Maybe since it’s late March and we have seen some beautiful weather you are ready to do a big spring cleaning or you saw yesterday’s post and were inspired by my personal closet overhaul or you just bought yourself a new spring wardrobe and you are feeling a little, “Out with the old, In with the new”!

Either way, here are some tips to get you started and keep you going!

In a perfect world, we would all have more than enough space and our closets would be decked out with California Closets or the likes. 

Or, better yet, we would all have a dressing room. Decked to the nines, with plenty of mirrors, filled with designer duds and a beautiful ottoman in the center (for putting our Manolo’s on of course!!). In my fantasy world, it looks like this!!

However, in reality, not all of us have this much space or the dough to deck out what space we do have with custom build ins. In fact, if you are like us, you may even be using pantry space as closets!! So, this post is for the gals that fall into this category! Every space is unique and the goal is to efficiently utilize the space, organize your things and only keep what you love, wear and need!

Step One:

Remove everything from the closet. While doing this, sort like items in piles.

Step Two:

Keep a large box/bag out for items that you want to donate, give to a friend/family member or sell at a garage sale.

Keep another box/bag for things that simply must be trashed (stained tees, old panties, socks that no longer have mates, shoes that are stinky, etc.).

Keep one more box/bag for things that need altered, dry cleaned or laundered.

A set up like below would work just fine.

Step Three:

It’s decision time. What stays, what goes? How do you decide.

For some items it is a clear choice. For example, you work in an office and you wear your black pencil skirt all the time. You feel good in it and it’s easy to take that piece from day to night. Simple, it’s a keeper.

However, other items may be harder for you to decide on.

Ask yourself these questions.

1. 
   Have I worn this item in the last year?
2. Do I LOVE this item and feel AMAZING when I wear it?
3. Do I NEED this item? (i.e. a pair of sweats - you likely don’t feel amazing in them but you may want to keep a pair to clean the house in)

So, if you say “yes” to 2/3 questions - I say it’s a KEEPER.

If you say “no” to 2/3 questions - I say it’s FIRED!!

Now, for some folks letting go can be difficult. If an item was _______ (Fill in the blank with your reason here - expensive, sentimental, a gift) many folks are apt to hold on to it - “just in case” or in hopes of “eventually loosing weight” or because it “might come back in style” and the list goes on. The fact is, if it doesn’t make YOU feel GOOD and you don’t NEED/USE it, it shouldn’t be part of your closet/life.

Here are some things that help me to let go of items more easily.

1. 
   Do you have a friend, who would look amazing in that dress that cost $300 but is too snug for you? If so, wouldn’t you love to see that dress be worn? $300 is better spent if someone is wearing it & feeling good!
2. 
   Could you host a swap party? You have some things that are still good quality, still in style, still quite lovely, but you are getting bored with? This is a perfect way to give them a great new home AND walk away with a new dud yourself - all without spending a dime!!
3. 
   Do you have a local charity (I like Dress for Success) that is near/dear to you? Giving clothes you no longer LOVE to a charity is a great way to help others and eliminate clutter! Doesn’t the idea of someone who really NEEDS the item, make giving it up easier?
4. 
   Has someone in your community just experienced a difficult time in their life (job loss, fire, flood, etc.)? Could giving some of your gently used goods really make their day, fill a NEED they have AND on top of all that, make you feel GOOD too?

Knowing that the items will actually be USED, make someone else feel AMAZING and create space in my closet makes parting with items much more manageable. 

If you have a more sentimental attachment to an item, I suggest making some actual use of it (as opposed to hanging on to a dress from 1990 that reminds you of college, but you know you will NEVER wear). Could you use the fabric to make something useful…a decorative pillow….a small bag to carry toiletries in….turn it into a silk belt? If not, and you still can’t get rid of it, I suggest storing it with other memorabilia, rather than in the closet.

Step 4: Clean, clean clean!!! While you are in there, it’s good to get all the dust bunnies out, and give the place a good disinfect. I like to give it a good scrub!!

Step 5: Organize & Put it all away!!

Keep like items together. 

If you can, I suggest to hang dresses, silk blouses, dress shirts, suits and jackets. 

Tees, sweaters and jeans are all best folded if possible.

Separate seasons if possible. I highly suggest the use of Space Bags to create space and make under the bed storage much easier! 

Each space will work differently, however, here are some things that can be used for sorting (socks, panties, tights, wallets, etc.). Keeping like items together, will make getting dressed easier and give a more pleasant closet aesthetic.

If you don’t have much shelves or dressers space, these hanging options can be quite useful. They work out great for storing tees, sweaters and handbags!

I also suggest, keeping shoes in shoe boxes if possible. Your shoes will last longer and it is much easier to locate them. I like putting pics on the font of each box, but most shoe boxes are clear (and rather inexpensive - like this set from the container store where 20 are under $26!!), so you can see what is inside rather easily.

And of course, these work great for scarves/belts if you have a little collection built up!

As for handbags, if you can store them on a shelf, all in a row, they look great and they are easy to view/access.

If you don’t have the space for this kind of storage, I like the idea of hanging them on the inside of a door, on a wall using pretty hooks (Anthropologie has beautiful hooks & they often go on sale!!) or they can be stored in a hanging rack like those shown previously. 

Now, you are good to go!! Your closet is clean, it’s organized and this will inevitably make getting dressed in the morning that much easier!

The last few steps are for maintenance. 

Step 6: Remove what goes from your house. Take out the trash items, take the other items to the donation site & take the balance to your tailor/dry cleaner. Best to do this step right away, so that these bags don’t clutter the rest of the house, or worse yet, make their way back to the closet!!

Step 7: Take Inventory.

What do you have? What do you need? What do you want?

If you have 10 pairs of jeans, you likely do NOT need another pair & now that you are organized, you can more easily implement the “one in, one out” rule. If you know you have enough of a particular item, you purchase a new item in the same category, you can easily let go of one of the other items (likely the oldest/most worn/most ill fitting, etc.).

Step 8: Create a list of “Needs” & “Wants”

The “Needs” will consist of things that make up your list of basics. For example, during your clean out, you realize that your favorite shift dress has seen better days, it’s a little too tight and frankly, you are just plain tired of it. But, you wore that thing a lot! So, chances are you will feel like you “Need” a new one.

Or, for instance for me, I like the jeans, tees + something spunky look. Tees simply don’t last forever. I often clean out the closet and realize I “Need” new tees!

The “Want” list are extras. New spring trends you are dying to try out. That little “extra” that will make your basic items POP and seem fresh & new again!

Make a list of what these are for you. Define your budget, and shop with INTENT!

When you go shopping, take that little list with you and try to use it. Mix it up, buy one “need” and one “want” in a trip to make shopping still seem fun!! And try to keep asking yourself the same questions from above!

1. 
   Will I wear this?
2. Do I LOVE this and feel AMAZING in it?
3. Do I NEED this?

The same 2/3 rules apply on bringing in new items!! Easy right?

If this doesn’t seems so easy for you, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Everyday Chic NY would love to help re-organize your closet and make you feel great about getting dressed every day!!

Also, check back again this week. More on Operation Organization!!

Hope you all find this helpful!

XoXo

M