Oh you know, just hanging out with my label maker aka my new favorite thing ever. We’ve been in the house for over a year and while the decor was the first thing to get done, it’s taken me a good 365 days to finally get myself organized. I still have to get to our kitchen at some point but decided to go ahead and tackle all of the closets throughout the house first!
The Bathroom Sink
Our bathroom sink is one of those areas that stays clean for about 24 hours and then turns into a complete disaster. It’s that space where you rush to get ready, throw things around to “tidy up” and just pile up the stuff from your day. It’s a mess.
This was the first space I tackled and I couldn’t be more pleased with the difference a few storage bins made.
BEFORE
AFTER
The Bathroom Linen Closet
We didn’t really have much in the linen closet in our bathroom but somehow it always remained cluttered. I couldn’t wait to clean up this space and utilize the shelving for things we actually needed.
BEFORE
AFTER
Tip No. 1 Pull everything out and start tossing.
The first thing I did was pull everything out and spread it on the floor along with all of the stuff from the top of the sink. I tossed out empty products or things that we haven’t used in the past few months. I cleaned out all of the “trash” that somehow made it’s way under our sinks or into the closet.
Tip No. 2 Figure out your organization system.
After I got rid of the junk, I created bundles of similar products. Think girl stuff, hair products, guy things, travel-sized, toilet paper, etc. Once I had all of my bundles, I made a list of how many bins I would need and the different types of storage I wanted to house each bundle. I also made labels for EVERYTHING – a common theme you’ll see throughout the post. Now, instead of digging around in my cabinet for travel-sized toothpaste for our next trip, I just have to open that bin and it’ll be there.
The Office Closet
My office and my closet all live in the same space. On most days, the room looks pretty good but the clutter was more of an organized chaos. There were so many things taking up space that I hadn’t worn in forever or had no plans of wearing anytime soon, yet, it was still taking up space and squeezing its way into my closet. That needed to change.
BEFORE
AFTER
The Guestroom Closet
This closet has been the catch-all for everything since we moved in. I kid you not, for the past year, I throw something new in there every week that I needed to just get out of the way. After a year, it added up into this insane cluttered mess. I couldn’t wait to sort through everything!
BEFORE
AFTER
Tip No. 1 Follow that toss what doesn’t spark joy rule.
I went through every single item in both closets. If it didn’t bring me joy instantly, it went in the toss or donate pile. Same went for anything that I hadn’t worn in the past year. No matter how cute it was, if I didn’t wear it last season or since last season, it had to go.
Tip No. 2 Create a smart system.
Similar to what I did for the bathroom closets, once I got rid of the crap I didn’t need, it was time to create a system to keep all of the things I did want to keep organized. First up was shoes and seasons. I created bins and additional shelving for shoes and put all of my summer and spring pieces into containers with the seasons labeled. I also bought another storage piece for my main closet to house all of my workout clothes which were just tucked on the floor before.
The Hallway Linen Closet
The closet in the hallway was the last space I tackled and it was much needed. This was another one of those closets we just sort of threw things in and I always felt embarrassed when we had guests and they had to open it up to grab a towel. Such a mess.
BEFORE
AFTER
Tip No. 1 Rethink how you can utilize the space.
This closet was clearly meant to house linens and all of those extra little things ya need for guests. I knew I wanted to keep this for that same purpose but I also wanted it to be a closet guests could access easily as well. We have a bin for travel-sized toiletries they can use during their stay as well as easy to grab towels and toilet paper when needed.
