THE CLOSET EPISODE

You asked for it! An entire episode centered around the CLOSET! Women over 50  have a unique challenge when organizing their closets. Today we discuss those challenges and "used to be" clothes because we all own them. We also give tips on how to create a space for the life we are living today.  After listening to this episode, you'll feel inspired, energized, and ready to tackle your closet with confidence. Be sure to join our remarkable Facebook Community called Uncluttered and Unfiltered Ladies Only to let us know how it goes!




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Transcript

 Welcome to Uncluttered and Unfiltered. The podcast urging you to let it go. And don't look back with nationally acclaimed professional organizer, Christine Stone and self-proclaimed hot damn mess radio and TV personality. Eden Kindle. Hi everyone. Welcome everyone. Cluttered and unfiltered. I'm Eden and Christine of Neatly Designed is here, of course.

And we have an episode that really honors the feedback that we had been given early on from our first episode where we really delved into some closet organizational stuff. Yep. And then again in episode 25, this is for your reference. If you wanna go back and listen. . You touched on more closet organizational tips, Christine.

So I thought, and everybody else that we asked thought, let's do an entire episode really about the over 50 closet. So let me ask you this, what was it that triggered this fascination you have and this knowledge you have about women over fifties? Closets being such a different beast to tackle than.

Closets. Okay. So I've been doing this for over 14 years and I would say in the last five years I would go to client's house that with women over 50, and it, it started to be the same thing where I would see the same. Closet situation, the same midlife situation. And so I started to come home and write it down so I wouldn't forget.

I would just come home and I'd write down all the things that were similar, and it became something that I became very passionate about because some of the things that were similar were, they were, um, divorced.  in menopause, uh, widowed, downsizing, and there were a lot of emotions always attached in the closet.

So my job was to make them feel totally at ease and totally comfortable, and to motivate and inspire them to, let's just start all over from scratch. Let's make this a closet that you cannot wait to open. Walk into whatever the scenario is and love everything that's in here, and kind of Stella getting her groove back, kind of feeling a confidence boost.

And that's, that's what I did. I make lists for people if there are things that need to be donated or tossed so that we can replace them with new items. I make lists of neutrals and simple items so that it's not so hard to figure out. What to wear to what event or just to, for everyday living if you're not working anymore.

A lot of women have retired after 50, so their life is more casual and laid back. So getting rid of all the suits, donating them since they haven't worn them in 10, 10 years or whatever the circumstances. So that's how I kind of became more of the pro for women over 50 and their closet. So, as I had mentioned, we had already covered a lot of those things, but they do bear repeating.

So what is the first thing, and, and I, I wanna make sure everyone understands, we're gonna get to some questions too that have been asked on our, our, oh great Facebook ladies only. Yay, page two, which we love. So what is the very first thing, let's say? I've called you up. Mm-hmm. . Hi Christine. Can you come to my house?

I have a closet full of stuff. Lot of it I never wear. I never can find the things that I do enjoy wearing. And I also, by the way, just changed occupations to wear. I can wear casual clothes instead of dressy clothes. What's the first thing we are going to do when you walk in my door? So the first thing we're gonna do is go to that closet with a notebook and write down what is not working.

That way we know what is working. Sometimes nothing's working, sometimes everything is not working for their lifestyle. The way the closet is set up is not working. Maybe they need more long hanging and they have only double hanging. That means you have to make those changes. So we write. What is working?

Oh, I love my double hanging. I need more hanging for dresses. I don't have any shelves. I need shelves. I don't have any hooks. I need hooks for belts or purses or hats. Um, I, you know, I need storage for sweaters up high on the shelves. Well, let's write that down. You have to know what is and is not working.

Some people are like, I'm five two and I can't reach anything. So how do we figure that out? So it's. Having an open, honest conversation and finding out where they are in their life, why it's not working, and how we can fix it to make it great. So in some circumstances, people are able to afford to bring in a closet company and have a whole closet designed to for them.

That's not normally the case for everybody, right? So even a handyman could come in and just like move your shelves and move your racks. Give you long hanging space and short, right? I have to tell you, I, you do not need to have a fancy closet company come in and make the changes that need to be made. If you have a handy husband, a handy friend, a handyman, it's the same.

There are so many options out there for Closet systems online. You just have to have somebody who would be able to put it together. Also at the Container Store, they have Alpha Systems, which are basic, inexpensive systems that look amazing. Are they like modular so you No, they're not modular, they just are adjustable, so, oh, you're not stuck to wait.

You can adjust the shelves. Uh, I, I love them and also they. Freestanding drawers. So a lot of people have short hanging and then they have nothing below but their shoes. Well, that's wasting a lot of space, especially in a small closet. So you can get two drawer systems to go underneath and now you've gained like six, eight drawers and have.

More storage than you ever thought you could have. So it's really looking at the vertical space on a shelf and what is happening below the short hanging, because there's so much valuable space even on the walls. You know, do you need hooks? Well, you could do a whole row of hooks and hang purses or belts.

So many different things. It's just you have to look at even. The smallest, tiniest space, and I have to think that this is your rule about never buying anything without doing some measuring. I would have to think like, I know I've loved going even down in Lowe's, you go down the aisle and they have the, all of the different closet organizational tools, but if you don't know what you have, if you, you haven't thought in advance about, well, I mostly have dresses or I mostly, you don't really buy the right things and then you're trying to fit what you have into what you've bought.

I. Vice versa. Well, as an organizer, you can only imagine how many closets I have seen that really just don't work for. What they were supposed to be for. So a lot of people also inherit closets. They move in and it just was like that. And they're like, what do I do now? I mean, I, I don't wanna pay for a closet company to come in, so how can I just make this work better for me?

And I have to tell you, there's just so many different ways in measuring. The most important thing you can do, because I've seen a lot of closets that weren't done properly cuz there wasn't the measuring that needed to be done for the hangers. You know, hangers are a certain depth and if you don't do that correctly, you're in big trouble.

And I've seen it. So yeah, measuring is so important. You always have to allot the space for everything. You have it and write it down. I have short hanging, I have blouses, I have pants. I have shorts, whatever you're hanging, and what you would put in drawers. That way you know, what do I need and what do I already have?

Okay, so we're, we're now to the point. You've come over, you've looked at the closet, you've made a list, what's not working, and now you also know what is working, what is next? So next is purging. Sorry, everyone, puring, sorry, sorry, sorry. It's everything out. It's removing everything out of the closet and starting the process, which is where having a professional organizer, it can be really, really helpful.

Not only just to get it done, but as emotional support. Because when women over 50 are going through different phases of their life, um, a lot of it could. Menopause and they've gained a lot of weight, and so they feel bad about themselves. They're not like the size two or four or six or whatever they used to be.

They're, they're who they are today. And embracing it is part of my job. I sit on the floor with people. I, I have 'em do like a fashion show. We have the no pile, the maybe pile, you know, it's, it's really. Having someone give their honest opinion. A lot of people always say, oh, that looks great on you. Yeah, sure, yeah, that looks great.

But you know, a lot of my clients, I've found over 50, they wear clothes that are way too big on them. I mean, way too big. Mm-hmm.  and that's cuz that's how they feel. It's not a true size. That is for them. They feel frumpy. They feel unattractive. They feel who's gonna see. , um, I'm, I don't date. I don't whatever the circum, so their confidence level is not there.

So I come in and I build confidence because every woman in my opinion is amazing in who they are, right Then at that minute. , every woman. Mm-hmm. , no woman should ever feel bad about themselves because we are all different. I'm five two. You know, I'm not five nine, I'm short, I'm petite. I, you know, you don't think I'd like some of those long model legs?

Of course I would, but I am who I am and you have to deal with that. I like the idea too, of being able to find the things that do work by getting rid of the things that don't, that don't. Recently we had our freezer go bad, so we had to throw away everything in the freezer while we waited for the new freezer to arrive fridge too.

So we were starting fresh and I gotta say like I felt great having to restock from the ground up the fridge and the freezer. And I have to think that the more you get rid. In one of these Christine Stone purges, the better you're going to feel about the things you do keep. Absolutely. It doesn't matter where you're organizing in your house.

Every time people purge, they feel so much better. There's anxiety doing it. They are not sometimes comfortable with it. But once it's all. . Everybody is so relieved to let go of the things they never use, they don't love, and they're just taking up valuable space for the things they do want and will love.

I don't think I've ever once gone looking for something that I donated, you know, like forgotten and been like, oh, why did I donate that? I wanted to wear that tonight. I can't imagine there would ever be a scenario where the, because if it's a, maybe the last time you tried to put it on, Absolutely. Why would you think all of a sudden it's gonna be perfect?

No, I honestly, even the maybes by the time I leave are gone . I mean, usually we just let 'em sit for a while and then don't get that trick away. Yes, yes. So I think in a closet for women over 50, having. , kind of like you said, start from scratch approach. Are you working from home now? Are you retired? You know, what is your lifestyle?

Are you just a grandma and you babysit the kids a couple times a week? You need to have the clothing for the lifestyle you have now. And I see so many times women over 50 keeping the suits they wore when they were a CEO of a company. But that was like 15 years ago. You're not, you're not gonna ever wear those again.

It's just representing a part of your life, which means you were younger, you were a c e O, or you know, it was a different part of your life and letting go of that part of your life, whether it's you're going through a divorce and you were married then, or you're widowed. , it's a part of your life that you're saying goodbye to.

Mm-hmm. . But that means starting fresh, brand new and spring, which we're in, is the perfect, perfect time to do that. Perfect. So now you've got the closet empty. You've purged in some situations, you might even suggest a paint job. Absolutely. A paint job because there's nothing in there. Make it nice. No. Well, a lot of maybe pretty mirror times.

The paint job in a closet is, You know, the closet they inherited 20 years ago? Mm-hmm.  or when they moved in. Uh, it's generally not a brand spanking new closet. So a fresh coat of white paint is inexpensive and makes a closet look brand new. Maybe patch up all the holes from the different shelves. Yes.

Shelves that have been there. Different books. Yes. Yes. Mm-hmm. , patching, painting, making it brand new looking if things need to be changed. Old shelves, you know. It's so easy to go to any of the big box stores and have new shelves and you know, cut and install 'em yourself. Make sure if you are redoing your closet that it's adjustable shelving.

I can't tell you how many people.  inherit closets and the shelving isn't adjustable and it really is a hindrance because you're stuck with the way it is. Mm-hmm.  adjustable shelving, you can move it to whatever works. Mm-hmm.  for your clothing needs. And you might not even be thinking in terms of what you have right now is adjustable.

I know that for us we have a wall of like a shoe, a shoe wall, and for a while there I was. Bummed because a lot of my boots wouldn't fit in, and all of a sudden my husband said, see these little pegs right here, right. ? You can slide that one up. Yep. So it might be worth at least. Thinking about for a minute.

Yeah, I, you're right. A lot of people have adjustable shelving and when I come in they go, oh, those move. Yeah, . Those little pegs move and they're so, so simple to move. Right? So it is adjusting to what your needs are. Okay. So now we've talked about the structure. So, and we've, we've purged, which. That's a whole process.

There's a lot of emotion tied into this. Like a lot you have said a lot. Um, sometimes it's, it's ama you know what, sometimes it really is about that honest opinion. So having somebody like Christine there makes a big difference. The bag, let's talk about the bag. We've talked about it before, but I think it's one of the number one changes that I personally have made that.

Been created such an impact. The bag where you take it, if you put it on and it's an a knot, I'm not gonna wear it today. It goes in the bag, it does not get hung up. Well, it's great that our maybes, so if you put something on, you don't. Feel good in it. You look in the mirror and go, what was I thinking? I must have just, it must have been covid and I just like purchased this because I was bored, or whatever it is, put it in the bag.

You can always revisit the bag if you really are having a hard time parting with it. If you don't think about it for at least a week or so, I would just take the bag and donate it or. The other thing that you hear me talk about all the time is changing your hangers. I cannot tell you how inexpensive and easy it is to change your hangers to one type of hanger and have it look immediately simplified.

Calming looks great. Like when you looked at it, you're like, God, my closet looks great. I see so many broken hangers, wood hangers, plastic hangers, dry cleaning hangers. Colored hangers, purple, pink, whatever. And it just looks busy, crowded, and it's just not calming and soothing. And I know people are like, it's a closet.

It makes a difference. I just ordered a big box and it came the other day from Amazon. It was 50 of those. Yes, the velvet flat hangers. I used white. , and I did this because after episode 25, we talked about something I never thought about doing, which was hanging up my athleisure because that's what I wear on a daily basis, and I was shoving it in drawers when in the morning.

I actually, I take it a step further, I literally get dressed every day inside my closet because it's so early in the morning and my husband's still. So it made perfect sense to hang it all up, but I didn't have enough hangers for that. Right. So I had to order some more, but I was, I was applying Your rule about the hangers had to be the same.

Yeah. It just, like I said, whether you share a closet with your husband or your significant other, whether you have the closet all to yourself, just having. Matching hangers gives you quick, immediate, inexpensive results. So if you can do nothing else, change your hangers. Um, the next step would be, what are we putting back in?

Yes. Well, that is why it's so important to remove.  everything out of the closet. A lot of people are like, well, no, I've already been, I already went through everything before you got here. And then I'm not joking. We end up getting rid of like half the closet  because. . It's always when I'll hold something up.

I'll say, oh, so this is going back? Well, no, no, not that. I don't want that to go back in. Okay, so what about these pants? Oh no, I don't want those. Going back, I'm like, oh, I thought we went through everything. Okay. Well now that you're here, you're, I feel like I have someone to help with. With an opinion.

Mm-hmm. . So, or they'll try things on and we will, we'll talk about are they tight? Are they too loose? Are they baggy? Do they need altered? You know, you have to put these things aside. Same with shoes. I mean, do your shoes kill your feet? Um, you wore 'em once. You had horrible blisters, you could barely walk.

I see so many people keeping shoes that they never wear, but they paid a lot of money for 'em. But they are. Painful, especially ladies for us over 50. I mean, I had to go to a wedge cuz I just couldn't bear to break away from having any height cuz I am so short. Um, but to, to say that I have no high heels is the truth.

I mean, I think I have one pair left because I just can't wear 'em anymore. And so really thinking about are you keeping these because they show. When I was younger, I could wear high heels. Mm-hmm. , I wore 'em like nobody's business and damn I looked good in them. Or are you keeping 'em because you wear them or mm-hmm.

you know what I mean? What is really taking up space in your closet that you just don't need and never wear? The way I am planning to, I don't wanna pretend this is how I always do it or how I've done it recently, but what I plan to do, Is the next time I do my closet purge and there's another one coming very, very soon, is look at an item and say, when was the last time I wore it?

And can I think of a time in the next two or three months where I would wear it? Because I know I have nothing on my schedule in the next three months that is going to require me to wear anything dressier than Yes, a nice pair of jeans and a nice blouse. Right. I, I just know there's nothing on my calendar.

Well, with one except. , but that's an excuse to buy something. Right? Right. I mean, I have to say, I think most women over 50 feel that way. They're not going to fancy balls. They're not, I mean, it's very rare unless you live in like a big city. I mean, where we live, it's a very low key life. Um, I live at the beach, so it's very low key.

And so you really do have to look at your lifestyle. And I'm also gonna mention since we're in spring mode, What to do with those winter clothes? Well, if you live in Florida, those clothes either need to be in a container under a bed somewhere or in another closet organized in clear bins, so you can label the front, or if they're clear, you see what's in 'em because we have such a short winter.

in Florida. Mm-hmm. . If you live up north, then you wear your items a little bit more, but still you want to transition your closet away from the heavy wool sweaters, scarfs, things that you're really, really never gonna wear, and you need to put them in bins and use the vertical space on a shelves with stacking items, sweaters.

Gloves, hats, you know, any kind of winter items. And also a lot of times empty nesters have an extra closet. And I say make it your travel slash winter closet. So when you're going away, that's where all your travel items are. We, you know, everything has a home, so it's out of your main closet so that your closet is a place for everything you wear every day.

So you have no business having a park. In July, taking up space in your closet is what I'm absolutely hearing you say. Yes. Okay. What is the best, this is a question from Catherine. What is the best, most space efficient way to store shoes? Well, I always tell everyone, it depends on the space you have, but the, if you are short on space, putting them in clear shoe bins and stacking them because you will get so much more shoes when you're stacking them.

If you have a lot of space, that's a different story. Then you would just set them on each shelf. Cuz some people have shoe shelves. So it all depends. If you don't have any shelves at all, then you would be stacking 'em below in shoe bins, in boxes with lids, so that under your short hanging. So it's all about the stacking when you're short on space, kind of like I did for.

The white bin. Yes, the bins with the white lids. Using that vertical space under the, under the hanging uhhuh, because it's lost space anyway. Nobody usually uses the space underneath the short hanging, and it's really great for shoes. Where are you on a, and you mentioned drawers, a chest of drawers or a dresser inside the closet.

If there's space for that or you, you know what? I always say, you. That all depends on the space. If you do do an actual dresser, make sure you can do short hanging above it. Okay. And make sure you can utilize the sides for some long hanging. Mm-hmm.  if you need to. I, I d I hate to see a dresser in a closet and it's taking up all the room in the closet.

Mm-hmm. , because that's kind of defeating the purpose. So that's another thing. It really on just depends on the size of the. . Mm-hmm. . Uh, Gwen wanted to know the most efficient way to have sweaters and sweats in a closet so they remain easy to select from, but take up the least amount of space. Well, that would be in bins and stacking them on shelves high up.

So if you have shelves in your closet that are at the top, . I would always utilize that for winter clothing because like I said, unless you live in a state that is really cold, most of the time you're not gonna be wearing wool, cashmere, those type of things. Or your gloves or mittens or whatever you have.

So putting them in bins, labeling them, putting a PO them high on a shelf or in another room on. Shelf in a closet. That way when you need 'em, all you have to do is pull 'em out. When, uh, one of the tips you gave, I feel like this was something you said, I think it was about the laundry room having a step stool in there.

So when you put things up high, they don't feel like they're out of reach forever. They just, they're higher, you don't need them as much, but you, you know, you have access to them. So I put the step stool in my closet so that I could get easily to anything I put on a high shelf. It took about a day or two before my husband had stacked sweaters on the step stool.

So yes, I had to make a little rule like nothing on the step stool. Please. Well, it's so important. In any part of your house, to have one really good step stool that's lightweight, that isn't hard to take from room to room to room. I keep saying I'm five two, so I have to have a step stool to reach almost everything in my house.

So that is important in a closet, in a laundry room, all over the house. So make sure it's lightweight, so it's not a problem to carry it from room to room to room. Getting a really good step.  to me felt like increasing my storage space because all of a sudden, these high shelves, these high cabinets weren't just things that I could get to when my husband was home.

Right. If I wanted to stand on the dryer. Right. It, it was actually, this is actual storage space I have in my home, in my closet because it's now easily accessible because I have a safe, safe, sturdy. Exactly. That's, and lightweighting, I'm telling you, uh, people laugh at me, but there. Such an importance to a good step stool?

Yes. I mean, I've had people DM me regarding, where did you get that step stool? I mean, it's important to have something lightweight when you're over 50, not saying, well, you could probably take 10 of 'em. And, but me not, it's like I need something really lightweight and I take it around, you know, from work spots and, you know, but a lightweight step stool is life changing.

It can be. And then you also put things away. Regularly. Right? Because you're not waiting for somebody to come put it away. Right. You know, I used to just wait and when my son would be around, they'd be like, Hey, since you're here, Yep. But it's nice to have that independence. Yep. So not to sound helpless, just short.

Yes. . And one last thing I'm gonna mention, especially since we're into spring, um, is where what you feel good in. I have so many people that have told me, oh, you would look great in color. Oh, stripes would probably look great on you. Oh, florals Will. And I have tried. I cannot tell you how many times and I buy it, I put it on and.

Okay. I look like I'm in jail with the stripes. I mean, whatever it is, I'm just like, this is not me. I'm. . You try to be hip and you know, trendy and you look like a fool sometimes, at least for me. So wearing what you feel comfortable in. So I feel comfortable in neutrals. In black. Mm-hmm. . I mean, that's black, white and neutral.

Those are my colors and jeans. Some people love florals. That's great too. They should wear florals. , but don't try to just wear what everyone thinks you should be wearing. You should wear what makes you feel comfortable, and social media has a big impact on that because you're like, oh, she looks so good in that.

Mm-hmm. . And then you order off Amazon and you get it here and you're like, oh my God. You know, what was I thinking? And then you don't return it. That's right. And then it becomes clothing clutter. Mm-hmm. . So think before you purchase and buy what you feel comfortable in. . I bet we could talk for hours. , I could listen for hours on the closet.

Is there anything you wanna squeeze in before we wrap? No, I think I've touched on it. I r my job is really to make people love their closets again. Mm-hmm.  really feel like, oh my god.  ever since she left. I just love looking in here. I love everything I own. I feel better about my body and about myself and uh, you know, that's what my goal is when I leave someone's house after I do their closet.

Mm-hmm. . And after you, uh, after you hear this episode, if you wanna go back the two episodes we mentioned, where we touch on this is episode number one. And that's always fun to go back in time and listen to that because it was our first time ever sitting down and talking. But people. Rabbit over those closet tips.

I gotta say, so many people reached out to us to tell us that they bought new hangers. I was wishing that, uh, that we were, we were set up with a little hanger stand right to dole 'em out as a free gift every time you listen to an episode. Right. And then the other, uh, episode was episode 25, just a couple of weeks ago, where we talked about your personal style and how having a closet that matches your personal style is so very important.

Christine is on, her company is called Neatly Designed. We don't always spend a lot of time talking about that, but her Instagram will just give you a feeling of peace. I sometimes just go to her neatly designed Instagram just to pretend that I am that organized. It's. It's really inspiring. It really is.

Well, thank you. That's my job is to motivate and inspire. Mm-hmm. . And I love our over 50 group that, you know, their questions are great. Everybody has been so amazing. So keep the questions coming. Please do and post pictures and post funny memes and do all of those things. It's un uncluttered and unfiltered.

Ladies only. You have to request to be in it, but we always let you in if we, if we can tell that you're a legit person that wants to be a part of our fund. And un until we talk again, subscribe, give us a, a review if you, if you know how to do that. I wish I could tell you on every  kind of platform how you would, but I don't know.

More importantly, join our Facebook group so we can get to know you. And we're also on Instagram, so of course, yes, we are. So until we talk again, you can let it go and don't look back.