Spring Clean Your Closet

Woohoo, Spring is here! It's a beautiful morning in Co. Tipperary today; the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I am about to embark on my first wardrobe Spring Clean of the year. If you're thinking along the same lines, here are a few tips to set you on your merry way;

Note: You will need at least 3 uninterrupted hours to complete a full wardrobe clear-out. Solitary confinement is required and that means no distractions whatsoever! Close the door, switch off your phone, bring a bottle of water and a snack in case you get hungry.

STEP 1 – Empty: Clear out your wardrobe and drawers and arrange the contents out, by category (e.g. clothes, underwear, shoes, jewellery etc.), on a large, open space.

STEP 2 - Try On: In front of a full-length mirror, try on all your clothes and see how/if they fit.

STEP 3 - Divide: Divide your clothes into four categories; (a) KEEP (b) ALTER/REPAIR (c) CHARITY SHOP (d) DUMP. Label a bin-bag for each category and bag accordingly. Elsewhere, if you are interested in earning a bit of cash for your troubles, you can always create a “sell on Ebay” category!

STEP 4 - Maximise Space: It's amazing how much extra space you can create in your wardrobe with a few simple solutions. Argos and Dunnes Stores both offer a great range of storage boxes, canvas shelves etc.

STEP 5 - Re-stock: Group your clothes by category i.e. keep your trousers together and the same for jeans, skirts, shirts, tops etc. Alternatively, you could group your clothes by lifestyle use e.g. work, leisure, social, formal etc. This way your clothes will be very easy to find.

STEP 6 - Hang with care: Banish all wire and plastic hangers as they destroy the shape of clothes; use wooden hangers instead. Store one item per hanger only.

STEP 7 – Shoe-care: Store footwear in an appropriate storage unit (see http://www.tszuji.co.uk/ for some great examples). Before storing your shoes, make sure they are clean, polished, dry and ready to wear. If any shoes need to be re-soled / re-heeled, take them to a cobbler. Discard any old, worn, broken or unfashionable pairs.

STEP 9 – Jewellery: If you have a lot of costume jewellery, I recommend that you display it on a cork notice board. The best feature of this storage system is that everything is clearly visible and easily accessible.

Step 10 - Ta-dah, you're finished: Relax, put your feet up and unwind with a cup of tea and a Kit-Kat. You deserve it after all your hard work!

I've made it sound very easy haven't I! Something tells me that I mightn't sound as chirpy in 3 hours time...


Yours in style,
Caroline