So it’s been ages since we first introduced (and then seemingly forgot) a two-post feature where we invite you to tackle a house project right along with us. Last July it was cleaning out our garages, and this time we’re turning our attention to our closets.
Call it nesting. Call it the spring cleaning bug arriving a bit early. Call it whatever you want, but Sherry and I recently got the urge to purge. With the bean arriving in T-minus 10-ish weeks (and loot from baby showers headed our way even sooner) now’s the perfect time for us to donate/toss long forgotten items of clothing and unnecessary doodads that are taking up precious real estate in our closets- and better organize everything else that makes the cut. Plus, my closet has become quite a half-folded mess lately (we men only fold so much…):
So we’re giving in to that urge this weekend, and inviting you to join us. Well, not literally at our house, but to do the same thing in your own home. You get the idea.
And in case you think you’re off the hook because your clothes are perfectly pressed and sorted by color, we’d gonna tackle some other closets this weekend too. Like our hall closet that stores all sorts of memories along with a growing collection of “emergency” gift bags and boxes (nobody needs that many).
Plus, those bamboo blinds that conveniently cover the shelves over our laundry nook?
Um yeah… there’s a reason we conceal this mish-mash of tools, luggage, wrapping paper and what I can only imagine is a lot of dust too…
So now that our less organized nooks and crannies are out there for all to see, we’ve given ourselves a kick in the pants to make it better by Monday. (Do I get 500 bonus points for using nooks, crannies, and pants all in one sentence?). So who’s with us? What could use some purging / re-organizing at your house this weekend? Whether it’s a junk drawer or an entire floor, we’re here to virtually rally your troops and encourage you to take it on. Not only will you gain the satisfaction of a cleaner and more organized place to live, but you’ll actually earn extra square footage (for future storage, or just to allow your house to breathe again). And the self satisfaction of a job well done is pretty nice too (we’re fans of rewarding ourselves with ice cream). We promise to post our “results” next week along with the process that we used to clean house- and we can’t wait to hear how it goes for all of you too. Good luck! And good riddance to all that closet clutter.
Jill says
There must be spring fever going around… The boys (the 31 year old and the 2 year old) are away this evening and I’m taking the opportunity to tear apart the back porch and turn it into a gleaming, glistening shrine to boots and shoes. If only I could teach the dog to wipe his feet. If you and/or Burger have any pointers on this, let me know!
moira says
I DO! I do need to clean out some clutter from my home…. but I need your help… how do you cope with paperwork? bills? documents? letters? do you have a file cabinet or do you have an organiser of some kind? I always seem to let them build up and I dont know where to start!? any ideas would be appreciated…
and scarves too… do you hang them or fold them…? thanks from australia! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s a post all about how we store nearly everything in our house (be sure to read the comments for even more info): https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/04/how-ya-bin/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise says
My mom and I are saving our old decorating items we are sick of for a garage sale in the spring! Great way to make a little cash and get rid of clutter. Also, it’s nice to recycle and find new homes for your unwanted items!
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
Yay, I’m so excited to see what you guys do with your closets! I’m seriously obsessed with closets… I actually just dedicated an entire week of posts to closets this week :). Today’s post included several really amazing closets… maybe it could help with a little inspiration?
Decor Adore says
Yes I’ve been looking for any excuse to get my walkin closet under control. I have other closets in the house that need some purging also, but I have two little ones (kids) that take up some time, so I will only focus on the walk-in this weekend.
P.S. I posted on my blog about your nursery dresser… I just couldn’t help but share. Go take a peek if you have a few minutes :)
http://decoriadore.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-love-young-house-love.html
Kim S says
I am so in need of a closet clean-out (or rather, multiple closet clean-outs) as well! And your “emergency gift bag” stash made me laugh because I have the same thing going on in our guest room closet. It is all balanced very precariously on the top shelf (because I just keep throwing more bags/boxes on top of the stack), and pretty much every time I grab one I bring the whole thing crashing down. On the plus side with all our leftover wedding gift bags I am not going to need to buy a bag for wedding gift or shower anytime soon. I have a busy weekend planned, but closet cleaning sounds like a good Sunday afternoon activity. :o)
loveofahero says
I’m in! Perhaps not going to be able to work on it so much over the weekend having a wedding to photograph, but I have some closets/pantries that are in need of a good purging and organizing no later than next week! :D
Nicole B says
How weird. Taking on the closet monster was already on my to-do list for this weekend! Definitely spring cleaning come early.
Robyn in Chicago says
Whoa. It’s like you guys read my mind…this morning I decided that I was going to beautify my closet this weekend. It isn’t sooo bad, but could use some tweaking for sure.
And John, yes, you do get 500 bonus point for using nooks, crannies, and pants all in one sentence and I would also like to give you 500 more bonus points for asking if you could get bonus points. That made me laugh out loud.
Amilynn says
I am so excited to see this post! I love your blog and actually am about 4.5 months preggo myself (so I hear ya on the purging and trying to make room thing). I actually have a question for you related to all the new baby “stuff” coming in. I have been careful when registering etc to pick things that will be great for baby (I am also a green and eco friendly freak ;)) and also look somewhat stylish. However, people keep gifting me all these very babyish and totally not my style items already (like Winnie the Pooh wall stickers for the nursery, clown patterned lamps, and teddy bear with balloons sheets). Just wondering if you guys have encountered this, and if you have any advice? Also, I would love to see a post on how you guys are going to hide/make work all the larger baby items (ie high chair, play jumpers/gyms, rockers etc).
YoungHouseLove says
Good question! We’ve totally received baby gifts that are either duplicates, not our style, or totally unnecessary- but we’re always sure to genuinely thank the gift giver (it’s the thought that counts) and fawn over every item for a moment or two. Then we do our best to keep those items from going to waste by either returning them if we can (sometimes even by adding them to our registry just to be able to bring them back and return them without a receipt) or passing them along to someone we think will get better use out of them (either a family member, friend, or even Goodwill). We would never want someone to hold onto a gift from us that they didn’t want or need (thereby cluttering up their house and making them feel annoyed every time they see it) so we hope that our method to keep our house from getting overwhelmed with baby gifts is something that others would understand and appreciate! We’re all about keeping things as simple as possible around here- so we too have only a small amount of items on our registry (everyone’s telling us to add more) because we want to keep the clutter down and give our baby more room to explore without crashing into piles of stuff!
xo,
s
kate says
This sounds silly, but it is such a relief to see that you guys accumulate clutter just like us regular folk :)
I actually just put in a request for vacation days coming up in two weeks, and tackling closets is on the top of my list!!
Amanda says
Just last weekend I admired all of the lovely storage bins our local TJ Maxx HomeGoods had for sale and thought about reorganizing our front hall closet. Now I’m more inspired to make that happen!
Amilynn says
Thanks Sherry! I know what you mean… everyone keeps telling me the baby will need so much more than I have registered for or think it will. The way I think about it though is if my husband and I live a simpler life the baby will just kind of fall into that too, hopefully anyways. Great suggestion on adding items to the registry in hopes to be able to return without a receipt!! I am actually going to go through some stuff and do that this afternoon!
Marilyn says
I’m wanting to tackle closets also, but I need help. I have old farm house closets that are about 3 feet wide 5 feet deep (approximately) and have a sloping (roof line) ceiling. They are deep and not practical at all,to have clothes hanging they need to be at the front because that is where the ceiling is the tallest. I have never seen a closet makeover or closet organizers doing this type of closet, any suggestions.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe googling around for ideas would work? Or visiting your local hardware store to look at shelving (or swinging through The Container Store)? Good luck!
xo,
s
Lindsey says
We actually just did this!! We have so much room now. Check out our before and after pictures!
http://lindseyis.blogspot.com/2010/02/organizing-closets-week-4.html
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
I’m in. We don’t have many closets and most of them aren’t too bad, but the downstairs bath closet needs help!
Suzy Trumbull says
Ah, have fun with that! I have meaning to do the same thing but every time I have the mindset to do it I think of something funner to do! Not only do I have all of those nook and crannies to clean up I have a junk room! Ah, the joys of being a homeowner!
laurajane says
I can not believe the countdown is at 10 weeks- where did the time go?!?!
YoungHouseLove says
I know right?! I feel the same way. This little girl’s a comin’ – and she kicks me every five minutes to remind me!
xo,
s
Melissa Oklahoma says
I’m always impressed with your creativity! Very cute…
Kristi W @ Life With the Whitmans says
Yay for clean closets! I did a post on my blog about de-cluttering and some guidelines that might help people who have a hard time getting rid of things. Plus there’s a list at the bottom to lots of useful things like donation locations in your area. :)
http://chateauwhitman.blogspot.com/2010/01/de-cluttering-101.html
Sarah Sarniak says
Oh I feel this one. Our closets are a disaster zone. lol
margaux says
dude, I am in! My husband and I are moving into our first condo in about a month (which your blog is helping to inspire so many great design ideas for our blank canvas) and I have WAY to many clothes… it’s so hard to part but I need to just suck it up and Let Go.
Christine says
I’m in! I have a storage closet that is in desperate need of purging – I have a tendency to save things ‘just in case’ but then I never use it. And if I don’t know what it is anymore- I’m getting rid of it! :)
Meg Robinson says
Urgh! I so need to be with you guys- I am 12 weeks preggo and our babies room will be an alcove off our bedroom (We live in a one-bedroom in Brooklyn). If you were to come over you would find three shelves covered with clothes, lotions, perfumes, tax forms, books, etc. Plus you can’t really walk in there bc the clothes that were hangint to dry still haven’t been put away a week later.
BAD NEWS is that I can barely get to work let alone clean these days…GOOD NEWS- mom and mom-in law come into town in just two weeks so guess who will get some MAJOR HELP?? My husband! (and me of course, if I can pick my head up off the pillow):)
Audrey Myers says
Hey ya’ll! I found your website a couple weeks ago and I am so inspired! I am actually having my house painted “sand white” as I type! My house was a bright, I mean BRIGHT, yellow (with a red laundry room) and I was just so tired of the chaos. I want to tone it down a lot, but I’m really nervous because I have never been a neutral kind of gal…Well, I like it, but I have never seen a space that I loved until your house. I’m looking forward to having a more open, airy home…
Oh, and I’ll be taking that closet cleaning challenge with you! I need to get rid of the clutter! Thanks for your inspiration!
Caitlin says
Too funny! This came at just the right time, because my scheduled post on my blog for Monday is about cleaning closet clutter!
I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!
The Virginia House says
I would love to join, not sure that I can this weekend…shoot.
I kinda gave a sigh if relief to see that you all have normal people closets;-) I just took pictures of my closets the other day so that I can do a before and after and they look much the same.
Good luck to all!
Jules says
I am taking my closet doors down this weekend and donating all clothing that I have not worn in the last year. I will not be putting the closet doors up again, instead we are getting a spring pattern material and making drapes to cover the closet. This will be a great way to add a little color to our bedroom. Spring to me is a time for new beginnings, flowers, plants, birds, smell of fresh grass. A new baby for you is definitely a new beginning, enjoy your spring:)
Celia says
I definitely need to do this in our bedroom closet! I have a lot of old clothes that I should probably get rid of, but they’re not in great shape (I really doubt people would want to wear them again). I hate just throwing them in the dumpster, though.
Does anyone know if Goodwill (or similar stores) do anything productive with clothes that aren’t worth reselling?
Sarah @ Breakfast at Tiffany Ln says
Closets have been on my to do list for a while… we’ve been looking at closet organizers since we moved in 4 months ago. I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually! :)
Emily says
I’m with you! My coat and linen closets are screaming for a purge and organizational make-over. Before and after photos are my motivation, hoping to create the wow factor, if only for myself.
Thanks for the inspiration and good luck!
Danielle says
I try to get rid of things rather than to “organize/save” them in plastic storage boxes. Yes sometimes those boxes are handy, but the less stuff you have, the fewer things you will need to organize and store. Another rule I have for myself is to reduce by 2 when I bring home one item. So if I buy a pair of shoes, I get rid of 2 pair. The “if you haven’t worn it in a year…” is good but I admit is hard for me to always adhere to.
Amanda says
Sigh…. oh fine. I feel like a grumpy child reluctantly obeying your orders, but I know I need a kick in the pants to get my tools and other “doodads” organized (similar to your laundry shelves).
michelle @ blissful musings says
How did you know my closet was a nightmare!?! I’m so guilty of an emergency stash or “I may need that one day”
Dana @ House*Tweaking says
OMG! You are humans! Thanks for showing us all the mess…although it’s really not that bad. Still, I’m excited to see how you store momentos and make your closets look stylish. We actually have a lot of storage space. But our unfinished basement has turned into a dumping ground for projects, tools, seasonal items and hideaway toys. I guess the good part is we don’t need that living space right now. However, when we decide to finish it we are going to have a lot of organizing to do!
sherrie says
Totally up for the joint challenge to ourselves. I need to clean out my office/creating space closet. Organization is in order.
I have to say though that I’m the half-folder and my husband the folder with clean neat stacks. And he does construction projects.
Aimee says
Thanks for the reminder and encouragement to purge. I have several spaces (my office, the entire guest room, the laundry closet) that has been on my list for awhile. Thanks for showing your off all of your nooks and crannies (I especially related to the laundry closet!) It’s good to know I’m not the only one with stuff unorganized behind closed doors!! Good luck and have fun this weekend.
Meri says
I am soooo in. Our bedroom closet is out of control, and things fall on me at least once a week. Thanks for the challenge! Hopefully I’ll be able to convince hubby to help (since half of it really is his stuff that falls on me). Before and after photos really are a good idea to help with the sense of accomplishment.
linda says
i’m not sure what decluttering will get done this weekend… but with our recent project my kitchen cupboards, pantry, hall closet and linen closet are all getting purged! YAY! the kitchen cupboards and drawerd (including a HORRID junk drawer) because we removed everything to paint our cabinets…. only stuff we use went/is going back in! the pantry, hall closet and linen closet will have everything removed sometime within the next week or so so i can get in there and paint and there, too…. only what we need/use goes back in!
for our clothes i use the “reverse the clothes hangers” method every so often…. i purge what i know i won’t wear… then turn all the coat hangers around…. as i wear somthing i put it back in the closet the correct way…. after a couple months (or in some cases a season, for seasonal wear) if the hanger hasn’t been turned… away it needs to go!!!!!!!!
i also must echo that i was actually thrilled to death to see that you two have some untidy areas! i find myself wondering it you two are always so incrediby uber neat or if you quickly tidy up before pictures… if you’re that neat… i’m extremely jealous!!!!!!
kat says
Thank you for baring your semi-messy closets and making us all feel better. It’s so hard to keep everything neat and organized all the time in a small house with tiny closets. Looking forward to seeing your closet make-overs! :-)
Annalea says
Wow . . . only 10 weeks! I’d like to recommend my favorite birthing book ever (which saved my bacon numerous times!), Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz. Since you both are into natural and healthy choices, I thought this book would be right up your alley, as it’s the only childbirth-prep book I’ve found that teaches you how to actively address and resolve fears and concerns that can, if left unaddressed, lead to unnecessary interventions and complications in labor and delivery. (Even small amounts of stress hormones in a mom’s system during labor and delivery can slow labor significantly, where the doc can declare “failure to progress”, and order an unnecessary C-section.)
So, education is key, and this book is excellent, and best if the two of you read it together (although I read it first on my own, and then read sections of it with my husband).
Take care, and have fun with your project this weekend! (I might even join you . . . my closet is a mess of ancient clothing and misc that doesn’t have a home . . . )
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the recommendation Annalea!
xo,
s
Jenny R says
Whaaaat?!?!? You guys actually have some hidden clutter at your house?!! I am shocked! haha I really love reading your blog each day and thought that for sure we were all slobs compared to you guys. It’s nice to know that even you guys have some clutter/mess hidden behind your closet doors and coordinated shades! You’re the best! :-)
Emmary Roemer says
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I was just looking trough a few of our cluttered areas in the house and didn’t have the gumption to tackle them. I want to thank you for showing me that you aren’t perfect. When I saw all of our clutter, I thought, “That Young House Love couple would never let this happen.” Now I have the motivation and I didn’t lose any self esteem.
Have a great weekend!
Sara says
I’m moving in two weeks (into my very first house!), so it’s time for me to start packing. That means getting rid of stuff, which always provides me a huge sense of relief and accomplishment. Despite having a million things to think about, I’m already getting excited about organizing the closets at the new place! Whee!
Amy says
I’ve been meaning to go through my clothes for a few months now and this weekend it might actually happen. Glad to know I’m not the only one who needs to clean closets!
Michelle Kersey says
Sherry, I must urge you not to purge clothes that don’t fit, rather, you think won’t fit after the baby is born. I did that… and 1 yr later, I’m missing my favorite blue jean skirt.
(If you know you didn’t wear it before becoming pregnant, that’s a different story.)
I don’t think my closet will be first on my agenda this weekend… but, I think once I start “nesting” (give me another 6 weeks) I’ll probably tackle everything in the house in a week.
Oh, and I saw the comment about how you all have gotten duplicate gifts and such… if grandparents live near by, they could probably use some new things too for when the baby is at their place. That’s what I do now with duplicate toys, they go to the grandparents houses to be put in a small tub.
YoungHouseLove says
No worries about that! All of my pre-prego clothes are stored in the basement so I won’t be going through those until after Baby P comes. This weekend is more about paring down the clothes that we currently have upstairs (like old painting clothes and holey socks and a bunch of those free t-shirts that seem to multiply) along with the other nooks and crannies that are full of stuff that needs to go!
And great tip about giving some duplicate baby toys and gifts to grandparents so they can have a set. We certainly don’t want to clutter up our parents’ houses but a little bin of toys for them to keep on hand might be nice.
xo,
s
Tiffany T. says
I feel so much better knowing I’m not the only one woohoo! I can’t wait to see what happens! P.S what?! 10 weeksish? That’s crazy this just happened..or maybe it just feels that way? I feel like yall just told us..next thing you know the little bean will be walkin around..ahh
Lindsay says
Sherry/John –
It’s so nice to see that your closets are just as cluttered as mine!!! Yes, you are healthy, too!!
And ten weeks?!?! Are you serious?!? We haven’t seen a bean-bump update lately! Here’s hoping you get through your third trimester quickly – I hear you get really sick of being pregnant right about now ;-).
Lindsay
YoungHouseLove says
I actually still love being prego but I should knock on wood as I say that! You can check out baby bump pics on our Facebook page (where we often post more un-home-improvement related things). Fun, fun, fun.
xo,
s
Micaela says
I’ve been purging my stuff over the past couple of months – cleaning out closets, getting rid of clothes I move from apartment to apartment but never ever wear. It feels really good! Right now I just have one night table and one desk left on the list to clean out.
Sugar Cookie says
Great post! I have had “organize the bedroom closet” on my to-do for awhile now… maybe I’ll find the motivation to tackle it this weekend!