The Listia decluttering series, inspired by ListiaLeslie’s 40 day decluttering project. This week, Leslie worked on the closet.
Cleaning out the closet can be a daunting experience, but with a few easy steps, good music, and a few rules assigned to the clutter, it becomes an easy, rewarding experience.
1. Great Music
Pick some music with a great beat which inspires you, and turn it on, or wait a few days to clean and find music on Listia. Turn off the TV and you may find yourself doing your very best decluttering dance moves!
2. Make Rules, Prepare To Divide Items into Categories
I chose to divide items into 4 categories:
a) Keep: For items I absolutely need to keep because they serve a need or have essential sentimental value
b) Recycle: Items for the recycling bin, recycle-friendly trash
c) List on Listia: Listia is the perfect place to give away the great things I no longer need. In turn, I get credits that I use for gift shopping, without any out of pocket spending
d) Trash: Items that cannot be recycled, donated or listed on Listia
3. Staging Area
Here comes the hard part, but it’s worth it. I created an area which I call the Staging Area. First, I took absolutely everything out of the closet and put it all in the staging area. From here, I organized the items and sorted everything, applying all the above rules. The only items to go back in my closet were the items which were not deemed as trash, recycled goods or for listing on Listia.
4. Create Areas In The Closet
Before I put back the items I knew I was going to keep, I divided the closet into 3 areas: Jackets, folded items, hanging clothes, bins & boxes. Then, when it was time to put everything back in, I knew where the essentials were going. The miscellaneous items were then organized into bins which fit on the closet shelves. Since my vacuum cleaner doesn’t fall into any of those categories, it did not go back into that closet.
5. Labels
For items that went into bins, I pulled out a label maker (which I got on Listia!) and made sure to mark each bin with the appropriate label. For example, one bin has sandals and flip-flops so I marked it “Sandals & Flip-Flops”.
Now my closet is free of clutter, and I have room for more T-shirts! 🙂 What are your tips for cleaning out the closet?
My Newly Decluttered Closet
The Listia Blog 
when you have a small space its best to make the most if that space without making it hard to get to what you need
Have a small closet? Here’s a couple of ideas!
Open up the curtains and window for a fresh spring breeze, let the sun shine in, crank up the music and get the show on the floor!
Remove every item from the closet and sort out what you haven’t used in a while. Make a “keep pile” and a “list on Listia pile”. If you haven’t used it in a while chances are it will only take up space again. Donate it to the Listia pile! Don’t waist time pondering! It’s time to get it done! You can decide of any mind changes later after you have your two piles sorted out. If you don’t think it’s good enough for Listia, think again? Materials and other items make good for craft projects! So don’t forget the crafting pile! Once all is sorted out it’s time to make placement of the keep items back into your new closet space. Clean the entire area of the closet. If funds are tight you can always improvise. Water and vinegar does wonders for an inexpensive clean! Dryer sheets will freshen up the area as well and give it that spring clean smell! If there’s not enough shelving you can use plastic crates or inexpensive shelving from a second hand store. It’s low cost, quick & easy to do. You can attach the crates together at each corner using zip ties or even homemade bows created from some of the “list on Listia” crafting pile. This will keep the crates in place. Place the crates or shelving in your desired spot of the closet, center or sides. The center is a great area because it will allow you to hang certain items on either side for better organization. If you love shoes like I love shoes…lol and don’t have enough space in the closet? You can store them under the bed in plastic containers or stacked on both sides of the crates/shelving in the closet. If you have a love of scarves they can be hung on removable sticky pegs on either side of the closet walls.
I can go on and on but, I think you’ll get it done!…lol Hope this helped a little?
Happy Spring Listia Members & to the Crew at Listia!
My daughters and I are going to have a ‘free swap’ clothing party. Start by telling everyone early, so they can sort and hang things the end of the closet they don’t wear, don’t like, or it didn’t fit their body right. You should also bring any shoes, jewelry, lingerie, robes, slippers, any good item! Only bring items that are in very good shape to swap with others. Make sure to invite at least 2 or 3 people of the same size so they have things to choose from while there. Add a little food, a little music, and have fun!
My inbox
Dear Listia Community,
I had a few ideas floating around in my head and a few of them are escaping here and now. I fully realize that the ideas are not perfect solutions. The ideas are only meant to get some conversations started to build upon the initial concept until a more suitable solution is obtained though community discussion. Hopefully some of these ideas will set things into action that will transform and improve our community. With that here we go…
The first idea is just to get the Listia administration to dedicate a discussion type thread area,to the Listia community where ideas and solutions to problems can be discussed in a threaded discussion styled conversation.
The second idea, is a user tool for being able to make your wish list items publicly searchable by other Listia users. Example, say that I crave a digital copy of “The Wolf of Wall Street” so I add it to my searches so if someone lists the item I get an email. Ok, now imagine that when I list the movie everyone on Listia could see my search list so they could send a message to start arranging a potential transaction. Even further imagine that Listia users could do searches of other users wish lists to match up things they may have with the things that other users want.
The third idea is left intentionally vague, although I have a few ideas to present, if this thread starts to move, but, for now, I think most Listian’s will agree that we have to find better methods for shipping.
The fourth idea is to encourage the Listia administration to donate large sums of credits to charities with the obligation that those charities then use those credits to reward volunteers within their own agencies. More people with more credits means that the Listia marketplace swells with new community members that have credits to spend while simultaneously encouraging people to volunteer by rewarding those volunteers for their efforts.
The fifth idea is to create a transfer credit tool so that Listian can just give someone else credits if they choose to. There have been times when I just wanted to show my appreciation to someone within Listia and thought that sending some credits would indeed be a great way to say “Thank you”.
I have more ideas but for now this will do and remember, I know these solutions are not perfect but within our community we contain the potential to begin refining some of these ideas that may hopefully and gradually enhance our community more and more.
Sincerely,
Bryan McMonagle
Here are four categories I saw on TV somewhere, many years ago. They’re as follows:
Out
Doubt
Route
Sprout
Obvious enough , but to explain: Out, means recycle or garbage. Doubt means not sure yet where to categorize. Route means you know where it’ll go, and that’s where it goes when you get there. and Sprout is an item that remains because it’s still a project in the making.
Its called you have to much stuff fools list them items on LISTIA!
Listia, Sort, Reuse, and Dump!
All trash in the trash can (broken, torn, stained ext)
Sort all clothing you have warn the past year and will continue to ware in the future back.
All other reusable items go to listia!
Always remember listia is not just for old it is also for NEW and new is a Good, Fun, experience! YAY all done!!!
ok this siet is a fuck ing riep off you all touk money form me ime on ssid I bid on stoero 4740 creadits youll wellnot give thim back to me I paed money for thim I wont a refuad of 40.. 00$ back ok reip offcliff groves 150 blue spruce ln sayre pa 18840
So wonderful article! I am going to clean my closet this spring and I want everything to be perfect! I will pick some cheerful music and the party can start. Thanks a lot for this article!
its sad look close at a lot of the things up for bid on lista just garbage it seems lista does not do enough to stop these people you would never see these things on e bay half the things are sold by little kids
I should start with the cleaning of my closed because I can’t find anything there. I always complain that I don’t have anything to wear and that is because when I go to the closet all I see is one big pile of mess! Thanks for the nice advices!