Dear Subscriber,

In my last newsletter, we started talking about The Monster In The Closet, focusing first on old or otherwise unwanted clothing that typically accumulates behind closed doors.

This time, we’ll tame the “Miscellaneous Monster” – all those other things you discovered when you cleared out that closet. As you go through this important process, keep three goals in mind:
-- you’ll keep only the things you want and/or need,
-- you’ll treat them with the respect they deserve,
--and you’ll create a system that makes it easy for you to find and use them.

Take a hard look at the things you’ve removed from the closet. What categories do they fall into?

Sports equipment: when’s the last time you actually played that sport? Memorabilia, like photographs and letters: do you need easy access to these things, or can they go into deeper storage? Framed art: can you find a home for it on your walls? Cleaning supplies: might this be stored in the kitchen or bathroom?

Holiday ornaments: can they go into deep storage for once-a-year retrieval? Research material from a college paper? Garden tools? The list of possibilities goes on. As you sort, think about the use you want or need to make of each item. And discard – either into the trash, or to your local Goodwill center – everything else.

I think you’ll find this process to feel both cleansing and liberating. As one of my clients happily remarked, “It feels like a colonic!”

Now that you’ve sorted and purged, it’s time to find a home for the things that remain.

First, put the things you can in the place where they already belong, e.g., placemats in the dining area, pencils & pens near your office area. Now it’s finally time to transform that closet from a scary monster into a peaceful, welcoming oasis (yes, an oasis).

The way to do this is by giving each item some thought. For example, it makes sense to put garden supplies into a leakproof container that can be easily transported from the closet to the garden. Sports gear needs a box that holds the equipment neatly. Umbrellas can all be placed in a small basket.

As you think about ways to store things, work first with containers you already own. Resist the impulse to buy more containers until you absolutely must. And remember, only keep things in this closet that you need easy access to.

You may want to build shelves for the various containers you now have. Perhaps one side of the closet can be devoted to shelves for non-clothing items, with the other half set up with bars for hanging clothes.

When you’re through, I guarantee that from now on you’ll breathe a sigh of happy relief whenever you open this closet door. Congratulations, you’ve said farewell to the monster in your closet!

Until next time, Happy Organizing!

Sincerely,

Ann Bingley Gallops
The Organized Life


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ORGANIZING DISCOVERY OF THE MONTH: HANDBAG & PURSE STORAGE

Give your handbags the “kid-glove treatment” with a hanging canvas shelf unit that suspends from the clothing rod in your closet. Large purses get a whole shelf to themselves, while smaller bags and wallets can be grouped together. You’ll gain easy access to important – and expensive – accessories, while taking up minimal space in the closet.

They’re available in 6- or 10-shelf units at The Container Store, and other home furnishings shops.


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Contacting me I’d love to hear from you. Please drop me a line with comments, questions, or suggestions for future newsletters.

Ann Bingley Gallops
The Organized Life
ann@theorganizedlife.net
www.theorganizedlife.net
646-382-3878

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Copyright 2004, Ann Bingley Gallops

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