First Real Declutter

I decided to make the hall closet my first decluttering project.  I took some pictures of the before. They're scary and I'm ashamed! 

That closet is literally right beside the front door when you walk in.  Every time one of us walks in, we close the front door and open that one.  Shoes get kicked off, yoga mat gets tossed in, sometimes the boys throw their socks in.  Gross!  I'm just tickled that all of the coats get hung up.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but under that pile of shoes is an actual shoe shelf.  Fat lot of good it's done.  On the left side of the closet, a hanging shoe bag.  Empty.  Completely empty.  *sigh*

After about an hour or sorting and cleaning, I can happily say, it's nice and tidy.  Ta Da!

Obviously, you can see in the pictures, I didn't add anything.  No cute baskets or tags.  My guys won't notice or use that stuff, so basic is best around here.  I took advantage of the hanging shoe bag and put everyone's flip flops, my ballet flats and lawn mowing shoes in there.  That cleared up a TON of floor space.  The remaining shoes are those that are being worn at least a couple of times a week.  Yoga mats and blocks made it up to the top shelf, dumb bells tucked away on the floor to the left, easy to access, stretch bands on hooks above the weights.  My coats on the left, his on the right, the boys keep theirs hung up in their room.


This decluttering resulted in some trash (as I'm sure you guessed from those before pics).  I pulled both of my sons ponchos.  Both were ripped at the neck enough that it was kind of a waste to keep them(that's the blue and beige you see in the pic).   To the pile of things headed for the trash, I added a pair of my youngest sons ripped jeans and a stained shirt belonging to my oldest.  Sadly, last week our Keurig died after more than 2 years of dedicated service to us.  That, too, joined the pile of things to go. 

It felt great to get this done and I'm pretty happy overall with the accomplishment.  It's small, but it's a start.

After all was said and done, I did some laundry and found a few items that, while in great condition, just don't fit my kids anymore.  I pulled those aside for either consigning or donating.  When I cleaned the closet  I also pulled a small tote bag that had a Happy Bunny graphic on it.  It was cute, but I never used it.  Not once.  In 4+ years.   That was also added to this pile.

So, there you have it.  My first decluttering!