It started with one small task and before my husband knew it, I had him moving furniture around. (This is every guy’s dream on a Saturday afternoon, right?)

I never found a skeleton as I reclaimed my walk-in closet this week, but I did find a whole host of other things that I had forgotten existed. I’m not sure where the cleaning bug started, but once I dove in I couldn’t stop myself. I was pulling things off hangers, stuffing old shoes into donation bags, and pulling mystery boxes off the depths of my closet shelving.

After an hour (or maybe two) of hard work, he not only thought I was crazy, but he was also singing my praises because he could actually find things in his closet. We did find many things hiding in our closet that we thought were missing and also produced three large bags of clothes to give away. Who knew we could have that much excess?

Wanna reclaim your closet, but you’re too scared to take the first step?

Here’s the five-step method to the madness.

1.     Start by removing all items that are not hanging on a rack. This includes shoes, belts, purses, and other items you may have stored in your closet that aren’t apparel. As you remove an item, decide if you want to keep it, toss it, or donate it. You can also make a pile of items that can be stored in another room.

2.     Next, look through all of the items hanging in your closet and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, “Have I worn this in the past 12 months?” If the answer is, “No,” then you should strongly consider donating it. Clothes go out of style, don’t fit anymore, or don’t live up to what you had in mind when you bought them. It’s better to let them go to someone who can use them instead of taking up valuable real estate in your closet.

3.     You should also evaluate clothes that are stained and need mending. Set those items aside if you truly plan to spend the time to replace the missing button or scrub out the stain. If you can’t commit to doing this then you should toss the item because it’s otherwise useless to you. And if you are trying to decide whether to donate these types of items or toss them, you are better to toss them. If you aren’t going to spend the time to fix them, no one else will likely will, either. All good things must come to an end.

4.     Don’t forget the shoes. I am a recovering shoe addict, so I frequently have to go through my shoes and decide which ones stay and which no longer make the cut. Again, if you haven’t worn a pair of shoes in the past 12 months then you probably should retire them.

5.     Once you’ve paired down your clothing to just your favorite items you can organize and arrange the items that are left. Remember to only include items that truly should be stored in a bedroom closet. Resist the urge to your closet become a dumping ground for other items. With your remaining clothing, you can organize by type of clothing or by color. Some people do a combination of the two. You have to do what works for your lifestyle and your wardrobe. I figure as long as you have a method for your madness then it’s no longer madness.

Question: What area do you dread de-cluttering but wish could just magically become organized?

I opened my car door last week and an empty juice box fell out. We used to have a strict No Eating in the Car rule, but since my children are older and more responsible (at least I thought so) and we now spend most afternoons living in the car, it has become a necesity more than anything that I break my own rule. However, it seemed odd to me that a juice box fell out, especially because I had just done a thorough cleaning of my vehicle the day before (or at least I thought so …. See a theme here?).

Later that day, I opened the car door and a small, purple flip flop fell out. I couldn’t help but think to myself, Where is this all coming from? So I crouched down and peered into that space between my seat and the floor of the car and discovered my own Bermuda Triangle. In a very small space (the kind of small space only a three-year-old’s hands could fit into) I discovered all sorts of gems. In fact, the space was filled to capacity and many items were beginning to spill out the other end. Hence, these were the items that would shift while in flight and fall out when I opened the door.

Later in the week, my husband was looking for a misplaced item in the car and found another place my children had squirreled away items. This time, he pulled out a dirty soccer sock. Finding a dirty sock is normally a disgusting experience, but this time it grossed me out even more because soccer season ended last November! Despite my best efforts to control the chaos on wheels I had been duped by my sneaky children again.

I know I am not the only mother who faces this never-ending battle to keep the family vehicle clean (and smelling remotely decent) so here are a few steps for keeping car clutter under control.

1.       Taking care of business. Sweaters, coats, backpacks, gear, books, etc. should all be removed each time you come home. I keep a trash bag in the garage to make it easy to get rid of trash, too.

2.       Backseat drivers. Use behind-the-seat organizers or a storage system in the back of the vehicle or trunk to keep toys, books, and other supplies that remain in the car nice and tidy. For school-aged children you may want to stash school supplies in the car to get a head start on homework if you’re out running errands or you find yourself in between after-school activities.

3.       All boxed in. Keep your glove compartment tidy with your vehicle registration and proof of insurance easily accessible. Other items you may want to store in your glove compartment include a notepad, pen, tire gauge, and paper napkins or tissues. I also keep a small makeup bag with lipstick, Tylenol, and other essentials at my fingertips.

4.       When disaster strikes. Keep a blanket, maps, water, snacks, flares, flashlight, help sign, first-aid kit, and plastic bags in the trunk. You’d be surprised how often these items come in handy if you have a personal disaster, much less a natural disaster on the road.

5.       Let the kids come along for the ride. I love watching my children Windex off their own fingerprints, or vacuum up their own spilled snacks. It also makes them more reluctant to make a mess in the car on future dates if they know they’ll be held responsible for cleaning it up.

Question: What items do you consider to be must-haves in your car? How do you overcome the mobile clutter?