The last thing moms want to hear about is a new fad diet, but this one won’t limit your calories and it’s almost guaranteed to make you feel better. It’s the closet diet, one of the closet organization systems worth trying this year, which involves getting rid of all those things you never wear that are clogging up your closet and then re-organizing with a new minimalist mindset.
It might be a new name on a familiar idea but the concept is helping many women take control of their wardrobes with simple closet solutions. And once you’ve conquered this, why not create your own special space (aka mom cave) with the help of a couple decor experts? Get some tips for decorating your mom cave in the May issue of Metro Parent.
Even Drew Barrymore is tackling the trending topic. In March, she blogged on Refinery29 about how and why she put her closet on a diet.
“As a new mom, I have a new body and a new calmer fashion sense, and I want it to be a more peaceful process … but how?” she wrote.
Barrymore ultimately found that getting rid of things she doesn’t wear and re-organizing her closet gave her a fresh outlook. “Months later, my closet is sane and I am happy,” she blogged.
Maria Wolter, a mom of two from Northville, goes through all the closets in her home frequently to decide what should be donated, sold or kept.
“It’s more of a seasonal thing for me. I go through my items that I’m like, ‘am I gonna wear this again next year?'” she says.
If there’s even a chance the answer is no, Wolter prefers to sell the piece at a resale store and then plan to buy something different if needed.
“Styles are constantly changing. I get the cash for it, then sometimes I’ll turn around and buy something else that needs to come into place for that season,” she says.
For Wolter, keeping an organized closet saves time and money and is in line with her family’s emphasis on reusing and recycling. She’s teaching the same principle to her teenager daughter and son.
“If you’re not going to wear it and get use out of it, someone else would enjoy it,” Wolter says. And when it comes time to find something to wear, there’s no digging around or wondering where things are. “It’s one of those things that makes life a little easier,” she says.
Resale options
Wolter usually sells her clothes at upscale resale store Clothes Mentor, a national franchise with a location in Novi, where she can get cash or store credit immediately for what she brings in.
Toni Morgan, store manager at the Novi store, says people are usually surprised at how many things they can bring to a resale store – including jewelry, hats and fragrances.
“They were expensive and you don’t want to throw them out but what do you do with them?” people wonder, she says. “Most people have stuff that they’re going to donate or give away anyway. For me it’s nice to have a couple bucks in my pocket.”
If you take your clothes to a resale store, remember that they should be in like-new condition with no stains and purchased within the last year or two, Morgan says.
Benefits of being closet organization
Nia Spongberg, a professional organizer in Ann Arbor and owner of Spruced Up Spaces, LLC, says closets tend to be areas where people put a lot of stuff over time and the closed door makes it easy to ignore. But getting organized has benefits that extend beyond the convenience of a cleaner space.
“When people are organized they tend to feel better about themselves, they feel more in control of their environment and they just sort of feel lighter and happier,” she says.
It can also mean saving money, Spongberg says, as many people buy things redundantly because they forgot they have it or can’t find it.
“If you can set up good organizational systems that your kids can learn and you can model the behavior, those things just enable your kids to learn good organizational skills which prepares them for life,” she says.
Easier morning routine
Getting dressed in the morning doesn’t have to be a fight against the clock, says professional organizer Luna Martin, owner of Chaos Control Michigan based in White Lake.
“Organized closets help get you and the kiddos dressed and out the door much faster,” she says. “Picking and sorting through clothes that may be out of season, too worn, stained, hated or just not the right size can cause a lot of frustration when you’re pressed for time.”
Martin also finds that paring down closets makes laundry duty less of a problem for her clients.
But all that, Martin says, encourages moms to give themselves a break if their organization starts to slip once in a while and says every day is a new day for parents to regroup, start over or outsource some of the organizing work.
“There is no need to feel guilted by Pinterest or a judgy, passive aggressive mother-in-law,” Martin says. “Staying organized is an ongoing process and living your life and enjoying your family should be the primary goal.”
Wondering how to clean out your closet? Tips are just a click away! Take a peek at seven tips for organizing this space in your home.