Spring Cleaning- A Survival Guide: Clothes

Spring has officially sprung and that means the dreaded, “spring cleaning”, season is upon us. The winter holidays are over and most of us have probably acquired our fair share of gifts and new belongings. Perhaps you are just overwhelmed with all of the items in your home and want to clear it out to make some space. Whether you are trying to clean out that pesky garage or completely shift to a minimalistic type of lifestyle, this guide is here to help you start the process. Marie Kondo is the author behind, “The Art of Tidying Up” and the inspiration/host of the Netflix show, “Tidying Up” in which she demonstrates this guide.

Start by Purging Your Clothes

• Completely clear out your closets and place each person’s clothes in separate piles. This step allows you to visually see how many clothes you have and how much you can get rid of. A bed is a really good place to set your clothes because it allows for a good visual and it pushes you to complete this step in one day’s time (everyone has to sleep right?).

• Take the time to go through each item, one by one, and determine if it is something you would like to keep. On “Tidying Up”, this is the step where you would determine if a specific item of clothing brought you joy just by seeing it or touching it. If an item does not bring you joy, you should thank the item and throw it away or donate it.

Organizing Your Clothes

• Once the purging step is complete, you are ready to reorganize your closet. Hang items that you wear every day and need to access regularly. For other items that aren’t needed as often like T-shirts, jeans, workout clothing, etc., fold and organize these articles neatly into drawers or storage containers. Marie demonstrates a method of folding where each item stands up neatly into drawers and maximizes space, on her Netflix show.

• Storage containers are your friend. It is best to use clear containers if possible, so you can look at the contents without having to physically open the container. Place these bins below your hanging clothes if you need to access them frequently. Or, place them above your hanging clothes if these are articles that are worn infrequently such as seasonal clothing (coats, scarves, swimsuits, etc.).

Miscellaneous Items

• Sometimes our closets hold more than just our clothes and shoes. These items should also be gone through and organized in the same manner as the clothing step. Every item should have its own specific home and be placed in the same spot every time. No more junk drawers filled with unknown letters and old mail.

Check in next week for more tips on spring cleaning!