Declutter 2015: The Bedroom

Challenge: I am tasking myself with going through my entire house and getting rid of everything that we don’t need anymore. I’m also taking this opportunity to repair things that are broken, eliminate annoyances, develop new systems, and just streamline as much as possible. See more posts in the series >>

I asked my husband which room I should do first, and he suggested our bedroom. Wasn’t my first thought, but he was totally right. So much junk. So many extra clothes. A giant rocking chair from those newborn days piled with clothes. There’s no leeway for unused furniture in a 12×12 room. Out it goes.

Years of pregnancy and nursing put my wardrobe into a state of flux that made it hard to know what was worth keeping, so I just kept it all and the result was a bulging closet.

I tried on every piece of clothing and if it didn’t fit or flatter: gone. Things that needed mending got mended. I found pieces I hadn’t worn in a long time that I should be wearing all the time. All in all, I was able to reduce my wardrobe by 36 pieces and two mate-less socks. Dan got rid of 19 items, and  I also gathered a box full of odds and ends for the trash and donation. I emptied an entire drawer!

I turned all the hangers backward, and when I wear something (and it’s washed and returned to the closet), I’ll turn the hanger the normal way. Not my trick, but it’s handy for knowing if you’ve worn something recently. If it’s a long-sleeved shirt and I haven’t worn it by July 1, it’s out. And short-sleeved shirts, they have until next January 1. I am also going to try a one-in/one-out system, though I am not really a shopper, so there shouldn’t be much turnover.

Our closet is small by modern standards, but there’s nothing on the floor and nothing on the top shelf either. And I’m going to try to keep it that way, at least for a while.

I had a large bin full of photos and photo albums stuffed in the corner for a long time. (Like maybe nearly two years?!) So I relocated those to the living room to live with other photo albums in this buffet. Some of the photos need to be put in albums, but I will tackle that project when I declutter that room.

One minor annoyance fixed: We have a clothes hamper with a divided liner, and while we use the hamper all the time, we don’t use the divider to sort clothes or anything. Instead, the clothes get thrown on top of the divider, and then the bin is soon overflowing. We’ve been dealing with this stupid issue for years. So finally, I took a pair of scissors and just cut out the divider. Talk about a forehead smacking moment. Now everything is wonderful.

 

 

One more thing that isn’t quite finished yet: I’m using this opportunity to add some photos of Etta to our family photo gallery wall. Nearly two years old and no photos on the wall. Poor second child. I have some great photos. I have frames. I’m giving myself until the end of February. No excuses.

I have to say that tackling one room at a time has already produced great results. When we were about 80% done, I felt the pull to tear into another room and get rid of junk that was easier to deal with. I really didn’t want to do the annoying stuff like sew buttons, list things on eBay, or find a place to donate odd items. But I pushed through and stuck with it. And now I can really say that room is actually done.

Next up: The dining room. Because hidden junk is often the worst type of junk.

See more bedroom posts >>