Simple Steps to De-Clutter Closet

Organizing/cleaning a closet full of clutter can be overwhelming.   Decluttering a closet doesn’t have to be an intimidating or arduous a process.

Here’s how to simply do it.  We are not teaching you how to organize your closet but rather how to empty it of all but the essentials.

1. Set aside some time, and get some boxes. You might need a couple of hours. Or a few, if your closet is huge. Set aside an evening, if you have time in the evenings, or half a weekend day. Get boxes ready. You might need half a dozen or more, depending on how much junk you have.

2. Take everything out, empty it into a pile. All of it. Alternatively, you could choose to do this one section at a time, which could be less overwhelming — but it’ll take a few extra steps, as you’ll have to repeat these steps for each section. Either way works.

3. Quickly sort into 3 piles. Here are the choices: keep, toss, or maybe. The maybe is only if you really really have a hard time deciding — you’ll put these in a box and store them for 6 months, getting rid of them after that time if you never needed them. The keep pile is for stuff you really love and actually use — if you haven’t used it for 6 months, put it in the toss pile. OK, 12 months for seasonal clothes (such as winter coats). If you have trouble getting rid of things for sentimental or other emotional reasons, see how to let go of possessions.

4. Clean, then put the keep pile back, organized. OK, everything sorted? Clean out the closet nicely. Put the keep pile back in the closet (unless the stuff belongs elsewhere). Put it back neatly, organized. This doesn’t have to take long. Leave spaces between things if you can.

5. Deal immediately with the other piles. Take the maybe pile and put it into a box or two. Label it maybe, with today’s date. Store it somewhere out of sight, and don’t open it for 6 months. Toss the stuff in 6 months. Take the toss pile, and put it into boxes — stuff you’ll donate to charity, stuff you’re going to give to friends, maybe other stuff you’ll sell in a yard sale or on eBay. Throw the actual trash away, or recycle.

Optional step 6: Breathe, and bask in the glory of your beautiful new minimalist closet. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and just admire. So minimalist, so pure. So lovely!

Collecting or Hoarding?

"Collecting" things is a human trait, and while there is an old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, accumulating items can sometimes grow out of hand. “Hoarding” is the excessive amassing of possessions, including those with no use or value, in a person’s home, office, or even their car.

Almost all of us have a pile of unread magazines stored somewhere, clothes in the closet that we think we might wear again someday or don't even fit but will one day fit in again, a spot in our house where mail and other items tend to accumulate for future sorting that doesn’t happen as quickly as we intend.

According to the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Foundation, “Simply collecting or owning lots of things does not qualify as hoarding.” The association points out, “Collectors typically keep their possessions well-organized and each item differs from others. An important purpose of collecting is to display these items to others who appreciate them.”

What is Hoarding?

Hoarding is a compulsive or pathological behaviour characterized by:

• acquiring and failing to throw out large number of items that would appear to have little or no value to others, such as old magazines, containers, clothes, books, junk mail, receipts, notes or lists;
• severe cluttering of the person's home so that it is no longer able to function as a viable living space;
• significant distress or impairment of work or social life.