Closet Clean Up 101

I started this project last week and I figured the second week of October was high time to finish it! That's right, the seasonal closet clean out. If you are like me, you do not have enough room in one closet for a years worth of your clothing and your husbands! There are plenty of closet organization tips out there and I came up with a few of my own while cleaning out.

1. I decided at least a year ago I would only have white hangers for my clothing. It's a personal choice, but they are so much cleaner than a clear hanger with rusty metal hook, or those that you get from the dry cleaners. This is an ongoing battle though. Look at what I weeded out today! (and yes, I found bubble wrap in the closet as well, who knows) These were just hangers that didn't even have clothes on them. I also try to pull unused hangers frequently...you will always have them lingering around from the dry cleaners and they create SO much clutter!

2. Follow the golden rule of closets, toss things you haven't worn in a year. I thought about this rule, and I realized that I have never missed ANYTHING that I have donated or given to a consignment store. I think this means I have a pretty good track record in this department.

3. Only break rule #2 for a few things that you can absolutely not part with. I am still head over heels for a few special dresses that will not be leaving my closet anytime soon. They make me smile and feel good when I see them, so they aren't going. In fact, one day when I have a dream closet they might even be preserved in a shadow box of some sort ;)

For example, the cocktail dresses for our rehearsal dinner and one of the engagement parties. I LOVE these and since I only wore them once, I deserve to look at them all the time.

4. While you are cleaning and organizing, take mental notes of the quantities of your accessories. It became apparent to me I have over 20 some scarves, and that doesn't include the handful I put in the "donate" pile. All this tells me is I only need to purchase a few must-have scarves this year, and invest my money into other items that I have less of.  Somebody stocked up last year it seems! 

5. When you think you are done weeding out things you don't need anymore, go through it one more time. I did this tonight and pulled out two more white tops, and two more black tops that just needed to "go" since they had seen better days. 

On that note, here are some lovely photos to keep us all dreaming about a beautiful, larger-than-ever-should-be-necessary, perfectly organized closet! 

Keep those pretty shopping bags...and keep them neatly displayed! This is a brilliant solution for my closet!

An ottoman to have a place to lay a sweater, or put on your heels.

The ultimate closet, I think my cocktail dresses would fit perfectly on the ends of those shelves!

Better jewelry organization is a must. This keeps it safe, organized, and easy to find.

This closet clean out might have motivated me to give our closet a nice new coat of paint to brighten it up. Of course, I would love California Closets to make a house call tomorrow but I don't think that is going to happen! Do you have any closet tips to share?!

*images via my pinterest page