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!

15 Minute Organizing Projects

WOOHOO!  Who is ready for the weekend?  I will be showing off my Angel collection this weekend at a local event so I am excited…..

I love to help people get organized – sort of the practice what I say, not what I do sometimes.  🙂  Most think organizing takes a long time and who has time for it, right?  The truth is you can tackle some things in under 15 minutes.  I know, crazy, right?

These tips are courtesy of I heart Planners:

#1 – Reorganize your junk drawer. 

We all have them even if we don’t admit to them.  I have two drawers in my kitchen which are far from organized.  I usually clean them out about once a month and before I know it, they are a total disaster again! One drawer is where hubby tosses things he wants to hold on to – just in case.  The other is full of kitchen gadgets.  There are some gadgets I use all of the time, then there are some which are only used once in a while.  Why do they always ALL end up in the same drawer?

I try to determine about how often I use each item. Is it a daily item – then it stays in the drawer.  Not used very often, items are moved to the drawers in the pantry.  Close but not cluttering up the drawer.

It was super depressing because it’s a drawer we use all the time, and I see the mess regularly. I finally get fed up,and it takes less than 15 minutes! So, why didn’t I do it sooner? 

If you have enough counter space (we don’t), Thirty One’s Your Way bin is a great way to put all of those cooking gadgets within easy reach AND keep the drawer clutter free.

#2 Tidy up your desk area.

I don’t know about you but I have a hard time concentrating when my desk is a mess.  Having a neat and tidy desk inspires and motivates me to work.

The Double Duty Caddy from Thirty One can sit on your desk OR you can tuck it away on a shelf until you need it with everything close by.  The side pockets are great for small items.

The fold and file is great to keep files organized, Keep it in your desk then pull it out when you need to do some work.  

My computer screen is one of my messiest spots in my office. When I see a graphic I like, I save it to my desktop screen until I want to use it.  Yes, it can get to be a HOT MESS.  Did you know you can organize your computer desktop screen in just a few minutes?  Check out this article to learn how.

#3 – Organize your email inbox.

Are you one of those who has 100’s of emails in your inbox OR do you focus on cleaning it out every day?  I know deleting emails we don’t want to read once we check the subject is easy.  My goal every day is to clear my email inbox so I have less than 10 emails waiting for a response or need action. It isn’t always easy.  The truth is, it doesn’t take long to set up gmail filters to keep your email inbox organized. Here is a great article on how to get your email inbox to zero.

#4 – Pick 5 items to donate or throw away.

This does not require a major project.  We all have things we come across we don’t anymore. Things you “meant to donate”.  Why wait, pick up those 5 things (more or less is good too) and put them in a bag or box.  Then – this is the important step – put it in your car right away.  Don’t leave the box sitting by the door or tucked in a closet.  If it is in your car, you will remember to drop it off the next time you are running errands.

What are some of your best tips for getting organized in 15 minutes or less?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!