Does anyone out there besides me have closet clutter the most of the stuff I wear different seasons have bought some of those colored bins in the spring to put winter clothes in just hung my summer things know I need to get rid of some of the things but it still fits me and some of it is real nice like an evan picon coat but would be willing to put some of it in the thrift store box or give to someone if I could find some one that could use it just wondered if anyone holds onto clothes like that.

One of the things I like is a little pricey, but it does help to empty a closet is those hanging coat hangers that hold shirts. The hold about 5 blouses and it means you don't need as many hangers. Then there are the hangers with clips for skirts or slacks. You can hange the top that goes with the skirt or slacks on the same hanger.

One of the things I like is a little pricey, but it does help to empty a closet is those hanging coat hangers that hold shirts. The hold about 5 blouses and it means you don't need as many hangers. Then there are the hangers with clips for skirts or slacks. You can hang the top that goes with the skirt or slacks on the same hanger.

i have a time with our closets, our house was bulit in the 50's so the closets are tiny, so i use rubber bins to pack down our summer stuff, i also have 3 spacebags(i got them for doing a survey last year)

i sold a bucnh of my winter things on craigslist this year, due that i lost my weight i went from a 18 to a 14 this spring to now!

 We downsized from 2000+ sq ft, basement, garage, pole building, tons of storage, to an 800 sq ft bedroom with no basement or garage, and a smal 8X10 shed. 

We don't hang onto clothing or anything else that does not get used or serve a useful purpose. We donated tons of clothing and stuff via freecycle and charitable organization drop boxes, also sold stuff.  

 

rolo, your house sounds like mine! ours is just over 800 sq. ft, there is no room to save anything hardly! i use under the bed as  storage, and  have to really think if i can use something

I use the space bags and then pack them in a bin.  Keeps them from decompressing. Since I have one closet and no dresser, I use a hanging shoe bin for my T-shirts and shorts and hang everything else from skirt hangers.

Wouldn't it be great if all of us Stretchers lived near each other and could get together for a clothing swap? Those who need more clothes (for themselves or their families) could get them for nothing, and those who need more space could send their extra stuff to a good home. I have some stuff in a bag I'm planning to offer to my female relatives over the holidays, but unfortunately most of them are very different from me in size, so they probably won't be able to use much of it.

We recently moved to a larger house and while I have a bigger closet, our basement does not have storage like our old house. I did a lot of decluttering. If what I wear all 4 seasons (and we have all 4 seasons here in Nebraska) does not fit in my closet (including DH clothes), then I reasoned that I had too much. And clothes are a weakness of mine (shoes, too), LOL. So DH and I went through and donated a bunch to YWCA, Goodwill, City Mission, etc. The boys each have a closet and what they have fits in there. I am saving my oldest son's clothes for my younger son to wear so I have a tub of clothes for each year but those do fit in our basement storage room. Otherwise, what we wear fits in our dressers or closets. I really didn't want to pack/unpack winter and summer clothes each season. Now I just "rearrange" my closet and bring sweaters down from upper shelves and put shorts and swim wear up on the upper shelves, etc.

Our guest room closet houses our coats as we really don't have a coat closet in our house. I truly think they turned our coat closet into a tiny powder room, lol. The coats we are wearing now (jackets mostly) are hanging on hooks my DH installed in the back hallway on first floor. Our winter coats are in the guest closet and when it gets cold, we will switch and put our winter coats on the hooks and the jackets in the closet. I wish I just had one winter coat but I have 4: 2 dress coats(short and long), one suede coat and a down parka for those bitterly cold days.

I do hold onto some really nice things. I have a few suits that I have not worn b/c I have lost weight. I need to figure out (1) are they still in "style" so that I would enjoy wearing them if tailored and (2) will the cost of tailoring the suits be more than buying a new suit? For now, they just hang in the back of the closet. I have a feeling that tailoring may be too costly and the styles have changed in 7-8 years. I may consign or Craigs List them instead of donating them.

I finally got rid of shoes that don't fit me anymore. I can lose baby weight but I cannot shrink feet, lol. So tight shoes are gone!

When I moved into my 1923 house, I realized I had one small closet (3’ X 3’ approximately) on my LR stair landing, a narrower one in one upstair BR (18" deep), master BR has the pull-down stairs for the attic, but is a walk-in, and the third BR has about 8 inches in the closet where full-length things can be hung, the rest of this closet is over the stairwell, so there is a deep shelf, perhaps 4’ long. Talk about awkward! Only the main floor closet even had a closet rod in it. There were hooks every couple of feet in each closet, hearkening back to a time when people owned far fewer pieces of clothing!

At that time, closet renovations were just really beginning to grow as an industry. Eventually, I had a company rep come out and measure. I was going to do the installation myself, but I had injured my hand rather badly, so spent just a little more and the work was done all in one day. In my downstairs landing closet, I had 6" wide shelves installed along one side of the closet. Some sewing supplies are in a clear box, plastic shoeboxes hold gloves, a basket holds mending, and the hooks that were never removed hold cloth bags. The shelf above holds two boxes that have cedar lining, and round hatboxes. The upstairs closet over the stairwell received similar narrow shelves and a high closet rod. The master BR got a high but short shelf so dresses could be hung, and two two levels of hanging space at the back of the closet – the shelf part is a shoebox deep. The closet that is 18" deep has a portion in which you can step in and look, so there are now two levels of hanging available in that closet and another high shelf where dresses can be hung.

The longer I have been there, the more shelves and racks have been added, a little at a time since there are not many built-ins – no pantry, etc. Right inside the back door are two stacked shoe cubbys, so about 3’ wide X 72" high – shoes, boots, mittens, gloves, garden gloves, small covered candles, cosmetics (hostess gift soaps, etc.), spare light bulbs, some canned goods and other items are at home here, awaiting their turn for use.

In the basement is a 10’ workbench-type space. Several years ago I purchased some of the Closet Maid rolling units to put there. I keep some laundry supplies, linens and extra dishes here that get used, but not often. I’ve worked hard for my things and store them to the best of my ability and the resources at hand.

But when those items get out of control and begin to spill out into the main living space, when there are clothes/shoes/coats that no longer fit, it’s time to let go. Name brand items in good shape could be sold in batches on ebay, on Craigslist, in a consignment shop, given to someone who has a need (even if it needs to be shipped), given to a women’s shelter or a thrift shop unless you want to host a clothing swap with friends. It’s a blessing for someone else.