Day 5 - Clean My Closet

Yesterday I took on a huge endeavor, I cleaned my bedroom closet. My closet has a tendency to become a dumping ground for everything. A terrible habit I have had since childhood and a habit I notice all 3 of my children have. They will be working on their own closets in the upcoming weeks, they just don't know this yet.

In the process of cleaning the closet, I got rid of 100 articles of clothing and several pairs of old shoes. My rule was if I had not worn it in the last 6 months, it goes. So, I got rid of Spring clothes, but I haven't bought myself Spring clothes in several years. I will buy some stuff that is up to date this year. It looks really good now, I want to keep it that way. Of course that is up to me.

I have had some issues the last couple years with my chest feeling like I am about to get a cold. I have never been able to figure out exactly why this was happening. I just figured I have a great immune system that keeps fighting off some kind of strange bug. Well, I found the source of the problem in my closet, giving me all the incentive I think I will ever need to keep it clean and organized. I have a sweater shelf that hangs from the closet rod. I have had it for years, and do in fact keep my sweaters nice and organized in it. I had never actually taken all the sweaters out of it and removed it, as it is heavy and bulky and a lot of work to move. When I removed it yesterday, I found mold behind it. A lot of mold. I freaked out at first convinced that it was "toxic mold". Upon inspection, I found that it was just regular mold that grew because my closet is on a wall that faces the outside. Every time it gets really cold, condensation forms creating an environment for mold, I never knew it was happening. I of course cleaned out all the mold and put a fan in the closet to dry the walls. After doing this, I did start to cough, answering the years long question of why I always feel like I am getting a chest cold. I am allergic to mold! My husband and children appear not to be, they had never had this problem.

My husband needs to clean his closet now. His is not nearly as bad as mine was, but it could use some work. He will do that when he has time and when he feels inspired.