LOL, Ummilla! I am married to a hoarder-- I have given up on his closet... and the basement, etc...

Honestly my next project would be to tackle the kitchen cabinets next. In same exact way.. take everything out... move back in only what we need... like moving to a new house and unpacking. Only we didn't move.

As for DH's designated permissible hoarding areas of the house, I just close the door. I learned long ago that it's better for our marriage if I just do that.

That sounds seriously comprehensive. Nice job! You (and the rash of other inventory and clean-out posts) actually encouraged me to start small and go through all my shoes today. Some of my shoes, especially dressy ones, had been sitting there for years without being worn, and I'd just never bothered to look closely at them before when getting rid of stuff.

And I know what you mean about how much easier it is to give stuff up when you're physically putting things into somewhere rather than just looking at something that's already all set up and seeing what can go. I swear, the only time I ever get rid of books and random decorative household thingies is when I'm moving.

Wow, I did get tired just from reading this!
I am going employ this tactic with my closet when I am back from my vacation in October (and with kitchen cabinets, and with the laundry room...)
Thanks for the inspiration!

Shiny, well done! Funny, how I also used color as a sorting tool for my closet Cleanout. When I saw your post this morning after happily finishing my tees last night I laughed. By the way, if you read my response to you, I ended up adding red/rust tees also. So now my closet is pretty much done.

Even though I used a different method to sort and purge, as I made progress, a clear color theme came out. This motivated me to start purging by color.

I used a several step method because I had some questions about style and whether I should purge some items. I'm still working on the style part but I have the colors I want. I'm sure the rest will take time to evolve,

I must say that the dust lurking in closets is universal. As I went through each section, I discovered more than I thought could ever exist! If I make this a yearly or even twice yearly process, I would probably use your method.

Oh, I am reminded by your description of your coat closets, which sound remarkably like mine, that I still have one area to tackle and that is my coats. Sadly I do keep mine stuffed in among all the other gear in the hall closet.

So congrats on your project and finding a wonderful sorting method. It has been nice knowing that someone else is also busy cleaning their closet this holiday weekend!

Wow, such a great work you are doing, Shiny! Thanx for the picties and detailed color analysis, now off to get sunk in it deeper:-).

Wow - thanks for sharing! What a big job and big accomplishment! I really enjoy these posts - very motivational. I've been working on my closet throughout the summer so it's in pretty good shape. We'll see how it works out through the fall. Love all your detail

What a great, well-thought out plan!!

I skimmed through this I am going to read the thread closely. Good advice here.
What an accomplishment !

Wow, this has been very enlightening to read. Great approach to editing. I will be inspired by this the next time I feel an edit coming on!

Congratulations again, and the updates were great to read!

Wow - seriously great work, and fun to read your progress! I'm about to start adding fall/winter items to my closet, and have been contemplating how to do it - I like your method of deciding colors first.