In case you missed it, my friend Nichole and I are embarking on a weekly challenge to declutter our homes, one hot spot at a time. Last week we worked on the master bedroom. This week, Nichole proposed that we should tackle the Worst Closet In The House.
Now, in our old 1940s house, picking which closet qualifies as the "worst" is a pretty simple task for two reasons:
1) We have three closets. In the whole house. That's right, three closets. (Also? Three closets is not enough.)
2) Even if we had 12 closets, this one would be the worst because of the awkward size & shape.
Presenting...the Harry Potter Closet. You know, the closet under the stairs. Ever since James first called it the Harry Potter Closet roughly four years ago, that has been its name. The closet is shallow, dark, with that awkward space extending under the steps on the left hand side. It has been filled with all manner of clutter. See?
When I took everything out of the closet, I found:1) an assortment of medications dating back as far as 2005
2) an assortment of pet care items we no longer need
3) the hose attachment I looked for last summer
4) the Spring mini-flag I had wondered about
5) an assortment of cleaners and yard/garden chemicals (this closet has a door the kids cannot open)
6) three kites
7) a big stack of paper plates
I could go on to list many more odd things that were lurking in this closet, but you get the general idea. Have a thing? Not sure where to put it? Stuff it in the Harry Potter Closet and forget about it!
As I sorted through the clutter, I gathered up 1 1/2 bags of trash and 1 bag of things to take to Goodwill. I put a few things back in the closet. Look! There might even be room for me to tuck the vacuum in there!
(Don't knock my shelves. Back when we were newlyweds, we bought a kitchen table for $25, and the folks we bought it from threw in these lovely shelves for free. There are actually three sets of different sizes, but you can't see them due to the awkwardness of the closet.)I'm looking forward to using the closet as a closet, and not just as a black hole of forgetfulness.
Also? I'd really like to take the oddly-shaped left hand side of the closet and open it up, turning into shelves/bins that are accessible from the room. We could use that space for school storage, and that would make me happy.
Go see what Nichole worked on this week!
2 comments:
Great job!
I don't know how my house gets so cluttered! It is such a "cleansing" feeling to go through old things and put things in a place where you can find them. I always feel less stressed out after organizing it is the motivation to do so that I lack!
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