This week please welcome my guest, Alexis Anne from Clean, Smart, Simple Style where she blogs about simple stylish inspiration for home organizing and design.
The great thing about a closet is that you can shut the door- so theoretically it’s the last place most people think to clean. But, I’ve learned that an organized closet leads to a more organized home. I NEED to have clean closets and here’s why.
1) A Centipede lives in my house
There is no other explanation for how 4 people can produce the pile of shoes that we produce near the front door if I do not have a readily available space in our front hall closet for shoe storage. It only takes a few minutes to clear out a space for a cheap shoe organizer, and then the whole family can put their shoes AWAY.
2) I prefer laundry to be my part time job rather than my full time job
Crammed closets mean crinkly clothes, and a closet without spare hangers and a designated spot for “lightly worn” clothing means at the end of the day everything tends to end up in the laundry, even if it isn’t dirty. I do enough laundry as it is- so I do everything in my power to ensure that the bedroom closets are organized enough to allow clean clothes to stay clean, and the laundry baskets to stay empty (at least for a minute)!
3) A clean floor = a clean room
As far as I’m concerned, if I can see the floor and it’s not covered in crumbs, the room is clean. But with a young kids, the only way I can get all of the toys off of the floor, and the crumbs swept up is to have room to actually put things away. I’m a big fan of baskets, but I like baskets even more when I can fill them up and put them in the closet. Out of sight, out of mind!
4) I HATE going to the store in the rain
It never fails, if I’m in a time crunch or it’s pouring rain, I run out of something that I need to make dinner that night. Dragging 2 kids out into the rain just to get spaghetti sauce? Forget it!
We’ll have something else instead. But what if it’s the last ingredient for tonight’s birthday cupcakes? If the pantry is a mess, you have no idea what is or isn’t hiding on the top shelf, and you probably won’t realize you don’t have something until the clouds roll in and the sky opens up.
5) I do not live in a museum
I love a good organizing project, and I love to clean out closets, but I have a life too. Sometimes I’m just too tired at the end of the day to be in charge of clutter control. So I am forever thankful for a closet with an empty shelf to stash stuff and then shut the door in a hurry if company is dropping by unexpectedly.
Clean closets won’t solve all of the world’s problems, but they’re a great place to start if you’re looking for a quick organizational fix in your home.
Alexis Anne is a busy wife and mother of two energetic little girls. When she’s not cleaning closets, she’s blogging about organization and design inspiration for the home at her blog Clean, Smart, Simple Style.
Lisa says
“A centipede lives in my house.” Took me a second to get it but once I did I loved it!! 🙂 Isn’t it amazing how many shoes 4 people can wear in a week?!
Karen says
I adore this article. I’ve linked to it and to Alexis Anne’s site too over at The Executive Mom.
Stephanie's Mommy Brain says
A centipede lives at my house too!! Only we have SIX people wearing shoes. Thankfully only 2 of us are girls, otherwise we might really be in trouble!
Frugal Living says
I can’t even keep my closet organized for one day because every time I take off my shoes, I just sling them in the closet
Kalianne says
I couldn’t agree more. My friends used to call me an ironing freak. I’d iron everything – tea towels, sheets, underwear (I’m not joking at all). Fastidious perfection. No surprise that I burned out.
One of the first signs that I was getting behind with my strict regime was when the laundry basket became our closet. I couldn’t keep up with the ironing. Getting dressed to go anywhere was chaotic.
Now instead of digging around for clean undies and shirts in the laundry basket, I fold and hang most of our laundry in the closet un-ironed. At least we can find our clothes when we need them!
Organised closets – organised life!
Sinea says
I know what you mean about closets that are too full forcing clothes that don’t need to be in the laundry to the basket, anyway. Our son is a prime example. We haven’t found a cure yet but he is overrun with clothes and will not give anything away. As a result, he lives out of laundry baskets, and off the floor, etc. He’s 22 so I’ve resigned myself to close his door and think “happy thoughts”. 🙂
Rachel says
with two preschoolers running around the closets are the only places in our house that are safe from their messy whirlwind. I take comfort when I see my nice tidy linen closet that even if my house is a mess at least there is order somewhere!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I love the idea of having a spare shelf in a cupboard for those emergency stuff stashes.
Anna says
I have the same issue with the shoes in my house–shoes everywhere! But I started using this other shoe rack http://www.flexishoerack.com. Its adjustable shelves accommodated even my kids’ boots. It builds vertically so it basically doubled my storage space. Plus, the modules stack to add as many shelves as needed. Works for me!