As I’m decluttering my closet, I’m trying to decide how I want to store my jeans and pants. Folded on a shelf hasn’t been working for me (jeans), and nicer pants have been folded over hangers, but I’m not thrilled with that either. How do you store your pants? I may try the jeans folded standing up in a drawer.
@psychmomma, after trying a variety of things over the years, I now hang my jeans and pants on hangers in my closet. Works well for me. Sounds like you’ve tried that and it doesn’t work for you. Why not?
I found that if I fold my jeans the KomMari way that they fit upright in the dresser drawer and I can easily find them and they stay neat. I had my doubts at first but it really is easy to do when I fold laundry now. On the other hand, I had no luck trying to do tops her way.
I prefer folding mine too. Mostly jeans or like-jeans pants. No matter what type of hanger I used I felt like the hangers left creases.
“found that if I fold my jeans the KomMari way that they fit upright in the dresser drawer and I can easily find them and they stay neat”
Agree. I have more hanging than drawer space so I hang my jeans. But my kids are the opposite amd I taught them the folding technique and it really is amazing how much better it is that stacking stuff on a drawer. I also found folding tops difficult but find that by rolling rather than folding sweaters I can easily achieve the same thing.
Yesterday’s assignment which now rolls into a weekend assignment. 
Today’s Assignment:
Sort through some (or all) of your sentimental clutter, and decide what you want to keep.
I chose the words for this assignment carefully. Unlike when we’re rifling through the kitchen looking for cookie cutters from Christmas '09, I don’t want you to approach your sentimental clutter searching for things to eliminate. I want you to consider the things you’re storing, and make value-rich decisions on the things that mean the most to you.
Here’s what’s worth keeping, in my opinion:
Keep things that bring back quality memories. Especially anything you hadn’t thought about in a while.
Keep a few treasured things from a bigger collection.
Keep small capsules from moments of your life. You might decide to dedicate a shoe box each to childhood, high school, and college, then fill it with small mementos from each stage.
Keep things that can be made into other, more useful things. Turn ticket stubs into art, or t-shirts into a quilt. You could decide to have professional portraits done of something like a childhood favorite toy. Even just taking an old photograph and using it as a bookmark means you’re getting to enjoy it 10 times more than when it’s stuffed in a box in the attic.
Keep things you want to keep. You don’t have to keep family mementos unless it’s something you personally value.
Once you’ve picked through about half of everything and found many things you love, step back for a moment. If you only kept those things, how would that feel? Could you let the rest go?
More importantly: How do you feel? Was sorting through the things a touching trip down memory lane? If you’ve got space to store it, keep some or all of it and don’t apologize. But if you were feeling distressed or remorseful about the things you’ve decided to hang on to, or the manner in which they were being stored, you’re a great candidate to let it go. Make room for the things you’ve decided to keep so far, and send the rest of it on to another home.
And don’t forget:
Clear three things from your monster zone.
I have to say I think these challenges are quite good. It would be a good collection of cleaning exercises to do 2 or 3 times a year.
@psychmomma - As others, I fold my jeans Kon Mari style in a drawer. However, for pants what I like best is to use skirt hangers - with the clippie things?? This does require long (rather than short) hanging space, but no creases that way!
@collage1 - I think the thickness bugs me. I thought about hanging them from the leg bottoms, which would lessen each pair’s thickness, and also let me visually see short capris, longer capris, and pants. I might still hang the thin dressier bottoms. I just folded the jeans the KonMari way and think they’ll fit perfectly in a drawer in my closet. I just did all my t-shirts standing up in a drawer and love that I can immediately tell them apart.
@Hoggirl - yes- that’s what I’m thinking - skirt hangers with clips and I have the space to hang long pants.
Catching up with the thread from Napa. Texted kiddo (who is babysitting the cats over the weekend) to find some things in the kitchen and throw them out. She lol’ed that all she could find in the kitchen were the tools of our contractors and the cats. I told her to keep those.
I hang all of my pants on those clip hangers so I don’t have to deal with any creases caused by hanging them over the hanger.
I went through my craft closet this morning and tried to be brutal. The craft stuff was one of the last childhood things my kids really used. They used it all the way through college to make things for their sorority sisters and 21st birthday scrapbooks for their friends. But one is out of school. The other onky has one more year. It’s hard to part with this last bit o childhood. I reduced 5 shelves to 2. I’m gonna wait another year and then see if I can repurpose the closet. I’m usually very good at getting rid of stuff. This one is hard.
@maya54 I can relate to that. My craft containers were so hard to purge, even though I was donating to people who would use the materials. I still have a craft container (one, down from ten) - but with wax, jars, essential oils and things D and I use to make scrubs, candles and soaps instead of construction paper, yarn, pipe cleaners and foam pieces.
" I reduced 5 shelves to 2."
I call that a definite win!
My bedroom is a place I’d like to do a major overhaul - like dump it all and start over!!!
Today’s Assignment:
Do a 20-minute decluttering sweep of your bedroom.
We’ve done this a few times now with the September Sweep, so you know the drill. Set a 20-minute timer and do as much as you can to get errant effects out of the bedroom before the clock runs out on you. It’s like your own little game show, and the prize is a less-cluttered bedroom.
Where to Look:
side tables and nightstands
nightstand drawers
the dresser top and other surfaces
consoles and armoires
closets and drawers where you keep linens or other non-clothing
hooks and storage racks
vanity tables
open shelves
under the bed
on and inside a storage ottoman or bench
the purgatory clothes chair or hook
What to look for:
books and magazines
drinking glasses and mugs
electronics
random objects and decor
dingy or very old sheets and linens
clothing tags and other trash
safety pins, bobby pins and out-of-place grooming supplies
clothes piled and draped where they shouldn’t be
shoes, handbags and accessories where they don’t belong
When time is up, stop decluttering. Everything you took up during your 20-minute sweep should be taken out of the room and either returned to where it belongs, or sorted out of the house (into the trash or into your “sell” and “donate” boxes).
And don’t forget:
Clear three things from your monster zone.
Luckily I did my room in general when I painted it a year ago. I have only a bed, dressers, lamps, and iPod out in the open. My jewelry was bothering me so I took everything off all surfaces and got white bedding so it feels like a hotel room to me.
I did more drawers in my closet though. By next week I think every item in my entire closet will be either consciously kept or donated. The more I purge the more I want to purge. It’s almost addictive.
Hanging pants by the bottoms on those skirt hangers with clips looks great. The hanging clothes are so streamlined I can easily see everything and get to everything. There is even room to slide things left and right. I probably reduced my clothes by 1/3.
The 20 minute sweeps brought back the memories of one coworker who raved about a book about gardening… something about devoting 20 minutes a day to it or so. She said the book helped her find her green thumb.
I feel like I institute this already in a couple areas - one in the kitchen, one in the living room or on the stairs to go upstairs:
Today’s Assignment:
Set up a junk bowl in one of your rooms.
The kitchen doesn’t get to have a monopoly on junk drawers. There are just as many wandering objects in the bedroom, or bathroom, or living room—objects that are better off staying in those rooms. So today, I want you to identify the room or space in your home that feels the most like a small-clutter magnet and outfit that room with its own junk zone.
The junk zone might look a little different depending on what room it’s in, but it will serve the same purpose a junk drawer does. It should be a small, confined container where things with no home can collect for a short or long while. You might try a junk bowl in the entryway for collar stays and stamps. Or a junk tray in the bedroom for safety pins and matches. Or a junk basket in the living room for small toys and magazines. Or a junk drawer (yep, you can stick to the drawer concept if you’ve got one to spare) in the bathroom for bobby pins and skincare samples. (Get the picture? Clutter knows no bounds, and it can and will take over any room that exhibits weakness.)
In the future, you can use your junk bowl—or tray or drawer—to help you swiftly clear clutter from the room. When you need to tidy up, anything without a home can go in that spot. And you’ll know exactly where to look for that random thing you knew you ought to keep.
And don’t forget:
Clear three things from your monster zone.
I think I’ve decided I’m going to resurrect the content of this thread in January and call it “January Junk It” - I’m having a hard time completing the tasks this time of year and would do better for me to do it in the winter when it’s darkin the evening! But today’s assignment is another good one IMO!!!
Today’s Assignment:
Do a 20-minute decluttering sweep of your refrigerator, freezer and pantry.
I normally love the laundry basket method for these room sweeps, but because your food storage is probably pretty centrally located (and most things are probably destined for the trash), I think it’s best to change up your strategy.
First, bring your trash can close to the refrigerator and spend your first chunk of time sorting through the fridge and freezer for things you no longer need:
Fridge
expired condiments
mystery leftovers
anything really old and unlikely to be used
anything you have multiples of
anything you tried and didn’t like
Freezer
anything freezer burned
anything really old and unlikely to be used
anything you have multiples of
ice trays or frozen tools that aren’t being used (looking at you, KitchenAid ice cream attachment)
Then, if there’s time, head towards your pantry, cabinet, or wherever you keep your dry food goods. Bring the trash can with you, but also grab a box or grocery bag where you can collect food (like canned goods) that can be donated.
Pantry
expired condiments
unneeded canned goods
old, stale food
anything you have multiples of
anything you tried and didn’t like
Take out the trash, set aside your donations for a food bank, and enjoy your enviously empty new spaces.
And don’t forget:
Clear three things from your monster zone.
I vote for just sitting down and clearing ALL the stuff from your monster zone in one fell swoop and be done with it! Empty the space, realize how nice it could be empty and then decide what you want back in that space and get rid of the rest.
@abasket - one benefit of living in a smaller space is that there isn’t much in the way of a pantry! Nevertheless, it is easy, even in a small pantry, for things to get “buried.” I honestly wish I had the discipline to do a refrigerator and pantry sweep once a week. It’s definitely one area that gets neglected.
I would also specifically add to that list to go through spices!! Perhaps those were listed in the cabinet section, but I don’t keep my spices in the pantry - they have their own little cabinet. So often, I’ll buy a spice for. one recipe that I never make again. I think spices are definitely an area where one can wind up with multiples, too. You’re at the store, know you need garlic powder, can’t remember if you have any, buy another bottle just in case, etc.
Trouble is, if your monster zone is a large area - like a basement or attic - that can be pretty overwhelming in terms of finding a whole day or more to go through it and also to get the motivation to tackle it. The motivation is key because lack of is what got many in this spot in the first place!
By getting rid of three things daily - maybe 5-10 minutes of time over a months period you can get rid of 30+ items. That is motivating!