While it’s true that most of us will never have a closet like Oprah (complete with a shoe island for 192 pairs of shoes – see picture above), we can at least learn how to de-clutter like her, right?
Because if there’s one person on this planet who should know how to get rid of things because she has too many of them, it’s Oprah.
So what does Oprah do to de-clutter her closet?
The Oprah Reverse Hanger Trick
No this isn’t a new wrestling manoeuvre to try out. It’s actually a simple and clever way to get rid of some of the excess in your closet. If you’re the type that just can’t bring yourself to give away some of the items in your closet, this will help you.
And while Oprah Winfrey didn’t invent this de-cluttering hack, she did mention it, which in turn, made this trick well-known. So I guess by default, it’s attributed to her.
Take all the clothes hanging in your closet and hang them the wrong way round (opposite of the way they are hanging now). Then after you wear an item and go to re-hang it, make sure to rehang it the right way (the way it was hanging before). After several months, you’ll notice that a lot of your clothes are still hanging the wrong way. These are the items you should probably get rid of.
**Note: Some people recommend getting rid of clothes after 4 months, but I personally think that’s too short of a time frame (I have a hard time letting go). Others say a year should be more than enough time and that’s what I’m going with.
Want more? Check out these other great De-Cluttering Hacks
Make it A Habit
Everyone’s heard the old adage: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Well, how about trying this new adage that I just came up with: “Get rid of one item a day to keep the clutter away.”
The item doesn’t have to be large every time. It can an old book or magazine that you haven’t read in years, a toy figurine that’s been played with for more than 10 months, or a sweater that you got as a gift a few Christmases ago and have never worn at all (and to be honest, probably never will). Instead of letting it take up space in your home, why no donate it and let someone else make better use of it?
If you do this everyday for a year, you’ll be getting rid of 365 items in your home that you can live without and free up some space for yourself at the same time. (No this doesn’t mean you can go out and buy 365 new things).
Clear Out Those Flat Spaces
Flat spaces are some of the worst for collecting clutter. Things like coffee tables, side tables, and especially desks are notorious as places where items pile up. The problem is that not only is it easier for items to pile up, there’s no where for those items to hide – and that’s a problem because seeing clutter subconsciously adds stress to our already stressed-out lives. It actually takes mental energy to ignore clutter and that leads to mental fatigue. So for example, if you’re at work, you won’t notice it first thing in the morning, but as the day wears on, it becomes harder for you to keep your concentration on the tasks you have at hand.
The same thing goes for being at home. After a long day at work, you really don’t want to add to your stress by walking in the door and having piles of mess in your face. So clear those coffee tables, side tables, and desks as much as you can. Use cupboards, storage boxes, or baskets to neatly put things away.
Scrubbi is a Winnipeg house cleaning service that cleans homes in major cities throughout Canada including Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.
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1 Comment
This is really useful, thanks.
