They don't call it spring cleaning for nothin'. I'm not sure what it is about the end of the colder winter months, but come the change in season, the inner OCD / Type A neat freak in me awakens from her state of hibernation. Whether it's tackling our fridge funk, taking on a major basement cleanup, or having a burning desire to clean every cabinet in our house, I'm on a mission.

Here's a little secret. I'm a complete and total neat freak...but only as far as the eye can see. As long as the mess is hidden behind closed doors, or drawers as the case may be, I can stay sane. Eventually though this stash-and-ignore technique catches up with me, and the teetering piles and crammed quantities start begging for a pardon.

Hopefully the following post won't be considered "over sharing" as far as the blogosphere is concerned. (And I'll promise you in advance you'll never read anything here about "lady troubles" or any of the unpleasant side effects that go along with pregnancy, birth or the like on this blog. Heck, I don't know anything about that, and even if I did, you won't find it here.) But what I am going to show you today is a look inside my "undergarments drawer," which I will refer to going forward simply as my "sock drawer." Here's a look at the mess.

I bet you're starting to doubt my type A tendencies, aren't you? I know, I know. It's a total disaster. And the amount of upper body strength required to open and close this drawer when it gets to this point borders on super human. So it was time to do something about it. 

I started off my removing everything from the drawer and laying it on my bed. Next, I hung a plastic shopping bag within easy reach, so I could put items to discard or repurpose inside. (Old socks make the best dust rags.)

I then began grouping like items together: athletic socks, casual socks, trouser socks and tights, etc. It soon became clear that there were several Items that had no business in my sock drawer. Items that fall into this category include winter outerwear and a bathing suit I haven't worn in years.

One thing that drives me crazy in the mornings is rooting through my sock drawer, endlessly searching for two matching trouser socks. A simple solution I came up with a few years ago is to tie the pair together as soon as they come out of the wash.

Cleaning one's dresser is certainly not the most exciting project to tackle. Even Lulu quickly grew bored of my efforts.

But the end result made this boring project well worth my time. Here's a look at my sock drawer post-cleanup. And in case you're wondering why you can't see the entire drawer....well, you know, I wouldn't want to get too personal with you. It is my "sock drawer" after all.

Have you been tackling any spring cleaning projects of your own? Are there any other neat freaks out there that are more obsessed with what the eye can see, at least in the short term? Does anyone else have approximately 18 times the number of socks any one person could need (or wear) in a lifetime or more than three pairs of Halloween socks? Please tell me I'm not alone. 

Comments 8

Comments

threadbndr (Karla)
6/20/2012 at 2:58 PM
Wendy, I'm a knitter. I knit socks. Lots of Socks. 18 is nothing. I knit 12 pair last year alone, and they don't wear out THAT fast LOL.

Yes, I'm in a cleaning mood, and a clearing out mood and an 'OMG why am I saving this??" mood. Now if I could only get myself to actually DO the cleaning, clearing and purging!!
Wendy
6/20/2012
Wow, you were busy last year!

I love it when I can actually get myself to clean when I'm in one of those moods. Now if only I could catch a day Alex is too and send him down to the basement, we'd be in business. :-)
6/20/2012 at 3:02 PM
I'm with the person above - I need to get into the DOING mode of things instead of just thinking about things.
Wendy
6/20/2012
I know. Sometimes it's so hard to get the motivation to get started, but it looks and feels SO GREAT when it's done. I'm guilty of standing in front of a clean closet, cabinet or drawer and just admiring the fruit of my labor. Love it.
LindseyP
6/20/2012 at 3:30 PM
Since I have 3 cats, everyone assumes I adore wearing cat-printed clothing items, including novelty cat socks. I now have 14 pairs of cat socks, including 2 Halloween-themed black cat pairs. As much as I adore cats, these socks are taking over my [much smaller] sock drawer and are only ever worn if I know I'm staying in for the night. Time for a purge!
Wendy
6/20/2012
Hahaha. I know exactly what you mean. I've received a lot of cat and dog themed items over the years. I'm a little sad my pug socks are getting holes in the heels though. I would always conceal them under boots, but it make me happy knowing the little Oliver-esque companions were on my feet. :-)

But 14 pairs of cat socks...that might be a record!
Sandy
6/20/2012 at 8:41 PM
Where did you get that very cool chest-of-drawers? I love it.
Harry
7/31/2016 at 3:31 PM

You probably wouldn't like my solution: I have only two types of socks. White athletic (for sports and casual) and black trouser socks (for work and fancy dress). I buy several dozen pair at a time and wear them till I have only a few pair left. I don't have to match socks, it doesn't matter if one gets holey or eaten by the Dryer Sock Monster, and I can tell them apart in the dark whilst drunk. The downside it's boring.

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