De-clutter the closet

On TV Channel 3 11/15/2002

For three years, John and Debbie's closet has been a corner of chaos.

"We just have more items than we have closet space," John said. "Every time we go to the store and buy new items, there's no place to put them. It seems to be an impossible task to go into the closet and remove things that are old that we aren't using. It's just filled up beyond belief."

Let's be honest. Most of us are like John. We spend more time talking about organizing our closets than actually doing it.

"We've tried to do it ourselves," he said. "There's a lot more involved than just the space. There's the politics. There's the power structure. We needed an outside third party."

That third party was Valerie Simpson, founder and president of A to Z Organizing Pros®

"There's a lot of stuff going on here," she said. "You've probably noticed a lot of the dry-cleaning hangers and things. It looks like they may have some issues getting rid of some stuff and in talking with Debbie, she'll probably find some things she forgot she had."

"I think she [Simpson] will have some unusual ideas that I haven't thought of before," Debbie said.

Before digging in, Simpson's first priority is to understand her clients. Once she knows whom she's dealing with, she can get started.

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Her first tip might be the hardest for some people: Don't be afraid to either donate or throw things away.

"I believe I've thrown away between 10 to 14 pairs [of shoes]," Debbie said. "I really don't count them. I would estimate there [are] around 30 pairs left."

Debbie doesn't seem to have a problem letting go, but she might be the exception. Many women struggle with letting go of clothes because they hope to fit back into them one day.

"Any time it's a weight issue," Simpson said, "I'm going to say, 'You know, if it's a weight issue ... when you lost the weight you say you want to lose, you're probably not going to choose to wear those clothes. It will probably be time to treat yourself to go shopping.'"

"The questions I asked myself," Debbie said, "were, 'When did I last wear this?' and 'When will I wear it again?' The answers were, 'A long time ago,' and 'Not any time soon.'"

Simpson's next suggestion is to identify wasted space. Asking yourself this question: Are you using all of your closet space to its full capacity?

The third suggestion is to put things you need often in your reach. Why reach over things you never wear to get to the items you use most?

Stacking is another great tip. Don't just store your luggage. Use it to store other, smaller bags.

Finally, when you actually get to rearranging your clothes, Simpson recommends putting like with like.

After just three hours, the closet nightmare is completely transformed. The best part is the price.

"So far, we haven't spent 5 cents," John said. "Not 5 cents. It's just a matter of getting under control again. This closet was totally out of control."

When it comes to home decor and do-it-yourself projects, Lisa Haffner is the one in the know. Catch her "Home Life" reports on "Good Evening Arizona," 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. M.S.T.     

Testimonial - “Thank you for assisting me with my organizing needs!  You have amazing skills and are a wealth of information!  Last time you came to my home we worked on my much cluttered walk-in closet.  I was actually dreading doing the work of sorting, purging and organizing my “stuff”.  However, I felt so much better when we were done!  I couldn’t believe how much we accomplished in 3 hours!  Well, you have the before and after pictures to prove it!  Thank you!”  Sue Buffington, Phoenix