Look out for falling objects!
Can you get the door closed on your front closet? Does you company need to use the post on the stairwell to hang up their coats because there is no room in the closet? Have you suffered wearing two different mitts because their partners have gone partying with the missing socks in parts unknown? (It's a real pain when all you can find is too "left" mitts grrrrr). Can you open the front closet without having to dodge falling objects? I like to haul everything out of our front closet a couple times of year. Once in the spring to remove, wash, and repair winter coats for the following year (anything that doesn't fit anymore is donated). We have a rod in the basement where we store our off-season clothes. It's also a good time to match up those wayward mitts, put away the puts, and haul in the spring jackets! Wahoo. Then I do the same thing again during fall - except in reverse order. We also like to keep our family board games in the front closet, but this year, they are going to be moved out to their new location in our renovated basement. So I will actually have more room in the front closet this year. Wahoo!
OK my hard hat is on and I am going in - ready to join me?
- Winter Gear: Getting ready for spring means packing away the
winter coats, toques, and mitts. Since we pass our winter coats down
from one kid to the next, it is important that they are clean and
mended before we pack them away in the basement. Wash up any winter
gear that you don't need until fall. Coats that are too small will be
added to garage sale/donation pile. Get them out of your main closet
so you can make room for spring and summer gear. Take a look at how
many boots and shoes are stored in your front hall closet. Do they
all get worn? Are any too small? Can they be stored someplace else?
- What else is in your closet? Go through each shelf one at a
time. I usually take everything out. Wash down the shelf and only put
back the things you want to keep. If it is trash, then out it goes.
- Wash down the closet walls and floor: My kids (and my
husband) have this annoying habit of kicking their shoes off and
flinging them into the closet. This leaves ugly black marks over the
bottom two feet of wall in the closet. As well, by the time spring
rolls around, the floor of the closet begins to resemble a sand box!
Vacuum the floors and wash the walls with warm soapy water. Magic
Eraser ™ works really well on the stubborn black marks (and no I am
not associated with that company – hee hee).
- Put back the stuff you want. If you ended up with empty space
in the closet – enjoy it!
