I have a confession.

For years I lived with a messy closet.

At first, I lived with my own messy closet (my problem was trying on fifty different outfits before deciding what to wear and then leaving all the rejected choices on the floor.) But, thankfully, Marie Kondo’s methods cured me of these habits when I discovered her first book back in 2015. My husband’s messy closet habits, however, were still in full swing. 

And I mean Full. Swing. Take a look at what was hiding behind our closet door every day:

As part of the KonMari™ Method, I learned to focus my attention on my own belongings rather than on my husband’s (Strategically assigning his half of the closet as the one that was mostly hidden by the door helped), but I have to admit, it wasn’t always easy. The disorganization and visual overload had definitely caused a few heated moments in our home over the years.

But then this past Fall, something amazing happened. 

An incredible donation of 1850s ceiling tin came into Legacy Architectural Salvage, and I was determined to find a way to incorporate a few of these beauties into our home. As I scanned our house looking for the perfect place to put them, the seed of our Master Bedroom Closet Makeover was planted. (More about that process next time!) And since we were going to be pulling out all of our clothing and accessories anyway...it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a KonMari™ Clothing Session. Only this time it wouldn’t be on my own clothes.

I presented this idea to my husband and to my shock, surprise and joy, he agreed!

And so it began.

Step One: Pull Everything Out

Just like you’ve seen if you have watched the Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, we pulled every tee shirt, shoe and belt out of the closet and piled them on our bed. Seeing the sheer volume of clothing you own forces you to ask yourself some tough questions. 

• How did I acquire this much stuff?

• How much of this stuff do I actually wear?

• I still have that?

• Do I even like this?

It didn’t take long for my husband to realize he had more clothes than he could wear even if he went without washing his clothes for several months (and thankfully, his college self did not re-emerge and say, “That sounds fantastic!”)

Step Two: Joy-Checking

In a nutshell joy-checking means you simply hold each item and decide whether or not it Sparks Joy. If you enjoy wearing it and it makes you feel good when you put it on: keep! If not, discard with a grateful heart.

If took a bit of practice, but once he got used to this idea, my husband was able to assess each and every piece of clothing he owned, all the way down to those individual socks that lost their mates so long ago.

As we worked through the mound of clothing, he came across several items that gave him pause: his late papa’s tie, his Ultimate Frisbee jersey from college, fan gear for a team he likes but with a logo he finds offensive and as a result, never actually wears. What do we do with these types of items? Do they pass the joy test? Should they be in your closet where the main purpose it to select what to wear each day?

This process doesn’t let you hide from these items or push them into a corner of your closet to deal with later. It gives you the opportunity to deal with them right now. It also gives you permission to let them go. We set aside the jersey to go with sentimental items in the attic. The tie, he realized, he had never actually seen his papa wear. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever seeing his papa in a tie! He decided to let it go. The sports team shirt? He let that go, too, along with many other items that he realized he was keeping “just because”.

By the time we finished going through his items, he had discarded/donated:

• 33 tee shirts

• 26 pairs of underwear

• 21 long-sleeved shirts

• 20 pairs of socks

• 13 pairs of shorts

• 8 ties

• 4 sweaters

• 2 belts

(The award for oldest item discarded? A pair of twenty-four-year-old socks!)

Step Three: Decide Where It Should Go

After reducing nearly 130 items from my husband’s half of the closet, we had plenty of room to establish specific zones to streamline his morning routine and make it super easy for him get ready for the day ahead: a zone for work clothes, a zone for comfy clothes, a zone for swimwear, etc.

By simply removing the over-the-door shoe rack and making use of the newfound floor space, it was as if we had knocked down a wall and expanded our closet blueprint. My husband couldn’t believe how much easier it was to get ready in the morning and I couldn’t believe this was the same closet I would brace myself for before opening!

Life-Changing Magic

I don’t know how to explain it, but I have seen it time and time again: after you invest in thoughtfully and thoroughly going through your belongings and setting up a system that fits your needs, it is as if a flip gets switched.

Remember the 50 outfits I would leave on the floor? Remember those “Before” photos? It has been four months and our closet still looks fantastic! That is the magic of tidying up.

Once you do it, you want to keep doing it. And you do.

If you are tired of living with a messy closet (kitchen, bedroom, garage— life!) and are ready to start your own journey toward creating a home you love, there is no better time than right now.

I have thoughtfully and purposefully designed a wide range of Organizing Packages to help you do just that. If you have a partner who is ready to take this journey with you, be sure to subscribe below for details about my February His & Hers Closet Special--you will love the results!

Until next time,