechic

(website)

It's finally done! I finished it a week or two ago. Have had a lot going on lately and haven't had time to be playing online.

Having my closet organized has worked out amazingly! I've actually been wearing outfits more, cute shoes more, and it is a whole lot easier to get dressed! So much better!

And I love my new mirror. I think my SO is using it more than I am!

This post is very pic heavy! I thought it did more justice to show all pictures separately for this one, than as collages.

Note: The blank spots on the top shelves are for jeans and work uniforms. All my jeans and uniforms are in the laundry right now.

On a happy note, during all the organizing I found a favorite necklace I thought I'd lost forever! I had cried and cried over losing that necklace. Not anymore, and now I have a place to put everything!

Hope you like! Let me know if you have any ideas on how to make it better.

This post has 12 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

MsMary

Veteran

Wow, that closet is a work of art! No wonder you look so happy and proud!!

Medicechic

(website)

Thanks MaryK! It was also a picture I was going to post along with my wellies post, but never got around to adding the picture.

Off to bed. Been working in yard all day and I'm worn out! Goodnight!

MsMary

Veteran

I think you can definitely go to bed and sleep the sleep of the virtuous and accomplished tonight!

rae

(website)

Veteran

Amazing closet transformation. An enthusiastic high-five to you!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Absolutely brilliant!

You tickled my toes

anne

Veteran

Well Done! What a transformation!

Luckygirl322

Wonderful, you should be *very* proud of yourself! At this point I am ignoring my closet.

Love your floors, by the way!

Louise

Veteran

A work of art x

Jjsloane

Veteran

Looks great and useable! You should be excited and proud of your accomplishment. You do have a ton of more space up top. I'd suggest clear bins (so you can see what's in them) for off season, lesser used items (I have one with my "special lingerie" , one for evening bags etc...) I love the Container store items for this, but they can be pricey. I especially like their shoe bins and keep my current shoes in the bottom and lesser used or out of season ones up top. Would the drawer bin you have on bottom fit up top? That could be useful use of the space. I should probably post a photo - I will try to get to that later (except I'll have to tidy it up) I too do a major closet overhaul at least twice a year (season change) to keep it fresh and weed out the donates.

12