The Most Important Step of the Closet Cure

Congratulations! You made it to the end of our inaugural Closet Cure. We started out a little less that two weeks ago with our eye on the prize of a pared down wardrobe, filled with things that make us look and feel good, stored in clean, uncrowded closets and drawers. Whether you have reached that goal already or are still working through the assignments at your own pace, I hope you feel like your efforts have been paying off. Today, on our final day, I’m going to pass on what just might be the most important step in the Closet Cure…

Here it is:

Set up a new, permanent “out” bag, box or basket in (or near) your closet and then make a a commitment to yourself to spend one hour a month, each month moving forward, doing light maintenance to keep up what you’ve created. If you stick to that 60 minutes-or-so-each-month schedule, your closet will be far less likely to get out of control or overcrowded again.

In that monthly maintenance hour, you can:

– Do a quick sort, pulling out anything that you just aren’t wearing, enjoying or feeling good about anymore, and consider putting in into the out box you’ve just set up today. You can try it on or if you are sure, just pop it in for now. Once the outbox, basket or bag is full, you can spend part of your monthly maintenance hour to pack it up and then set the process in motion to donate or sell the items.

– Pull out anything that needs dry cleaning, repairs or alterations and set them next to your front door for the next time you are running errands in the neighborhood.

– Peruse your socks, undies, tights and other hardwearing items to see what needs to go into the rag bag, and add a replacement reminder to your shopping list.

– Straighten the hangers, turning them all in the same direction, zipping and buttoning hanging items as you go. Refold anything that’s gotten stuffed into drawers or stuck on shelves in a messy manner.

– Pat yourself on the back for creating and keeping up a clean, organized wardrobe!

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this Closet Cure – you’ve all been amazing – full of help, support, good ideas and encouragement. I’m already looking forward to the January Cure and I hope you’ll join me then to get our entire homes freshly cleaned and organized for the year ahead, together.

In the meantime, I know we’d all love to hear the final updates and success (or in process!) stories. If you can take the time to share your thoughts on your Closet Cure process and results in the comment thread (for example: how you are feeling about your wardrobe now, how your closet is looking and feeling and maybe even how much you donated/are donating), it would be super fun for everyone to read.

Thanks again, I’m confident that you all will be looking extra wonderful and stylish this fall and winter. Keep up the good work!