Category — Clutter

I am one of the Style Experts who contributes to the website 365 Days of Style. They recently asked a question about how we organize our closets. I decided to write about my jewelry collection because it was so challenging to organize. So many bracelets, earrings, pins and necklaces, so little space! Of course, the majority of my collection is from secondhand stores and flea markets.

I wanted an efficient system that would keep all of it clean and would allow me a clear view of my choices. My earrings went into plastic bead boxes which are divided into uniform compartments. My bracelets, pins and necklaces went into tackle boxes. They are the same shape and size as the bead boxes, but come with tabs to customize the interior space, perfect for the bracelets, pins and necklaces. Since much of my jewelry is sterling, I bought tarnish inhibiting fabric and lined the boxes with it.

I then retrieved a desktop paper sorter that was destined for our next yard sale and stacked the bead and tackle boxes on it. It is the most efficient way I’ve found to store my avalanche of treasures.

For those of us who enjoy creating a secondhand wardrobe, thrift stores are great fun. But because the prices are so low and there is such a wealth of goods, thrift stores can be dangerous places for clutterers. Many people can’t bear to throw things away, even if those things make their homes unbearable. I know because I grew up with a clutterer.

 

We couldn’t eat at the dining room table (always covered with stuff), were afraid to open a closet door (because of the realistic fear that some of the stuff would fall on our heads), and eventually, couldn’t even walk into most of the bedrooms (they were filled to eye level with broken furniture, old clothes and junk mail).

 

That was long ago, before people started going on TV to talk about their problems. Now you can follow the “Clean Up Your Messy House Tour” on Oprah as organizer Peter Walsh brings order to the messiest of homes. You can also catch the 8^th season of Clean House on the Style Network. There are many books available on the subject, my favorite being the classic Clutter’s Last Stand by Don Aslett. For clutterers looking for a support group that follows Alcoholics Anonymous guidelines, there’s Clutterers Anonymous  and if you’re willing to pay for help, try the National Association of Professional Organizers.

 

The road to cleaning up the mess starts with sorting and finding a new home for all of the stuff. While clutterers do well to steer clear of shopping in thrift stores, making donations of unwanted items helps to clear out the piles while also helping somebody else.

The other day a friend of mine asked me what she should do with her daughter’s wedding dress. The marriage was brief and unhappy. The daughter doesn’t want the dress, of course, and the mom, my friend, also doesn’t want it, but it’s been hanging in her closet for years now. She’s been hoping to give it to somebody who could really use it.

I suggested that she donate it to a thrift store, where lots of people can try it on. It’s much more likely that someone who needs the dress, loves it, and just happens to fit into it will discover it there than if it stays in her closet. She can get those bad memories out of her house, get a tax deduction and provide the thrift store of her choice with something that they can sell.

We give away a lot of clothing. We have to; our house would explode if we didn’t. Any item that’s on its way out to the secondhand shop gets piled onto the stepladder in our kitchen. The stepladder pile is currently three feet high and includes a winter hat, a pair of unworn shoes, pants, shorts, a tee shirt, a sweater, two pairs of sunglasses, a purse and two books. Why, we could outfit several people and have them sit out in the bright sun while they do some reading. Instead I’ll pack it all up and bring it and the other bags of clothing that have been patiently waiting in my garage to my favorite local charity. 

My favorite charity is not the one that has a huge thrift store three blocks from my home. This huge thrift is a church-affiliated store. A year ago I went to their church for the funeral of a dear friend. During the service the pastor announced that we would get to see my friend again in the afterlife, but only if we believed as he told us we must.

I decided right then that I would no longer support this particular charity by giving them my used stuff. Instead I drive an extra 10 minutes to my favorite place, the one with all of the great community programs. I really love this particular organization. I have volunteered my time at their women’s shelter, food pantry and day care center. Although I don’t always have time or money to give them, I frequently have stuff that they can either use or sell to keep doing what they do so well.

 

After my friend Shirley lost her wonderful father, 19 years ago, she wanted something of her dad’s that would keep him close. She brought home a few of his big, baggy shirts and whenever she feels down, she puts one on and it comforts her.  

Shirley also brought home her father’s golf clubs even though she has never played golf nor does she have any interest in the game. The bag, clubs and various accessories are still in the cobwebby corner of her basement where she plopped them down 19 years ago. 

When I recently visited Shirley, I had a look at the golf set. The plastic golf bag is torn, but there’s also a pushcart, a few dozen balls and fourteen clubs. Everything is dusty and cobwebby, but except for the golf bag, it all appears to be in good shape.  

Somebody else could be enjoying the set that her dad used with such pleasure. My family is planning a yard sale this summer. Wish me luck—I’m going to try to convince my good friend to dust off the golf set and join us in passing our things on to other people who will love them.