The Great Purge: Bathroom Closet

As the rage of the minimalist lifestyle sweeps its way through Mommy Nation, so too has it enthralled me. Partly because there's too much crap in this too small house, and partly because I feel the need to live a little more simply. I took my first step with this in a previous post, Self-Inflicted Smothering, where I realized my place of refuge was making my anxiety worse because of all the clothes I had piling up. 

 Then, I took it one step further, and completely organized/emptied my basement! Needless to say, Spring Cleaning won't get me anywhere if I'm just dusting off my junk!

One place I try to keep tidy is my bathroom. Unfortunately, I had started to just cover up my clutter by hanging a sheet in the first. What you can't see won't kill ya, right? Wrong! It irked.me to no end to see all that crap piled up! It had to go...

Seriously, two half empty bags of cotton balls? 

I found things half-used, or simply empty! It was no wonder I was so cluttered and disorganized.

I like having first aid supplies on hand, but they were all over the place! NO MORE! Two tupperware bowls, and I was in business.

My bottom shelf was the worst, I felt. My makeup box was in the way, and everything just sort of smooshed around it. I couldn't get to my makeup without knocking something off or over.

Not only did I clean up my overstuffed makeup box, (Which should be done every six months!!) I organized all the little things cluttering around it! Hair ties are now in neat little cups, and my red tote has all the samples, brushes, razors, and odds and ends inside.

Do you see what I see? Wasted floor space! And...well, bags of wrappers and such. A baby bath  that was used twice? To the basement with you!

A foot soak machine? You can stay, absolutely!

A basin with my stash of Bath & Body works soap and body spray? Looks like your contents are going to the top of the closet, and giving up some extra space!

Aaaah, much better! And now I had a place to put my Swiffers, too!
 

I always found a way to hoard shampoo, conditioner, and soap. It wasn't on purpose! It just sorta happened that way. And since I'm a tall gal, my cleansers usually went over sinks and in cupboards, rather than under the sink. (Saves on baby proofing, too!) And so, I organized my many bottles of shower gear, and put them where I knew they'd be safe from sticky toddler hands, and rummaging hubby who 'can't find his deodorant', despite it being in the same place. Ever. Single. Time.

Self-inflicted smothering

That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff! Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore!" ~George Carlin, 'It's Bad For Ya'



Well, Mister Carlin, you had it all right. It seems like all we do is buy more and more stuff. My husband jokes that we can't go into Wal-Mart without spending $100, and you know what? Sometimes, he's right. Every time I leave the house, I end up spending money somehow! It sucks, because with a modest, two-bedroom house, things can get cramped really fast. Take my bedroom, for example. This is supposed to be my place to rest. My haven. And it's slowly smothering me.

 

This is the clean laundry I have no room for, despite a closet and large dresser. 

Speaking of closet and dresser, I keep my winter blankets and baby things here, on the top shelf of my closet. It overflows onto my dresser. Yikes.

This is my shoe collection. And my record player. And a computer that has my husband's old business records on it. And the hanging clothes of my closet, half of which I never wear, or are too small.

I was sabotaging my own personal space. My place to reflect and unwind was so jumbled, it was no wonder I couldn't find rest! And so, with the urge to deep clean like Springtime powering me, I decided to tackle my closet.

First, I looked at what was hanging up, and tossed out the clothes I'd held onto since I was nineteen. NINETEEN! I will never be a size 4 again, who was I trying to fool? Bye-Bye snug dresses!

Ok, that wasn't so hard. I could do this!

Second, I looked at the blouses that were hanging there. One of them belonged to my mother, who had left the blouse when she came to visit three years ago. Must not have been important, so out you go! Then my black blouses that were a size...Medium. Medium, really, Em? C'mooooon. 

Bye-Bye!

Alright! Still going strong! And look at all my hangers! 

(I would leave my husband's clothes, since he was the one who would have to face that attachment issue. Suits from his days as a Kirby Vacuum Salesman? That was ten years ago!)

With the hanging area looking nice, I moved on to my dresser. Oh, god. The drawers were crammed FULL of clothes from both winter, and just t-shirts I had acquired over the years. It was time to roll up my proverbial sleeves and tackle this. But I will tell ya, it was hard.

My T-shirts from High School activities, like the theatre productions and state debate awards, these were still in good condition, but far too small. I did not have the same cup size or tummy size in high school as I do now, and so it had to go!

Anything that was torn or damaged immediately went to recycling!

The shirts I kept with memories were:

-My mother's Volunteer Berlin shirt, when we were stationed in Germany.

-My father's 'Warlords' Infantry company shirt.

-My Rocky Horror Picture Show shirt (that I fully intend on turning into a pillow or something) from my first RHPS viewing.

-My Big Bang Theory XL shirt that I wore for pregnancy reasons.

-My Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band shirt, for the same reason as above.

Everything else was gone. Poof. And that was hard.

That, my dear Mamas, is the small pile of clothes I am sending to the consignment store three towns over. It includes clothes that I had for Monster Girl, Beans, and myself. Hopefully, another family will find use for it. Otherwise, to Goodwill it goes!

I will tackle the top shelf and baby clothes on top of my dresser soon enough.

I don't think I could part with my shoes, though. That's the hardest part!

Love ya, Mamas. <3