Now that the weather is turning just a little cooler, I am starting to go through my clothes to make room at the front of my closet for my favorite sweaters, jackets and boots. Here are a few quick tips that will save you time and effort by making your closet an easy place to maneuver.
First of all, I go through all of my fall/winter clothes. I look at each piece and put it in a pile. First are the keepers–the clothes that I wear all of the time. These are clothes I know I will wear this season. They are ready to wear. Second are the menders. Before I hang clothes in my closet, I check for stains, missing buttons, seams, hems, etc. Anything that is not in perfectly wearable condition, I put in a pile. If something is beyond repair, I put it in the discard pile. If clothes no longer fit or suit my style but are otherwise in excellent condition, I put them in a pile to be donated to Career Closet.
It is amazing how many clothes are weeded out and how much room I now have. Now I go through my Spring/Summer clothes. I make sure that everything is clean before storing it away. I don’t do alteration work on these clothes now and they can’t be donated so I just store them in a clean and climate controlled closet until next season.
I remove all of the clothes to be donated/cared for/disposed of from my closet. Now that I have lots of space to work in my closet. I hang everything up or fold it neatly and put all of my pants together by color, then skirts, then tops, then jackets, then dresses. Now I bring in my accessories (scarves, belts, handbags, shoes) and it becomes very apparent where the holes are. I make a list of the what is missing. Finally, I go through lingerie drawers and make sure that they are neat, orderly and stocked with the necessities. Those in bad shape are discarded. After the lingerie, I check the jewelry drawers. I check my jewelry, take watches in for new batteries, and have rings checked and cleaned. And finally, I check my makeup and cosmetics. My winter cosmetics and color is somewhat different from summer so its time to make room!
It may seem to take a lot of time but it is time well spent. I know what clothes I have and how they work together. Everything is neat and ready to wear. And purchases make sense. In times like these, there is no room for duplication because you don’t know what is in your closet.
