Spring Cleaning

In the past few weeks, I’ve been putting something major on the back burner and dreading the thought of having to confront the problem. I’m talking about spring cleaning. I’m fortunate enough to have a large walk-in closet in my bedroom to store (more like hoard?) all of my clothes. But the downside to having such a spacious closet is cleaning it when it gets out of control (which happens every two weeks for me). I have a really bad habit of not hanging things up right away and throwing clothes on the floor after changing, but this has taught me how to effectively clean. Through my consistent mistakes of messing up my closet, I’ve acquired a series of tips and tricks on how to clean, organize, and store clothing. Without further ado, here’s how I deep clean a closet!

Cleaning: 

Separate your clothes into 5 categories: by physically separating your clothes into categories, you are able to see what actually needs to be done.

1. Hang up (dresses, jackets, dress pants, nice shirts, skirts, etc). This pile needs to be hung up in your closet with clothes hangers.
2. Fold (Work out clothes, undergarments, pajamas, shorts, casual shirts, etc). The fold pile needs to be folded and tucked away in drawers.
3. Donate (everything that don’t fit, you don’t wear, or haven’t worn and don’t plan on wearing). The donate pile needs to be washed, folded, and placed into boxes to give away to local organizations such as Good Will, Hope 4 Youth, or the Salvation Army.
4. Out of season (things you don’t plan on wearing for the next two seasons. For example, if it’s warm outside, put all jackets, puffy vests, and sweaters into a pile). The out of season pile needs to be placed into boxes (I recommend also placing a few sheets of fabric softener dryer sheets on top to keep your clothes nice and fresh) and placed into storage.
5. Laundry (everything that is dirty or smells like it needs washing). This pile is pretty self-explanatory, but just remember to check the label on your clothing to see if they’re washer/dryer friendly or if they’re dry-cleaned only. Another pro-tip is to tuck your jeans inside out before washing them to maintain your denim’s color.

Organizing:

Create an organizational system that you like: by creating an organizational system for your closet, you’ll be able to select your outfits more efficiently and it may even help you upkeep the clean state of your closet.

1. Hangers: A detail that’s extremely small yet crucial to achieving an organized closet is using the same type of hanger for all of your garments. I personally use the plastic white hangers simply because they’re the most cost efficient. But if you’re willing to invest a little, using wooden or felt hangers are a lot more aesthetically pleasing and may save you space.
2. Placement: I hang my clothes according to the type of item. The left side of my closet ranges from tank tops, short-sleeved shirts, mid-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, lightweight outerwear to heavy outerwear. The right side ranges from short skirts, long skirts, short dresses, to long dresses.
3. Color-coding: Along with the placement of each type of garment, I also color-code my clothes. My color system goes from white, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, brown, to black. This is a habit that I’ve adopted from working a retail job back in high school.

Storing:

Store your clothes properly: by using storage methods such as drawers, bags, dividers and boxes, you’ll be able to maximize space in your closet as well as maintain the quality of your clothes.

1. Shoe racks: I have two shoe racks that I use to store all of my heels, sandals, and boots (my walking shoes are always kept by the front door for easy access). I have a shoe hanger that goes on the back of my closet door. It’s able to hold about 12 pairs of shoes and keep them protected from collecting dust. I also have a double rack that’s extendable. I use this rack for the more bulky shoes such as boots and chunky heels. By having your shoes stored in racks in your closet, you’ll be able to pair shoes with your outfits when you’re trying on clothes as well as protect them from getting damaged.
2. Plastic trash bags: My family uses the white trash bags that are Fabreze scented and I’ve been putting them to good use in my closet. Taking a new bag, if you cut a small hole in the center bottom of the bag, you can place your nice garments (like formal dresses) into the bag by putting the hanger through the hole. I usually close the bag at the bottom using the tie-strings to keep the clothes inside from falling out onto the floor.
3. Drawers: I have a lot of those drawers that come in attachable stacks of three’s in my closet. I have them all lined up against the wall underneath my clothes that are hung. These drawers contain my purses, belts, winter essentials (hats, mittens, etc). undergarments, and pajamas (mostly shorts and those t-shirts you get at events for free). Having these drawers really help me when I am styling outfits because it gives me easy access and I know exactly where everything is.

That’s it for how I personally clean, organize, and store my clothes! Spring cleaning is hard and actually took me two days to do, but the end result was worth it. I hope that this article will benefit you the next time you decide to clean your closet. If you would like to see more of these tips and tricks posts, please let me know in the comments below or by emailing me at theclothingstatement@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!