Let’s Look-Clean Closets {Except I’m Sharing My Messy One Today}

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

If you missed my post on Monday, it’s probably because I thought my blog published but realized around 10:00 a.m. I was WRONG! If you missed it, it had some amazing vacation ideas for your 2024!

Today, I’m teaming up with my girl, Shay, for the very first Let’s Look of the year! We’re talking all about how we clean our closets. Spoiler alert-I’m going to share a true, real life picture of what our closet looks like right now. BE PREPARED!

I should tell you guys-I used to tell my friends that if something happened to me DO NOT GO INTO MY CLOSET! It was always a really messy space and I was just too embarrassed for my friends to even see it.

During the home remodel, we revamped our master closet and added a lot more storage vertically. I’m figuring out the best way to utilize every square inch we have in there.

The plan for this post was for me to do a quick clean sweep and straighten of the closet to share. But our WASHING MACHINE decided to stop working. {Of course it happened about 14 months after we purchased it so our year warranty is no good. BOO!!}. Anyway, I’m not sure much shuts down the running of our house quite like the washing machine being out of commission for a few days. Clothes got backed up and things just look so darn messy! I kept our dirty laundry in the closet {instead of taking to the laundry room} and well, it became much more chaotic than it originally looked!

I decided to share my “before” {which is the right now!} because in a few weeks things will be looking so tidy and organized. Then I’ll be able to share the “after”. Here you go…keepin’ it real because we’re all friends here, right?

Whew! It’s a good thing we’re friends or I’d be really stressed right now. 😉

Our master closet was part of the home renovation so once it’s organized {and the washing machine is back in order-URGGG!!} I can’t wait to show you the changes. My organizer friend is scheduled to come out later this month. Once a great system is in place I’m SO good at keeping it looking good but my brain doesn’t have whatever part can look at a closet and decide the best way for things to be organized. Again, if you’re local and would like her information, just comment and I’ll send it to you! She’s amazing!

For now let this post be your reminder that if your washing machine starts messing up, get it checked out ASAP. Ours was messed up for months and I kept postponing having someone out because I thought they’d tell me it was gonna be super expensive or we just needed a new one. Spoiler alert-it was just the filter! The repairman cleaned the filter out and we’re back in business. REALLY behind on laundry but back in the game!

When it comes to how I clean closets, if I’m doing a big clean. Then I pull everything out, go through everything and donate what I don’t still wear. I clean the spaces…dust and vacuum, that kind of thing. And then I very carefully put everything back in place. I go through my closet multiple times a year and pull out items I haven’t worn often to keep the space as clutter free as possible.

My very biggest tip might be if you’re someone who struggles to put an organized system into place in certain areas, get help to do just that!

In the mean time of my master closet getting organized itself, I thought I’d tide you over with a few more looks of our pantry. I know I’m in the middle of trying to live my most organized life {as many of you probably are as well} and right now I have the most free time I’ll pretty much have all year. It’s the perfect time for me to get organized! If you’re feeling that way too, let me remind you of what we used to get our pantry organized…

For my pantry and kitchen, I actually enlisted the help of my organizer friend. {If you’re local and would like her number, comment with your e-mail and I’ll send it to you! She was GREAT!}. She really focused on zones and making things as easily as possible for the ways we use these spaces. And she did a really good job!

I’ve always struggled with coming up with the organizational ideas for making things as easy as possible so I’m hoping by sharing mine it might help some of you…

This is our top drawer right under the Keurig in our pantry. It has everything we’ll need to make a cup of coffee, a coffee zone, if you will. These drawer organizers hold coffee pods, tea, hot chocolate, and coffee filters {because our Keurig makes pots as well}. We also have some napkins and sweetener in there as well.

I don’t know about you but socks and silverware disappear in our house. WHERE do they go? Because of that, I have some spare pieces and a gold set I use when I’m trying to make things nice. She used these sets of silverware organizers {and I have them in my kitchen as well} to keep them all separate. The thing I love the most is not only can I see what I have but when we have people over I can just grab the fork holder and sit it out. It makes people grabbing silverware really easy!

These clear lazy susans can be used in every space…bathrooms, craft closets, and pantries. We didn’t have enough space to house another canned good organizer so this gives us space to hold anything else we need.

I can’t find my exact shelf organizers but these are similar. In our old pantry, I had the organizer that kept the cans rolled horizontally. I could only see the cans in front so other than making the space look more aesthetically pleasing they weren’t super helpful. These organizers are different. I can see everything on the shelf…it holds canned good, spices, and really anything that’s about that size {including Trader Joe’s BBQ Sauce}.

We have several spaces that hold kids’ snacks and they’re all close together. Typically the ones rustling around in the pantry are one of the four kids and this little basket holds containers that keep the snacks organized on the inside rather than all the snacks be thrown in leaving only the top ones to be eaten.

I don’t wanna sound dramatic but these cereal containers have been life changing. If I ever take a kid with me to grab groceries, odds are they’re asking for cereal. This helped me realize some cereal absolutely NEVER gets eaten {I’m looking at you Christmas edition of whatever cereal I got talked into}, how low we are on our favorites, and it helps the kids see this option when they walk in the pantry.

I have two sets of these wooden bins. This set holds crackers in the top and individual chips on the bottom. The other set holds bread, tortillas, buns on the top and peanut butter/nutella on the bottom.

Another great zone-lunch preparation zone. It houses sandwich bags, ziplocs, lunch sacks, and a few extra things. This drawer organizer is similar.

Okay, that wraps up my first Let’s Look! Next month we’re talking Little Things We Do Every Single Day!

I hope you join us!

XO

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12 Comments

  1. 1.17.24
    Elspeth said:

    So many great tips! Especially the tools in the kitchen!
    http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com

    • 1.17.24
      Erika Slaughter said:

      Thank you!

  2. 1.17.24
    Sheaffer said:

    I’ve recently let my closet get out of control, and I don’t even have a broken washer to blame! Excited to see your AFTER, and I love all of your pantry organization pieces!

    • 1.17.24
      Erika Slaughter said:

      It’s gonna be great! Emphasis on the “gonna”. ha!

  3. 1.17.24
    Alison said:

    Thanks for keeping it real. My closet often looks like that. However, I did just try to go through it and tidy up and organize. I need to purge more! I love all those drawer organizers! I need to invest in someone coming to my house to help me get the vision. 😉

    • 1.17.24
      Erika Slaughter said:

      It really helped me so much! It’s so much easier for me to keep those spaces neat and organized!

  4. 1.17.24

    I’m heading over to your closet right now…I feel very positive that my mother is already there though. 😉

    • 1.17.24
      Erika Slaughter said:

      😉

  5. 1.17.24
    Amy Grace Duncan said:

    My closet looks about the same as yours, and that’s OK! My husband always says “cleanliness is NOT next to Godliness.” Just do what works for you!! Keep up the good work!

    • 1.17.24
      Erika Slaughter said:

      Hahahaha! Thanks, Amy Grace! Great point!

  6. 1.17.24
    Patty said:

    Thank you for keeping it real with the washing machine and closet. Our dryer was out last month and we had to hang dry everything and that was bad enough. My closet currently looks like yours and that is why I skipped this month’s link up!

    Patty

    • 1.18.24
      Erika Slaughter said:

      BAHAHAHA! Patty, that made me laugh! Well, I did notice Shay didn’t share a pic of her closet so I outed myself when I didn’t even have to!