Easily organise your wardrobe with these 7 tips. Is spring cleaning and organising your wardrobe a chore you want to avoid, as it is time-consuming and overwhelming? Still, if you keep the outcome in mind of a neat and organised wardrobe with easy access to your clothes, where you can get dressed and be out of the door more quickly in the morning, makes it all worth it!
“Spring cleaning isn’t just about vanquishing those dust bunnies;
it’s about rejuvenating your space.” – Love to know
You all know by now that I’m a little OCD. Funnily enough, when spring arrives, I get a bee in my bonnet, this unsettling feeling of wanting to clean, declutter and tidy everything in my home, and if I don’t get stopped, I’ll even start painting to rejuvenate my space.
1. Schedule time
Choose a day when there will be few interruptions as it might take longer than you think to decide what to keep and to donate. Diarise it like you would any other appointment to hold yourself accountable.
2. Gather your supplies
Be ready with clearly labelled bags or boxes for donations, cleaning detergents and cloths to give the cupboard a good scrub before putting anything back.
3. Remove the contents of the closet
There is no right or wrong way of doing this. I start from the top of the cupboard, believing that dust and grime might fall on the next shelf as I clean.
Instead of removing every item from the closet, I prefer to work on one shelf or drawer at a time, which makes it more manageable.
Take down a stack of clothing. Likely, the bottom 80% hasn’t been worn for a while. Try on items to make decisions easier. Ask yourself: “Does this item make me feel my best?”
When you have kept an item over a couple of years and always are in two minds about it and have never worn it; throw it out; you’ll never be happy wearing it. Don’t keep stuff just in case or because you have paid a fortune for it, that won’t make you wear it!
Let go of sentimentality, don’t keep things; keep the memory. Use the items or give them to someone who will love them. I had a client the other day who was very sad about her mom’s embroidered and crochet doilies, but when she heard that someone doing a lot of vintage events would love them, it was easy for her to let them go.
Sort and purge as you go. Place unwanted items in the donation pile, toss torn and stained items. Place anything that needs repairing in a pile to deal with it on a different occasion.
4. Store off-season clothing and linen
Pack seasonal items you’re keeping in large bins or vacuum bags. Be careful not to extract too much air from the bag as it might cause permanent creases. Store these in a less accessible space in the cupboard or the garage until you need to switch again.
5. Clean the cupboard
Use environmentally friendly cleaning detergent and water to clean out the closet. Remember to wipe the sides, bottom and top of the shelves. Remove the drawers and give them a good wipe all around before sliding them back. Add moth detergent like Sandalwood balls or Lavender bags to the shelves and drawers. (Recharge these, year after year, with essential oils)
6. Put the keepers back
Fold the items neatly using a clothes folder into neat stacks on the shelves. Fold or roll according to the Konmari method into drawers. Categorise the cupboard according to type, e.g. gym clothes separate from underwear or nightwear. Organise everything so that it is easily accessible and easy to see. Hang the clothing according to type, colour and length or in outfits, whichever works best for you, on suitable quality hangers.
Clean and organise your shoes before putting them back in tiered shoe racks.
7. Take stock
If you want to containerise items like slippy lingerie, panties and bras or get dividers for drawers or shoe organisers, put them on your shopping list. For now, just put everything back, and install the containers and organisers later.
Make a list of the favourite items you have donated and want to replace, keeping outfits in mind with which you would wear them. Always remember that the less you have, the more you will use it because now you’ll be able to see and enjoy what you have.
Get those donations out of the house as soon as you can. Ask the charity to pick them up if you can’t drop them off.
8. Stand back and enjoy
So now that you have vanquished the dust bunnies and decluttered the excess, it is such a great feeling of accomplishment to stand there and look at your beautiful clothes, neatly organised and just waiting to bring you joy when you get dressed.
If you need a little help to get this done, just contact me; at heidi@cloud9organised or call Heidi on 0736213316
Heidi Meyer
Professional Organiser