Coat Closet: Week 2- CLEAN
First week? Sort. I made sure that ALL of the coats, shoes, scarves, hats, gloves, and bags were in the coat closet. I organized them ONLY to the point that they were all in the correct organizing bins within the space.
So for the second week of the month, I am focusing on the CLEANING of the space.
There are actually a few different aspects of cleaning that could happen! And this is an extensive list as I found it in my house- you don’t have to clean all of this! - the key word here is COULD. These are tasks that could be done. You are enough even if you don’t do a thing here. I love to check things off of a list, so I tend to make a loooooong list 📝 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Tips that helped me:
+ ESTABLISH A WORKING SPACE use a large clean sheet and put it out on the couch or on your bed ⛔️ or wherever you have space to pile removed items. ⚠️ WARNING: if you often stop mid task, this is hella dangerous! I know that I have spent many a nights sleeping on the couch because I did not remake the bed or clear off the clothes that I was “folding,” or there was no space for me for whatever reason. Just don’t want you to hit a wall and then also not have capacity to Rest your Self.
+ SET A TIMER so that you do not get lost in the tasks. I use a 13 minute timer, not to rush me, but as a check-in with myself to see if I am still on task. I also check in on my energy to see if I am getting bored, getting tired, need a sip of water 💦 , or need a break. Other than the water, the others are a danger zone! If my energy or interest is fading, I’d better hurry up to a good stopping point!
START TASK HERE
Remove all the clothes and goods from the closet. Remove coats from hangers.
1) Clean the floor, walls, baseboard, shelf (top and bottom), door, door frame (inside and out), handles, hanging bar, hangers, and whatever else you have in there.
Note: The fact that they are already sorted and binned from last week meant that removing and stacking a bunch of items a lot easier for me to accomplish. While overwhelming due to all the STUFF everywhere, I can see a sense of order to it and I know where to put what. Also, I am not finding a bunch of random stuff in the closet, like on the floor or shelf in the pockets of my coats, and that’s a huge help so that I don’t wander and get distracted.
2) Wash all machine washable items.
+ do NOT rush and put items together that shouldn’t be together! I did recently and threw a hand-wash sweater in with a lights load and now I am perpetually picking black fuzz balls off of my light colored clothes and towels! 😭 If we are going to clean this “room” once, let’s take our time and take care of the items we find.
note: it was a cheaply made acrylic sweater from Gap and now I see why it was on such a deep sale. I now know to pay attention to the fabrics and not be distracted by the “good” price.
Some coats are machine washable, but you have to look at the care tags for each coat. Doesn’t have a care tag? Explore how to wash different materials on youtube- and you can always err on the side of dry cleaning it (if you have the funds for that). And here is my fave resource- Jeeves_NY on IG and on YouTube.
I don't have the capacity for dry cleaning right now, so this is how I cleaned my two coats that are not machine washable.
used a lint brush on the interior and exterior of the coat
used a fabric shaver only on places that needed it (where there was pilling ie under the armpits, where the seatbelt crosses my coat, where my purse rubs the shoulder)
used sewing scissors (okay hair cutting scissors lol) to trim the little strings that sometimes pop out of the seams. I realize that this could be a problem for the seams of the coat, but since I don’t sew yet, I don’t know yet. :)
there are coat brushes that help revive the pile of the fabric. (I hope we didn’t throw away the one at my dad’s house so I can go get it!)
I also noticed that one of the coats is starting to get a butt shape to it (lol) so I may consider sitting on it differently, or not wearing it while I am driving, to reduce that tug and pull of the fabric.
I hung the coats outside in the sunshine, to reduce any odors.
There is one stain on the sleeve of my coat ☕️ but luckily the coat is dark.. There are ways to remove these stains yourself (you can learn more from @jeevesny on IG/FB and YouTube). I am not ready to deal with this right now. But I am noting it so that I can ask for stain attention when I do finally get it professionally cleaned.
Rain coats are machine washable but they need special care. Rewaterproofing your outdoor gear is a great way to extend the life of the items! But we will get into that next week, during Week 3: Mend.
SHOES
I am guilty of throwing my sneakers in to the washer, but they are never quite right after that. So, I found this video about how to properly clean sneakers.
Truth? I haven’t done this cleaning yet! Want to be totally honest because I love to gather information, and I do NOT always follow through with the tasks. NO SHAME HERE.
Dry brushing your shoes outside will help clean them easily without washing. At the very least, it will help you keep your floors cleaner!
I used an old toothbrush to clean the grooves in the footbed, clean the inside of the shoe, remove the more loose dirt on the shoes. I did need more than one because once the brush was dirty, although I could wash it off, it was then wet. I did start to lose focus here and knew I needed to pick up the pace.
I have not cleaned most of the other shoes that I own- I mostly wear and own sneakers. I also have a couple pair of Toms and some flip flops.
The flip flops were easy to clean- I used soapy water in the bathroom sink, rinsed them well, and put them outside to dry.
Some of my slippers were machine washable, but one pair is not and they are already falling apart. Fondly remembering a pair that I had for MANY YEARS with a leather sole and a wool upper. I always felt bad about the animal materials, so I didn't buy another pair. But now that I have had to replace slippers every year or so, I may explore that “guilt” about the animal exploitation so that I can find more durable options without fear or shame.
Next Week:
Reclaim Your Space 2026
January: Coat Closet
Week 3: Sort, Clean, Mend, Donate
reclaimyourspace.club from thegreenassistant.com