It’s that time of year again! Time to retire that over worn grey sweater who’s more frumpy now than ever before. Time to breakout your trusty denim shorts and favorite yellow bikini. And most importantly vacuum away that 3- inch thick layer of dust that has been accumulating on your dresser since October.This is a Spring cleaning guide, closet edition, that will hopefully leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the warmer weather.

The first thing that I like to do when spring cleaning is my closet because it is often the part of my room that needs the most work.

I like to begin by moving all of my shoes and bags out of my closet. I typically keep these things on the floor of my closet or on a rack because I don’t have very much room to work with. Once I have removed all of the shoes and bags I then begin bringing down all of my summer clothes which I keep neatly folded in bins that sit on a top shelf above the rest of my clothes. Next I begin looking through the clothes in my closet to discard what I haven’t worn. It’s always good to get rid of clothing that you haven’t worn in a year or two. Even when those thoughts of “Well I swear I’ll wear it soon, there just hasn’t been a good occasion.” YOU MUST IGNORE THIS. YOU WON’T WEAR IT. I painfully place them into a donation pile and move through my closet. By the time that I am done with this part I usually end up with quite a few loose hangers and some room for a new wardrobe. I then start going through my closet again to take out all of my winter clothes and place them in a pile next to the aforementioned bins.

I then vacuum and mop my closet floor. This step is essential before you start doing the organizing because dust and debris is likely to have grown throughout the season and it helps to start with a clean base.  After I finish with this I step back to assess my next steps.

I begin going through my summer clothes and add to the forever growing pile of donations. Each piece of clothing seeming less fantastic then I remembered. Once I’m done I place all the clothes that I plan on keeping in a pile  closer to my closet and I begin folding all of my winter clothes and putting them into the bins. I put the bins away and I begin hanging up all of my summer clothes. I hang my shorts and skirts on the top right rack in order of length then I begin hanging up my pants on the top left rack in order of how high the waist is. Once this is over I organize my shirts in order of tank tops, to short sleeves, to three quarter sleeves, to long sleeves, on the bottom left rack.

As I’m hanging up my clothes I begin creating a checklist of stuff that I need whether that be new shorts or some more container bins. I quickly put all of my summer jackets back in my closet and approve what I have done thus far. Then I use clorox wipes to wipe down all of the shelving in my closet to prepare for my bags. I start by putting my shoe rack back in my closet and organizing my shoes from what i wear most to what I wear least top to bottom. I place my tennis shoes at the very top, then my adidas shoes on the second rack, followed by my sandals on the third rack, and last my heels. I usually store all of my booties and boots up in shelving for winter. Once I’m done with this I start going through my bags to get rid of any I don’t use or have impulsively bought and don’t actually like. I add what I don’t want to the mountainous pile of donations and start placing smaller bags into my larger bags so that I can create as much space in my closet as possible. I put the bags into the shelving space and hang my robes up on the hanging rack that’s on my door.

Lastly I wipe down my full length mirror and admire my work.