Mission #5 - Hall Closet

I blame the mess in my hall closet on the people who owned my house before us. Yes, you read that right. I have lived in this house for nine years, and the blame for the mess rests squarely on the shoulders of the previous owners. You see, they were nice enough to install two decorative coat racks in the entranceway of the house. And with just two of us, that's really all we need for our day-to-day coats. Even though it has been swimming pool weather for months, our lightweight coats, winter coats, and my favorite windbreaker live on the pegs year-round.

So, what's the problem? Well, because of the well-placed coat rack, we rarely need to use our hall closet. For awhile, it was holding a wealth of coats that we no longer wore. (my mom was shocked one day to open the closet and realize that the coat she had bought me in high school was in there) A few years ago we bought new coats, and donated most of the old ones to the elementary school for kids who needed a coat for recess. But while the hangers are mostly empty (great for when we have company over), the shelf and floor is a catch-all for everything that doesn't have an actual home. My gym bag and pool bag belong there, but I can't say the same for everything else. When we emptied the bottom part to put the new floor in I found every beach bag I have ever purchased, along with their contents (and, strangely enough, a program from a roller derby event we attended a few years ago). The shelf is equally random - there are hats & gloves stuffed up there along with a frisbee and old backpacks.

Now, I know that my hall closet problem is way better than most. If you actually use yours for coats, yours is probably way worse than mine. But I would like to reclaim the space, especially now that the shoes in the bottom are all neat and organized. And the thought of knowing where to find my pretty pink Red Sox knit cap as it starts to get colder makes me very happy.

So...mission #5 is simple - clean out the hall closet. If you have old coats, donate them. Schools are great places, since they often have kids who show up without one. Hopefully the shoes are already organized from last week. And take a good look at everything else that's in there and keep only what you really need. Good luck...I think I'll need it!