The Clean Closet

If you ever came into my condo, you would see that I try to keep it maintained

neatly, artsy and ready to entertain. 

The living room currently has a very modern collage of photos on the wall, colorful pillows,

and a dark leather ottoman against a cream shag rug. 

The table is always set for two; wine glasses, candles and all.

My room is always neat and decorated in a similar fashion to the living room.

Dishes are to go straight to the dishwasher and the counters are wiped down daily.

It would appear that I am a very clean person,

but I was hiding a "dirty little secret":

Closet slob-itis.

That's what we will call this condition.

The act of being too lazy to clean out the closets, and in a frenzied fit to keep the parts

of the condo that people see tidy, items are often shoved into said closets and then forgotten.

I am lucky that everything hasn't fallen out on my head when I opened the doors.

It is just one of those things that you keep saying "I'll do it tomorrow"

"I'll do it next week" "I'll do it before Christmas".

Finally, something changes. Something unexpected happens in your household and you 

need to rearrange things, make space for new stuff.

How do you make space in a closet that is packed full?

You purge and cleanse. 

It's not just for dieting anymore.

I will now teach you six simple steps to having a truly clean home.

In the places no one sees. The ones that nag you in the back of your mind.

1) Take it one closet at a time. You can get burned out on this project as easily as any other. 

2) Pull everything out and spread out in a wide open space (like the living room) so you can clearly see everything and identify it.

3) Deviate between the keepsakes and the junk. This may be the hardest part, especially if you have a difficult time letting things go. There is a simple rule to follow that will make it much easier.

First ask yourself these questions:

                    A) Is it a family heirloom?

                    B) Is it a holiday item? (like your annoying singing santa doll)

                    C) Is it an emergency item? (like a first aid kit or a fire extinguisher)

If you answered "no" to all of them, and you haven't needed to use the item in six months or more,

it may be time to donate it or sell it. Before you take it to the Good Will drop off, ask yourself these next few questions:

                    A) Is it broken?

                    B) Is it filthy and stained?

                    C) Is it missing any parts?

If you can answer "yes" to any of these, you should put it by your curb so it can either be salvaged by someone or picked up by the trash collector.

4) Organize the keepsakes by likeness. A bin of sewing supplies. A bin of spare blankets. A bin of holiday decorations. Get the gist? If things are mixed up at random, it will be hard to tell what you have without digging it all out and it may take up more space. Don't forget to label the boxes or bins!

5) Stack heaviest to lightest when you put the boxes or other items back into the closet. This is not so much a space saver as a precautionary measure that delicate items don't get squashed by heavy ones. So a box of books would go underneath a box of ornaments. If there is a shelf, the lightest items can go here so as not to pull the shelf off of the wall.

6) Make necessary items accessible. If at all possible, leave a space beside the boxes or bins for the vacuum cleaner or mop or whatever item you might need regularly. If you don't have to dig them out, it prevents disorganizing what you just organized. 

It's that easy! You can live burden-free knowing the clean isn't just in the parts of the house everyone sees but everywhere.

Do you see where I am going with this now?

You can do the same sort of cleanse with your agendas.

People see you doing the right thing at face value,

but what's going on inside? 

Are there alterior motives? Are there demons?

Truths that need to come to light before you hurt someone?

Time to clean out those closets.

Time to apologize

time to forgive

time to confess

time to do what you actually say you're doing.

Clean feels so good.