Homekeeping News

In this second article in the "Homefront Survival" series, we will help you tackle yet another source of homefront backlog- clothing and accessories. The first article in this series, conquering Paper Pile Up, can be found in the August newsletter.

Readers' Tips on Paper Pile Up:

Judy suggests that if you are using a filing cabinet with hanging folders to file your paper, affix your file identification tab at the front of the hanging folder. File paper in the front of the folder. By following this simple tip, you will never misfile your paper and the most recent paper will be at the front of your folder.

Geri says she uses duotangs to file her recipes.

The Overwhelming, Overflowing Closet

Fall is here, so now is the perfect time to tackle the clothing and accessories stashed in your closets and in their best friend, the dresser drawers. When it comes to sorting these areas, you must first determine whether you will attack it all in one sitting, or schedule the sorting over one or two weeks. If your closets and dresser drawers are in total chaos, you may have to take the plunge and schedule a day for the task. If they are less cluttered, spreading the task over a period of time will work well for you.

However, based on the experience I have gained in assisting clients with their clothing woes, scheduling one day for the task has proved the most effective. You will not run out of steam, or become frustrated, and you will immediately reap the rewards of a well organized closet- and the time savings as well.

Schedule a Saturday or Sunday for the task. Consider it a bedroom "outing". Have your favorite "motivational" music playing in the background, and bring a pot of tea or coffee into the bedroom with you. Set the mood to "get busy".

Strip your bed of all bedding and place it in the laundry hamper or in the laundry room. Use your bed as the staging area for the sorting process. As you sort through the closet, group your clothing into the following categories, and put them in separate piles on your bed.

Should you encounter objects stored in the closet that do not belong there, place them outside your bedroom door. Deal with them later.

Once the contents of the closet have been emptied and piled on the bed, do the same sorting exercise with your dresser drawers. Leave socks, underwear and miscellaneous items in the drawers- cull only the items on the above list. Once again, should you encounter objects stored in your dresser drawers that do not belong there, place them outside the bedroom door.

You are now ready to sort through the piles of clothing on your bed. I personally have difficulty with the old adage "If you haven't worn it in the past year, toss it out." Many of us locate articles of clothing that we would have worn in the past year- had we known where they were.

As you sort through each of the piles, keep these words of wisdom from Don Aslett in mind:

• You like the color/material but you hate the style.
• You like the style but hate the color/material.
• You never wear skirts/dresses/shorts that length anymore.
• It looks great on the hanger but not on you.
• It's too see-through/not see-through enough.
• It's a style that always makes you look too fat/too thin.
• It's (plaid/a loud print/whatever) and you have never liked those.
• It has a feature (it has spaghetti straps, is sleeveless, double-breasted, or whatever) that never does anything for you.
• It's scratchy or otherwise uncomfortable.
• It has elastic in unfortunate places.
• The lapels/legs are the wrong width.
• You'll never have the guts to wear it/_____ will never let you wear it.
• You are still waiting for it to come back in style.
• It's damaged (motheaten, stained, scorched) and, face it, it is never going to look the same.
• It is too tight and was always too tight.
• It's nice and practical but...
• You've always liked the idea of wearing it better than wearing it.

Sentimental articles of clothing (and you know what these are) are difficult to part with. Place them in a laundry hamper or on a chair- I have some suggestions for those later..

Pull out all the clothing that falls into any of the above categories and place in green garbage bags to donate to your local charity thrift shop. If the clothing is past giving to a thrift shop, put aside for cutting up for rags, or send gently used clean towels, bedding and old T-shirts to the Humane Society to be used for newborn animals and animal care.

Now that you have finished sorting through the clothing piles on your bed, it is time to remove the socks, underwear and miscellaneous items remaining in your dresser drawers. Sort through them using the above guidelines. Also, if you have shoes stored in your closet, use the same approach with them.

Your closets and dresser drawers should now be empty. Review the piles of clothing on your bed. Determine where in the closets and drawers the clothing can be stored to be immediately accessible. Accessibility is the key to controlling closet and drawer clutter. And to make even more effective use of your space, make sure that the clothing styles that you wear most frequently are the most accessible. With pencil and paper in hand, assign storage space for the different piles of clothing, starting with the clothing that you want to be most accessible. The only rules that apply here are your own. If you wear T Shirts and jeans most of the time, consider hanging them rather than folding them. Your "utility" underwear and socks can be grouped in one dresser drawer, with the frilly undergarments and hose relegated to a bottom drawer.

If you have done a good job organizing and culling your clothing and accessories, your "on paper diagram" should show you that you have ample closet and drawer space in which to store everything. If not, be creative with your storage. Keep in mind that you should be culling your clothing seasonally, so any summer items should now be relegated to seasonal storage. Instead of storing suitcases empty, fill them with out of season clothes. Larger suitcases are good for storage of sleeping bags, extra pillows and blankets. Try to avoid the common pitfall of running out and buying new storage containers for items that you are having difficulty assigning "on paper" storage space. Look around your home. Do you have decorative storage containers that would do the trick? Or not so decorative milk crates or the like? Would the addition of a lower rod in the closet solve your dilemma? Recognize that you have accomplished so much today, and that the process will be fast and easy come springtime. And come springtime those expensive new storage containers may not be needed.

Now..the moment of truth. You are now ready to reap the rewards of all your hard work. If you plan to line your closet shelves and drawers with fresh paper, this is the time to do it. Then, following your paper diagram, place your clothes and accessories in your closet and drawers. Keep the clothing grouped as originally outlined...and voila...an organized clothing mecca.

Scathingly Brilliant Ideas for "Sentimental" Clothing and Accessories

We all have articles of clothing that conjure up fond memories. This clothing, no matter how old, how tattered, or how small for us, will always tug at our heartstrings. So rather than hide it in your closet, why not create a lasting keepsake?

Here are a few ideas. They may work for you, or they may inspire you to think of additional creative ways to preserve your memories. We would love to hear your suggestions.

If you have a photo of yourself wearing that awesome prom dress, or favorite jeans, consider framing the photo using the fabric from the outfit as a fabric outer mat. You can also apply the unique buttons from the outfit to the frame. Or, use a shadow box and drop the decorative accessories inside the box in front of the photo.

Cherished baby clothing can be framed- how wonderful would it be to have that memory displayed on a family photo wall or in a special place of honour in the guest bedroom that your now grown up child sleeps in when they visit?

Have lots of baby clothes stashed away? Make a memory quilt for your child.

Have dated holiday outfits? Make them into quilted Christmas tree ornaments or Christmas stockings. That little gold lame number from New Year's Eve 1966 would make awesome trim for the ornaments and stockings, or would make wonderful angels. Old doilies also make lovely angels. Beaded or sequined outfits can be turned into funky evening bags. One Christmas my mother made quilted tartan heart tree ornaments for each family member, complete with brass bells and the name of the individual embroidered across the front of the heart. Gauzy outfits can be converted into wonderful sachets, ready for you to fill with your favorite potpourri or mothchaser (see Grandma's hints below).

Vintage clothing labels are truly an art form- consider cutting those off garments, gluing to heavy mat board and displaying in a frame.

Old chenille bathrobes or old sweaters? Make unique covers for throw pillows.

Make recyclable gift bags out of cotton, chintz, corduroy and denim outfits.

You are only limited by your imagination....

And... one final tip... save the shoulder pads from dated clothing and pin or sew them to the bent shoulder portion of a hanger. This prevents the creases or bulges that form on the shoulders of the article of clothing you have hung on the hanger.

Grandma's Hints

To keep moths away without the toxic effects of mothballs, mix two handfuls each of dried lavender, rosemary, one tablespoon of crushed cloves and small pieces of dried lemon peel. Place in a gauze bag in a dresser drawer or suspend in closet.

Whole peppercorns instead of mothballs can be used to protect clothing. Place handfuls in boxes of packed clothes, in coat pockets and jackets that are hung away for a season. In time, the peppercorns disappear.

Store sachets and scented soaps in your dresser drawers.

Mildew can be a problem in warm, humid climates. To get rid of mildew on washable fabrics, treat with lemon juice and dry in the sun, or if a color fast fabric, a small amount of bleach in the washing machine. To get rid of mildew on leather goods; after testing for color fastness, wipe leather with a cloth moistened with diluted alcohol (1 cup denatured alcohol to 1 cup of water). Dry where air is circulating. If mildew remains, wash quickly with thick suds made from a mild soap or dishwashing detergent, or saddle soap. Wipe with a damp cloth and dry in an airy place. Then apply leather conditioner.

For rust stains on white or light shirts, rub stained area with fresh lemon juice. Leave on for five minutes or until rust disappears.

If you have lipstick on clothing, try removing the stain with hair spray. Spray the area and wipe off with a dry cloth.

To remove ink stains from shirt pockets: Try using a little toothpaste, repeat if necessary.

Homemade Starch: 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of boiling water. Boil for two minutes, cool and dip fabric into pot for starching.

To whiten sheers: Put Epsom Salts in the rinse water.

To maintain the color in new, dark colored clothes, add 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar to wash water. The clothes will neither fade nor will the color run.

To soften new jeans add half a cup of salt to detergent in washing machine.

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ISSN 1492-9414