Closet Makeover – Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning always brings back fond memories of my days working at Banana Republic because my favorite spot in the house to clean is my closet. I love switching out my seasonal clothes and reinvigorating my wardrobe with new and old favorites. It reminds me of the work I did arranging and re-arranging the racks in the store to best showcase the clothes. The past few years have been crazy trying to keep up with my expanding and contracting belly on top of the changes of seasons so my wardrobe is now a hodge-podge of clothes from many different lifestyles and sizes. Finding my Mom-Style has been a challenge. On top of the sizing woes, my husband and I have completely different perspectives on how I should dress. However, we’ve finally settled on a pretty great compromise and I’m excited about my new spring wardrobe.

This year, I’ve picked 6 pieces from Athleta to be the base of my style. I was OK with splurging a little because last fall I cleared out my closet and sold a trunkload of clothes to Clothes Mentor for almost $300. They bought my former work clothes, my maternity clothes, and a lot of dresses that I loved but would probably never wear again. It felt great to get a big pay-out for the items and to know that they might end up in someone else’s closet as a new favorite instead of a landfill.

With all the empty space in my closet and my new favorites, it is time once again to rearrange the shelves. I’m sticking with my organizational standards that have helped me organize my closet since the days when 85% of my wardrobe was pink. I still have a closet full of pink in the house, but now it is size 2T.

Here are my tips to help you organize your closet:

Step 1: Clear out any clothes that you haven’t worn in the past year. Separate the ones that need repairs or no longer fit.

Tip: At the beginning of a season, turn all your hangers to face the opposite direction. As you wear clothes, rehang them the right way. By the end of the season you’ll know what you haven’t worn.

Step 2: Repair clothes if possible, or sort into piles for donation or upcycling.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to keep a bin of clothes for future projects. I store sweaters, jeans, tees, and pretty fabrics for inspiration. Last year, I used some clothes for our fall Scarecrow display.

Step 3: Group shirts by sleeve length and separate skirts, shorts, and pants the same way.

Tip: Place the group of clothes you wear most often at the easiest-to-reach spot in your closet.

Step 4: Arrange groups by color using the rainbow as your guide and then by shades of lightest to darkest.