How to Spring Clean Your Closet

Show your closet some TLC

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and it’s time to dust off those shorts – spring is here! You’ve spring cleaned your bathrooms, your pantry, your kitchen (pretty much every surface now smells lemony fresh and you’ve worked up a sweat), but there’s still one last space that needs a refresh: your clothes closet.

Giving your closet a good spring clean is the perfect way to declutter your wardrobe and go into the season with a fresh slate. Follow along with us as we take stock, make some small changes and get our closets spring ready.

Step 1: Clear everything out and clean your closet

Pile them on the bed, the floor, the desk – just get those clothes out so you can see what you’re working with. You’ll probably find that some non-clothing items have snuck their way into your closet, things like holiday decorations, books and knickknacks. If you have the space, store or display these elsewhere so your closet can be a one-stop getting dressed shop.

Once everything’s out, it’s time to clean. Wipe down shelves and drawers and use a broom or vacuum to sweep the floor. Most vacuums have a wand attachment that’s especially handy for reaching dusty corners, high and low.

Step 2: Put your winter wardrobe into hibernation

Those scarves, gloves and fuzzy hats have served you well, but the snow is long gone, and your sandals are just begging to be unboxed! It’s time to say goodbye to cold weather clothes to make room for spring essentials.

Start by going through all the clothes you took out of your closet. Things like heavy coats and sweaters can be folded up and stored in bins in the basement or hall closet for next season (a few Deluxe Utility Totes can handle the job). As you go, set aside anything that you didn’t wear or only wore once all winter. If these don’t fit or just don’t fit your style anymore, donate them or sell them to give them a second life.

Step 3: Take stock of your spring wardrobe

Time to repeat Step 2, but with your spring clothes. Take them out of storage (or from where they’ve been squished at the bottom of your dresser) and go through them. Set aside anything you didn’t get much wear out of last spring, that doesn’t fit or that’s a style you’ve outgrown. Add these to the donate and sell pile.

Step 4: Now for the fun part – organizing your closet!

The first step to getting your slimmed down spring wardrobe into your closet is figuring out what to hang and what to fold. This can vary depending on what clothes you have and your space, but here are some tips to start.

Hang things like blouses, dress pants, jackets, dresses and any pieces that wrinkle easily. You may also want to hang favorite items that you reach for frequently. For everything else, folding will do just fine. You can fold t-shirts, jeans, shorts and activewear. When organizing your hangers, pick a system that works best for you. You can organize your clothes by type, color or even by how dressy or casual they are.  

Another idea is when you hang your clothes, place the hangers in reverse or backwards.  Once you wear and wash an item, place it back in the closet with the hanger facing correctly.  Then at the end of the season, you will be able to which clothes you actually wore.  It will make cleaning out the closet easier each season.

 

Step 5: Bins are your best friends

A few good storage bins are all you need to pull off a mini closet makeover! Bins are helpful for separating clothes, storing folded items or organizing accessories. The Your Way^® Cube in canvas is the perfect roomy storage cube for jeans, t-shirts, pajamas, activewear and more. You can also find this bin in some fun neutral prints.

We love the Canvas Storage Caddy for accessories – its pockets make it perfect for sunglasses, belts and scarves – while the Felt Display Bin is a cute way to keep your purses and wallets all together. The finishing touch to any Thirty-One storage bin? Personalization! Add embroidered words to label what’s inside or go for a fun monogram or phrase. 

Step 6: Last but not least, upgrade your hamper 

When it comes to laundry hampers, choose one that’s large enough (to avoid clothes all over the floor) but not so big that it takes up valuable closet space. We like a soft-sided hamper like the Stand Tall Bin – interior metal rods add support and structure without being too rigid or bulky. Plus, the long straps make carrying heavy loads so much easier. This is another great place for personalization, so have fun with it!

Say hello to fresh starts

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to clean you out – just take it step by step. Soon your closet will be refreshed, full of clothes that bring you joy and so organized that getting dressed will feel like a total treat. For more bins and caddies to tackle your spring cleaning projects, check out our bestselling organizing styles.

Looking for the prefect solution to your organizing challenge?  Be sure to comment below or reach out to me.  Want to know how to get your #wishlist for FREE or at a deep discount? Let’s do a BINGO & Bags virtual social…..

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Tips for Cleaning Out Your Closet

I think Spring may have finally arrived – some warmer temps opened the door for flip flops and capris.  Of course the dreary days with rain make me wonder…..Through it all, I am ready to purge my closet and pull out some spring clothes. What is even more exciting is I am creeping close to my goal weight which means I will have lots of spring clothes to wear.

Transitioning into a different season is the perfect opportunity to clean out your closet and minimize your items. I’m sure I am not the only on who has clothing pieces from last summer which are probably no longer in style, fit, or didn’t survive being in storage. Why hold on to these things?  The chances of you wearing them is unlikely so it is time to toss and refresh.

1. Take every item out of your closet.  Yup, toss it all in the middle of the floor.  It will look like your closet threw up but it is the only way to make sure you go through and touch every item one-by-one.  The goal is to only put items back in your closet you love.

2. Does it fit badly? A little tight here, too big there so the bottom line is it no longer serves a purpose. Holding on to beautiful or expensive items we love and once fit us is like holding onto the past… let’s look forward. Give them to someone you know will benefit from them.

3. Not worn for a year. If an item has been hanging in your closet untouched for one year, it’s time to say goodbye.  I know you are thinking – it’s seasonal, right?  If you didn’t wear it last season, you probably won’t wear it this season either.

4. Fold jeans in drawers. Jeans should never be hanging in your closet because they take up too much space and will last longer in drawers.  This was a new tidbit for me!  Hubby puts his on the shelf but for a different reason.

5. Time for the new. Old socks and undergarments can be thrown away. Now is a great time to buy clean, new sets.  OR you can hold onto them and use the undergarments when you travel.  After they are worn, toss them – more room in the suitcase when you come home/

6. Tailor now or never. If there are things in your closet you can’t wear because they need tailoring, do it immediately or toss them. If you really loved and wanted to wear them, you would have had tailored it by now.

7. Part with unused gifts. So many people keep items just because they were a gift, even if they don’t like or wear them. The person who bought you the gift would probably prefer someone else wear it, rather than you ignoring it.

8. Limit handbags.  Well, maybe not the number of them just the ones you keep in the closet. Bags take up space.  The rule of thumb is, we only need three bags for our day-to-day lives: a large tote, an evening clutch, and a cross-body bag.  Remember, I have a bag for all of your needs. I will totally disagree with only needing 3 bags but I am the proverbial bag lady, right?  Try to keep bags hung on a hook if possible to maximize space.

9. Minimize. After ridding yourself of all unneeded, unworn, and uncared for items, you will feel lighter, get dressed quicker, and spend less time getting ready.  I also am focusing on certain color pallets so everything goes together.

What is your best tip for organizing your closet?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Closet Storage Hacks

When I was a single mom, we lived in a double wide trailer.  I had a HUGE walk in closet with lots of space.  I couldn’t imagine having anything smaller.  Was it filled with clothes? NO!  It just had lots of space to store things.

Now, in the condo my closet is a constant battle which I’m always losing. First of all, it isn’t very big.  I have two racks to hang clothes on because I honestly thought it would be better. I must admit, I am rethinking the decision.  Between clothes I wear, clothes I hold on to just in case, and storage of some other random crap, it’s like a time bomb ready to explode.  I know, not the best advertisement for someone who wants to help YOU get organized, right?  Well, this is a year of being accountable and it includes sharing the good, the bad and the ugly!  I do LOVE helping others get organized….

I’m trying to get a handle on it – of course with using some Thirty One products BUT also with some other hacks I found in the black hole of Pinterest….. Here are some of the ideas I found which could help you…

Use a soda tab to hook hangers together.
Use a wine rack to organize purses.  Being a purse girl, this may come in handy in my office or family room more so than the bedroom..

A shoe rack can hold a lot more than shoes.  You know all of those scarves or belts or maybe even your tank tops.

Keep a kitchen bin in the closet for outgrown clothes.  Put a plastic bag in it so when it is full, you can just pull it out and head to your local donation spot.

Keep shoes neat and off the floor with a ThirtyOne Large Utility Tote.
Keep flip flops and other flats neat in magazine holders. I also LOVE our large utility tote for flip flops.

Take pictures of your shoes and tape them to the boxes.

Keep laundry organized and ready to go.

Or try Thirty One’s Stand Tall Bin….

Keep hair tools and makeup brushes neat and tidy with Thirty One’s Double Duty Caddy.

What are some of your favorite closet organizing tips?  Share them with us…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

A New Year, A New Closet

Do you know what today is?  Yes, it is HUMP DAY!  For some it may be a short week since many places considered Monday a holiday, I can almost guarantee many are focusing on their Resolutions.  I am always trying to get organized….Yes, this bag lady can help the messiest get organized but she still struggles with her own hot mess…

Whether you are a fashionista with a perfectly color-coded closet or a man who wears five of the same type of shirt every day, chances are your bedroom and closet could benefit from a good cleaning and reorganization.  Here are some tips to help in you tame the messiest of closets

#1 GRAB A BAG AND A BOX

It doesn’t matter what kind of bag or box you use, the goal is to divide and conquer your cluttered closet and dresser drawers.  The bag will be for trash and the box will be for donations. If you think you’re going to need more than one of each, grab as many as you need.

#2 PREPARE YOURSELF

The secret to a good clean is ensuring you have everything you need BEFORE you start.  Then comes the “mental preparation”.   Get yourself in the mood to clean out your wardrobe, put on some upbeat music to set the tone.

#3 DESIGNATE YOUR PILES

Now, put everything — and we mean everything —from your closet on the bed. That includes accessories, hat boxes, shoes and whatever is in your closet. Make sure the closet is empty.  Why the bed?  Well, isn’t it a great motivator to get things done since you won’t be able to go to sleep until everything is off the bed?

Sort the items into three piles –  “keep,” “trash” and “donate.”  My “keep” pile always gets put away in the closet or the drawers right away.  You may have a fourth pile — maybes. These are clothes you rarely wear but want to hold onto for some reason.  Once you are done sorting everything, go back through this pile  and ask yourself these questions:

Have you worn the item within the year?

Does it look better on the hanger than it does on you?

Could someone else use it today?

If you answer “no” on the first question, it goes into the donation pile. If you answer “yes” on the last two questions, it goes into the donation pile.

#4 MAKE YOUR BED AND FINISH UP

After you have narrowed down your wardrobe –  remove the trash and donation piles from the room. If it is left in the room, you may never get it to the trash bins and your favorite thrift store.  I put the trash right out and the donations go in the trunk of the car to be sure they get to the thrift store.

Here is a another tip from a friend, when putting all of the clothes back in the closet, turn the hangers the wrong way.  As you wear something, you turn the hangers the right way when you put it away.  At the end of the season (or year), any hangers still facing in the wrong direction – those items get donated.  If you haven’t worn the item in 6 months or a year, there is no need to keep it.

What is your best tip for cleaning out your closets?  Share them with us or how about a Before and After picture….

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

A Simple Plan to Keep the House Tidy

Monday morning and you are ready to start your week, right?

The house is either a mess because the weekend was so crazy with activities that you didn’t get time to anything but a load of laundry.  OR the house is spotless because you had time to clean but you know that now that the week has started, it will quickly be a mess again.

Which one can you relate to?  I have to admit, I think I did better keeping up with the housework when I was crazy busy working full-time.  Now that I work from home, I seem to do the bare minimum.  CRAZY, right?

The best way to combat the battle of the chores is to do a little bit every day so that when the weekend (or your days off) come, you can actually enjoy them!  I love these tips:

 

Daily Bedroom Tasks

• Before making the bed each morning spritz the linens with linen spray. You’ll thank yourself as you crawl into bed that night.  Try some lavender or a scent that is relaxing which will help you sleep at night too!
• Keep a dust rag in the drawer of your bedside table and give your nightstand a quick wipe as you grab your phone from the charger.
• Keep a bag in your closet so when you try on items of clothing that just don’t work anymore, you can drop them in the bag.  When the bag is full, make a stop at your local charity shop and donate them.
• Buy and use a laundry hamper. Dirty clothing strewn across the floor makes no one happy! Carry the contents downstairs to the laundry room every other day to keep things from getting out of control.

Daily Kitchen Tasks

• Always, always clean as you go when you cook. When you’re done using a bowl, rinse it and place it in the dishwasher. We only use our dishwasher occasionally, so I wash up and place things in the dish drainer to dry.  By the time dinner is done, the prep items are dry and can be put away before I start washing dinner dishes.
• Each night after the dinner dishes are done, wipe down the countertops, wipe out the sink, and sweep the floor.
• Keep a chalkboard or notepad next to your keys with reminders of when to stock up on kitchen cleaning supplies.

Daily Bathroom Tasks

• Keep the shower clean by spraying shower cleaner each morning after you get out (assuming you’re the last to shower!).
• Put everything back in it’s place when you’ve finished getting ready for the day, and try to keep your countertops clear of makeup clutter.
• Keep a stash of countertop wipes under your bathroom sink and wipe down all surfaces after you’ve finished getting ready in the morning.

Daily Laundry Tasks

• An option: designate two days each week to take care of any laundry that needs attention. Find what works for you and stick to it. This really is the best way to avoid a mountain of laundry!
• If laundry is a constant problem in your house, try starting at least one load each morning before breakfast and set a reminder to start the dryer right when you get home from work.
• Keep a trash can in the laundry room for lint and any other debris that comes out of pockets. 
• Keep a stack of extra laundry baskets in the laundry room to easily transport clean laundry.
• During the summer months, always be sure to wipe down the seal around the washing machine and leave the door open when not in use. This will help to prevent mildew from growing.

Thank you HelloGlow for these great tips!  Share your best tip for staying on top of the household chores…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!