Ready to do some Spring Cleaning? Well, that becomes more of a challenge when you take on your closet space. Make sure you set aside enough time to get the job done right. Plan for at least a day per closet. You may need multiple weekends if you have an extra large closet or multiple projects. Arm yourself with big trash bags, plastic storage containers, cleaning supplies, and boxes.
Start by going through the clothes. You can probably pull out all of the heavy winter sweaters and sweatshirts and coats. Check for stains or wear and fit and style. Make use of those trash bags for clothes that will head to the trash or the clothing recycling center (be it a store or your friends or family). Make a pile of clothes that need to be dry cleaned, washed, or repaired before the next winter.
Tackle the shoes next. You can pull out the winter boots. Check for damage and wash them if need be, and put them in boxes or storage containers for next winter.
If your closet is also home to other miscellaneous boxes of memorabilia, children’s items, paperwork, or just about anything else you may have put in there for safe keeping, now is the time to pull it all out and see what you have.
Paperwork from your home or insurance or bills can be filed or shredded. With so much information available online from bank statements to utility bills, keeping paper files is a thing of the past. You can start shredding old bills and statements, but keep one or two of the most recent in the event of an emergency. You may need a phone or account number and be unable to go online to retrieve it.
The best way to reorganize a closet or storage area is time consuming and dirty; you need to pull absolutely everything out of the area. Wash or vacuum the floors and walls. Then start going through boxes and bins. Make piles of trash, treasure, and donations. Seasonal decorations can be pulled out, reorganized into bins or plastic storage containers with clear, easy to see labels. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions about what to keep and what to throw away. General rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used something in years, it is unlikely you will use it in the future, so it may be best to trash or donate it. The only exception would be memorabilia or things of special sentimental value.
It can be a daunting job going through all the closets and storage areas in your home. It can take a weekend or multiple weekends of time. However, you will feel an amazing sense of accomplishment once the job is completed. In addition, once your storage spaces are organized, you will find it is much easier to keep them that way to save time and frustration in the future.
