Spring Cleaning: Your Clothing and Accessories

Spring Cleaning: Your Clothing and Accessories

Spring is a great season to take stock of the clothing and accessories you have.

You can decide on what to keep and what needs to be donated or thrown away (i.e., too small, out of style, damaged, never wear, etc.). You can then rotate in your summer wardrobe and properly store your winter clothes.

When you do this, you’ll feel organized and in-control. Getting dressed will now be hassle free, and you can be proud of your accomplishment. You will also be helping someone else out with your recycled used clothing. Bonus: You’ll have room to go shopping!

Before You Start

I highly recommend you buy JOY (Mangano) Huggable Hangers. They are the key to being able to organize and maximize your closet space. Once I found these lightweight, ultra slim hangers, which really do save so much space, I got rid of all of my other hangers!

I now only use JOY Huggable Hangers, which have chrome hooks, have a non-slip velvet surface and come in a variety of colors. I use one color for myself, and my boys each have their own colors. I buy them on-line and in multiple packages for value.

Here’s what I do each spring to freshen up my wardrobe…

Clean the Room

  • I want to start with a clean space, because I will need room to spread out.

Empty the Entire Closet

  • I take out every item out and place them in categories around the room.

Examine and try on Clothes and Shoes

  • I examine each piece and immediately place items that haven’t been worn in a year into a donate pile.
  • What is damaged either gets fixed/sewn or goes into a throw out pile.
  • Then I start trying on the rest by category.
  • I’m looking to see how it fits, if it’s still in style or age-appropriate.
  • If there’s a doubt at all, then these items go into my donate pile.
  • The same with my shoes.
  • If I haven’t worn them in a year, they get donated.
  • If they hurt or if I’m not wearing heels, I get rid of them.
  • I only keep my favorites.

Clean the Closet

  • I dust and wipe down the shelves, rods and doors, and also clean the floor, etc. so the entire space is fresh and clean.

Return Clothing and Accessories to Closet

  • I hang up my winter clothing, by category, on one side, in the back of the closet – organized from longer items (e.g., pants) to shorter (e.g., blouses).
  • Then I hang up my summer clothing by category – organized from shorter items (e.g., blouses) to longer items (e.g., pants).
  • All of the hangers are facing the same way.
  • All of the buttons are buttoned and zippers zipped, with any pleats folded.
  • Note: I hang my formal dresses and evening gowns separately in a spare room closet.
  • But my formal shoes are stacked in their original boxes on a shelf on top of my closet.
  • My belts and scarves are in baskets on the closet floor.
  • I also have a two-draw storage unit on the closet floor that hold my clutches, and any other misc. loose items.
  • On the back of one closet door, I have a hanging shoe rack that’s drilled into the door (Bed Bath & Beyond).
  • On the back of the other closet door, hangs a pocketbook organizer (Container Store).

Under the Bed Storage

  • I store light summer sweaters and t-shirts in a clear, zippered, fabric bin (Container Store) under my bed.
  • This extra storage space is easily accessible to pull out when I’m getting dressed.

Dresser Drawers

  • One is filled with the basics, e.g., socks, pajamas, tank tops and intimates.
  • The other holds my jeans, which I don’t hang.

Winter Coat Storage

  • I then bring my coats (and any winter sweaters) to the dry-cleaners. This way everything is ready and fresh for the next season.
  • I store my coats on foldable steel wardrobe racks on wheels, with garment covers.
  • I place a lavender sachet under the cover to protect my wool items from insects.
  • These racks are stored in my basement.

Final Thoughts

It takes me 3-4 hours to clean my closet like this. Sometimes I split it between two days. Also, I not only do this each spring, but in the fall and winter as well.

If you have the room to add an additional rod in your closet, do it. You’ll be able to maximize even more space.

But the Huggable Hangers I mentioned really do make a huge difference. I always keep a stack on the bottom of my closet for when I need more.

And lastly, during the season, if there’s something I don’t like in my closet, I just get rid of it then, not waiting until I clean again.

Good luck! Let me know how you made out!

Live Well,