Hall Closet Cleanout

So, I'm just going to show you my hall closet before.

Not bad, huh?  I agree, it looks pretty organized and clean, but it wasn't.  It was a jumbled mess in those bins, OLD medicines and OTCs in the pockets, and hidden messes on the shelves and floors.  I even found a dog biscuit on the floor where our little Dixee must have batted it beneath the door.  It was time for a good cleaning and purging for this well-used hall closet.

The first line of business was setting up what I would need to do the task.  This is one of the key things that people DO NOT DO when organizing, and it's often why they abandon the task halfway through, or don't even start to begin with.  People...get your tools ready to do the task!  Nothing is more frustrating when organizing than needing to stop and start to run around and gather needed items.

I set up a table because I hate getting up and down on the floor to go through things unless I'm actually cleaning something up near the floor area...like under a bed.  I have my trash bag (Dollar Store is now using these great brown paper bags) and label maker ready.

 I also have my sticky back label holders ready as well.  There are from the Dollar Tree and come with 18 in a pack, including the white label insert.  Perfect for notebooks and plastic baskets; really anything you want to label!

I did not spend any money on this redo as I had all of these items, plus, I reused the green bins and 2 white bins that I already had.

I decided to tackle the door shoe pockets that had been used over the years for holding meds, ointments, bandaids, earplugs, etc...  Anything small that could fit into the pocket was stashed here.

However, just like my spice cabinet, there were TONS of expired meds just hanging out.  Even items like saline solutions and cough drops do expire.  Throw those things away!

I've used this shoe pocket for over 10 years and it was a great way to have all of these things at my fingertips.  However, several things have changed over the course of those 10 years.

Our last child has flown the nest, so the collection of ointments, cough drops, and throat sprays were no longer used and were actually expired.

We are now a household of Young Living essential oils users, and have not had a need for OTC meds or prescription medications in a long time.  In fact, the Rx meds in the top pockets were empty bottles, or expired meds.  They made their way back to Walgreens and were disposed of in their medicine disposal unit by the pharmacy.  Check with your local pharmacy or police station for medicine disposal units and rules.

In addition, in our desire to downsize all areas of our lives, we realized that we needed less in the way of personal care products and health care products.  Because we use Young Living products, it was easy to see what we really needed and what was taking up valuable real estate.

So the clean-out began.  I highly recommend that you take EVERYTHING, AND I MEAN EVERYTHING out of the closet.  If you don't you will just be rearranging stuff you don't need and leaving it in the closet until you "clean" it out again.  Total waste of valuable time.  Get that stuff OUT!  You will want to wipe down everything as well, so keeping it in the closet will not allow for a good cleaning.

I used the table as a staging area so that I could go through each bin, basket, and drawer.  The bins and baskets were from the Dollar Tree of course, and the drawers are so old that I can't begin to tell you where I picked them up.  However, you can find similar ones here.  Measure your shelf height so that you can purchase the exact sizes you need.

I was left with this:

So, two things I want to note.  About the time I added the show organizer to this closet, I also redid it as well.  I removed the warped wooden shelves and wooden wall brackets and wall-papered the closet.  

Yes, I wall-papered the closet.

This paintable (or left natural) wall-paper is a great addition to any closet that gets a lot of action.  Why?  Because it protects your walls, always looks fresh, and it super easy to wipe down.  Now...that was not my initial reason for wall-papering.  Truth is, it needed a serious paint job (think 1960's faded mint green), I had this wall-paper left over from the pantry redo, and I didn't want to paint.  Plain and simple.  I could wall-paper and continue on my organizing way without having to wait for the paint to dry.  All the cuts were easy and I have wall-papered many times before, so I had the skills to do this job.  

I also installed brackets to the back after papering and added the wire shelves that could be adjusted.  Another win in my book!  I had Lowes cut the shelving to the widths I needed right in the store.  They have a great pneumatic cutter, so know your lengths BEFORE your purchase.  Otherwise, you will be using a hacksaw at home.  By adding the wire shelf liner I don't have to worry about things falling over or through the spaces.

I cleaned each shelf and wiped down the walls with my Thieves cleaner.  I also made sure to clean the floor as well.

Now came the fun part.  Returning what made the cut to the clean closet.

Tadaa....

Here it is finished!

Notice that I have some empty spaces, and there are 2 empty bins on the lower shelf in the event I need them.

So, why bins/baskets?  I am a firm believer that things need to have a pleasing look in order to be appreciated.  I love the Dollar Tree bins, and I like this happy green color when I open this closet.  The bins with the handles are especially great because they act like drawers that I can pull out and take with me, or slide out and grab something inside.  I used my label maker to add the contents at the top of each handle.  This is so that the "other person" living in this house doesn't open the door and proceed to yell "Where is such-and-such."  It also helps that same person put things away where they go and not just where there is empty space.  It's still a work in progress ladies...

The drawers hold smaller items like toothpaste, first aid supplies, cotton balls and swabs, and other smaller items.  Each drawer is labelled there as well.

Here's a great inside look at my manicure bin.  I give myself my own manicures because I do not paint my nails.  The polish never lasts, especially with all the projects I do.  I do however get a monthly pedicure and do have my toe-nails painted.  

I used smaller Dollar Tree organizers to hold it all in an organized fashion.  On Sunday evenings, I pull this bin out and take it to my bathroom where I do my manicure, or in front of the TV, really, wherever I want to go.  I can also take the bin right onto the RV if I want to do my manicure while we are camping.  Priorities...right?

You may wonder where my linens are.  I stopped putting them in this closet and moved them to each of the bedrooms.  I have a set of sheets for each room that are on the beds.  I have coordinating towel sets for each room as well.  All of that bedroom's linens are stored in that bedroom.  It makes it easier for guests and it keeps this closet clear of that type of stuff.  We really only need 1-2 sets of sheets for each bed, especially now that we are empty-nesters.

Do you have a hall closet that needs to be reorganized?  Tell me about your biggest closet organization need!