Spring Cleaning
Start small; prioritize the areas you want to tackle first. Maybe it’s the kitchen, the catchall area for many families. Perhaps it’s the playroom or children’s bedroom, this is where I like to start, especially before the kids get out of school. It’s a great time to clean out the kid’s closets and get rid of clothes that don’t fit or are no longer worn. Toys that have been out grown can be donated or you might consider having garage sale.
Spring is a great time for a garage sale. Consider hosting a multi-family or neighborhood garage sale, when advertised as such this will significantly increase the number of attendees. Be mindful to check your Homeowner’s Association By-Laws as some prohibit garage sales.
As you transition from winter to summer wardrobes be sure to be conscientious about storing your out of season clothing. Plastic dry cleaning bags are fine for short- term storage (up to two weeks), but anything longer than that will actually damage clothes. The plastic can trap moisture with your clothing and cause fading. Also, do not store clothing on wire hangers the moisture can cause the hangers to rust and will transfer to your clothing. Muslin bags make great long- term storage solutions because they allow the clothes to breathe and protect them from sunlight and insect damage. Muslin garment bags are easily attainable at storage solution stores.
When going through your closet sort into piles according to: keep, discard/donate, and not sure. If you are unsure what clothing you have worn in the past year, put all the hangers on backwards, when you wear the item replace it in the traditional direction. Next year when you go through your closet again, it will be easy to spot the clothing you’ve worn and what you haven’t worn. This process simplifies parting with clothing that is no longer worn.
Organize your clothing by type: is it a shirt, pants, suit, dress, etc., and by color. This might seem a bit over the top, but it is a definite time saver when you are in a hurry to get dressed and are looking for a particular piece. This also helps identify what areas of your wardrobe need help. Are you running low on the basics, or do you have an overabundance of white long sleeve blouses?
Don’t feel like you must get the closet done all in one day, break up the process into sections then it is not so overwhelming. It’s good to ask for help too when trying to decide what items to purge, maybe it’s a family member, a trusted friend, or an objective professional organizer. When using a professional service provider, remember you are in charge they can work side-by-side with you, you can delegate the entire project, or find a happy medium - it’s your call!