Before & After Photos: My Major Closet Clean Up
My mom once told me that the saddest part about having a baby is coming home from the hospital and still looking pregnant.  And it is true!!  I lost a lot of weight immediately after delivery, but it took me a long time to let go of my maternity clothes.
Noah was born in April.  In October I finally cleared my closet of all my maternity clothes.  (Don’t freak out.  I hadn’t been wearing them that whole time!)
  
This is my side of the closet before clearing out all the maternity clothes and after.  Holy smokes!  If I wasn’t wearing my maternity clothes, what was I wearing???
Clearing out the maternity clothes was the easiest part of cleaning my closet. Â The real mess was on the floor. Â All over the floor!
  
Ka-BOOM!  Now that is what I call before and after photos!!  Want more?
  
POW! Â Boy does that feel good!
How did I do it?
Whenever I declutter a space I follow the advice of Nony from A Slob Comes Clean: start with the easy stuff first. Â I can easily get overwhelmed looking at the big picture. Â However, picking one simple task and then another and another – that is something I can do.
1) I took all the dirty clothes to the laundry room.
2) I put away clean clothes… because… um… apparently I have a problem hanging up my clean clothes.
3) I took out all the maternity clothes, included the big gray tub.
After that it was just a matter of reorganizing and cleaning.
Oh yes, the cleaning…
  
Uh… YUCK!
I did this project back in October. Â How long did it stay looking that good?
Not long.
My closet became my main Christmas hub. Â It got nasty in there real quick. Â So here is one more set of before & after pictures for you from this month.
  
This clean up was super easy.  Mostly I just dumped all the trash.  I also took the sweeper in there did a major cleaning.  At first I didn’t think I would need to dust the baseboards because I had just did it, but shockingly dust can start collecting again after 3 months.  Who knew?  😉
Now my closet is clean and fabulous. Â I hope I can keep it that way!
If Nony’s decluttering advice struck a cord with you, you might want to check out her eBooks. Â Drowning in Clutter? and 28 Days to Hope for Your Home are on sale today only in honor of Nony’s birthday. Â Use the promo code BIRTHDAY to get either book for $2.20 (since her b-day is on the 22nd) or the set for $3.90 (since she is turning 39).
How is your closet looking these days? Â I dare you to check the baseboards!!
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Yay for clean closets! And, your closet is huge. I live in a house built in the 70s and our closets are small.
And, heavens knows the baseboards in the closets haven’t been cleaned in a long time…I’ll have to remember to actually do that. Maybe when I’m spring cleaning!
Rachel, our closet IS huge! Our house is 160 years old, but it has been remodeled with some great closet space. I think our closet used to be a balcony.
So, when can you come over and help me? 🙂 Every time I get started, sickness settles in the house and we go back to survival mode. Your closet looks GREAT!!!! Now, do you have any tips on getting the Hubby to get rid of HIS clothes that no longer fit?
I actually cleaned out all of Nate’s clothes about a year ago. I pulled out things I hadn’t seen him wear in a long time and things like extra t-shirts. I didn’t throw a thing away. I just made suggested piles and let him do that.
Nate and I also have a “keep box.” We both have clothes in it that we don’t wear, but don’t want to get rid of yet. Most of them are sentimental. That might be a good idea for your husband’s clothes that don’t fit. Stick them in a box and put them in the attic.
My task for January (that I made back on the first!) was to get rid of all of the clothes and shoes I dont wear! Well, we are on the 23rd and it STILL isnt complete yet. I will get to it though, I promise. 🙂
Your closet looks great! Wonderful job!
I finally got it complete last night! Oh my goodness…I had alot of clothes and shoes I wasnt wearing! I am donating at least 8 pairs of shoes and two (tall) laundry baskets full of clothing. And guess what? My armoire has room in it for the first time in over a year! Now, I have only the clothes that I wear in my closet and armoire. And I found 2 of my favorite shirts while cleaning to put back into therotation. 🙂 THANK YOU for the motivation to get it done!!
I love it!!! I am so glad that my MESS could motivate someone else. Haha! Good job, Meg.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.