Pro Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Closet
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Spring is in full bloom. And, if you’re anything like me, then your closet and drawers are probably overflowing with piles of clothes from multiple seasons!
So, why not take advantage of the warm weather and all that spring cleaning energy? Now’s the best time to clean out your closet, pack away your bulky winter wardrobe, get rid of those clothes you haven’t touched for over a year and welcome back your summer favorites.
Before you get knee-deep in decluttering, I’ve got all the clothes storage checklists and closet organization tips to help you reorganize your wardrobe like a pro just in time for spring.
Goodbye Winter
As the days get warmer, it’s time to bid adieu to those fall and winter layers, tall boots and cold weather accessories. Because soon they’re going to start collecting dust and just taking up precious shelf and hanger space.
Step one is to go through your closet and pull out any cold weather clothes and accessories you won’t miss when it’s 90 degrees out. When I do this, I like to make three piles of clothes:
- Store now
- Keep now, store later
- Keep year round
Follow my clothes storage checklists below to clean out your closet in no time and stay organized while you do!
Store Now: Winter Clothes to Store
The minute I see flowers popping up I know it’s time to tuck away all my fall and winter essentials. Here’s my list of clothes to put into storage every year after winter:
- Heavy jackets
- Sweaters
- Long sleeve shirts
- Winter dresses
- Scarves, hats and gloves
- Thick tights, leggings and socks
- Winter fashion boots
- Winter hiking boots
- Fuzzy robes and flannel pajamas
- Thermal wear and workout gear
- Winter and holiday themed face masks
Pro Tip: I hate being hot and sweaty during the summer. So I also like to sort out and store any of my clothes made of “thicker” non breathable fabrics. Think fur, leather, wool, cashmere, flannel, corduroy and tweed.
Keep Now, Store Later: Mid-Season Staples You’ll Still Need
The mild weather seasons (spring and fall) are the trickiest to navigate with your wardrobe. With warm days and cool, or sometimes even cold, nights, there are some staples you can’t quite put away yet.
Here’s my list of mid-season clothes to keep in your closet until summer is in full swing:
- Denim jacket
- Anorak or army jacket
- Trenchcoat or rain jacket
- Cardigan
- Ankle booties
- Pashmina or shawl
Pro Tip: As you’re organizing, think ahead to the places you’re thinking of going for all your summer trips and vacations. What kinds of climates will you be visiting this summer? If there’s a chance you might go anywhere cold, keep one or two of your favorite cold weather outfits in your closet to make packing for vacation a breeze instead of a headache.
Keep Year Round: Essentials to Make Room for All Year
Of course, while you’re spring cleaning your wardrobe, a huge bulk of your clothes are going to stay put. If they’re not already organized into their own sections, here’s a quick list of clothes to keep in your closet year round:
- Basic tees
- Camis and bodysuits
- Jeans and trousers
- Skirts
- Blazers
- Work wardrobe staples
- Workout clothes
- Sneakers
- Flats
Pro Tip: Now’s a great time to restock and refresh those essentials that you wear year round. Toss or donate (peep my donating tips below!) any tees and jeans that are looking faded or that have gone out of style and you know you won’t be wearing again. Then take advantage of spring sales and invest in some new wardrobe essentials.
Hello Springtime
Part of the fun of springtime is getting to open up your storage bins and pull out all of your warm-weather clothes again. Standing in the middle of my room surrounded by swaths of clothes and accessories reminds me of that feeling I’d get from playing dress up! Plus, bringing your clothes out of storage isn’t going to break the bank like a full blown shopping trip. And, it still beats window shopping!
Now that your closet’s cleaned out and your piles of winter clothes are ready for their own hibernation, it’s time for step two: wake up and bring your spring and summer clothes out of storage.
Clothes to Bring Out of Storage
You probably already know what needs to come out of storage. Those storage tubs and bins need to be emptied and swapped out with your winter clothes anyways. But for anyone who’s needs that extra oomph of organization (or motivation!), here’s my list of spring and summer essentials to take out of storage:
- Spring and summer dresses
- Shorts
- Skirts
- Tank tops
- Swimsuits
- Swimsuit cover-ups, wraps and sarongs
- Sandals
- Wedges, pumps and high heels
- Summer tote bags
- Sunglasses
- Sun and beach hats
- Spring and summertime themed face masks
Pro Tip: I love making a full day of this and trying on all of my old clothes. Blast your favorite playlist, prop up that full-length mirror, pop a bottle of wine and strut your stuff! This gets me hyped for summer and it actually sparks my inspiration for a lot of summer photoshoot outfit ideas. Plus, if anything doesn’t fit anymore (no shame!) or if I’m not as in love with some items as I used to be, I can Marie Kondo that sh*t and move on with even more space for new shopping finds. Win-win for everyone. *wink*
Stores to Score Spring Deals At
In between seasons is one of the best times for shopping! A lot of stores are clearing out their off-season or even last-year’s inventory (hello sales rack!) and also promoting their new spring and summer fashion lines. Once you know what essentials you’ve already got, you can make a list of styles you’ve had your eye on that you know will fit into your wardrobe.
Pro Tip: Sign up for the email blasts and newsletter from your favorite stores to shop at for spring and summer. You’ll be the first to know about upcoming sales. And most store’s emails also include exclusive discounts or coupons for online and in-store shopping!
Your fall and winter clothes are ready for storage. Your spring and summer wardrobes are ready to take their places back in your closet. At this point, you might feel some spring cleaning fatigue. But I want you to resist the temptation to shove everything where it needs to go and call it a day though!
From personal experience, it’s a lot easier to keep your closet tidy all summer long if you put in the effort and get it fully organized right now. Step three is to store all your clothes the right way so they don’t get damaged and to beef up your closet’s organizational potential with my favorite space savers and closet hacks. Then your closet can feel fashion ready and summer fresh all year long.
How to Properly Store Your Winter Clothes
You might think that just folding and stuffing all your clothes in boxes and bins is good enough. And for some clothes items it is! But to make your clothes (and all that moolah you’ve invested) last the longest, follow these quick clothes storage tips to make sure storing your clothes isn’t the death of them.
- Freshly wash all of your clothes before you put them in storage
- That includes getting all of your dry clean only clothes dry cleaned
- Get creative with what you can use for clothes storage
- Don’t have enough bins or enough space to put them? Store clothes extra in suitcases and spare closets too!
- Choose fabric garment bags over plastic garment bags
- Some clothes need to breathe, but do this especially when hanging your fur and leather items
- Color code your clothes and divide with tissue paper
- Do this with stacks of folded clothes to prevent them from bleeding while in storage
- Remember “CCDD” when you’re deciding where to put your clothes storage bins
- Store your clothes in a cool, clean, dry and dark location
Pro Tip: My go-to for clothes storage are several large, stackable plastic storage bins. They’re perfect for storing bulky coats and jackets and also for storing folded stacks of clothes. Just remember not to stuff too many clothes into one bin! Otherwise mold or mildew could get trapped in the bins and ruin your clothes.
Must-Have Closet Organizers
No matter how big or small your closet is, there are tons of gadgets to help you maximize your space and efficiently organize every part of your closet. Here’s a few of my favorite closet organizers and space savers:
Pro Tip: If you don’t have the greatest organizational skills or the motivation to make your organization visions come true, why not hire a professional organizer? For a reasonable price you can pay someone else to really make the most out of the closet space you do have. Organization dilemmas be gone!
Twice a year – at the end of winter and at the end of summer – when I’m rotating my wardrobes, I make a “giveaway” pile as I’m going through my clothes. Well, really I make two giveaway piles: one pile of almost new and still trendy clothes I can sell, and one pile of gently used clothes to donate.
Best Apps for Selling Used Clothes
The best part of everyone being addicted to their phones is that now we can buy and sell virtually anything with the touch of a few buttons. It seems like every year there’s a “new kid on the block” in the world of online resale stores. So here’s a few of my favorite apps to sell clothes on that are worth the effort:
Pro Tip: If you don’t have time to sort, post, keep track of notifications and ship your pile of clothes, outsource this job to someone who will! Spending a few of the bucks you’re going to make can go a long way to saving yourself the hassle and still getting rid of that clutter.
Causes to Support by Donating Clothes
With the rise in popularity of secondhand shopping and the increase in public awareness of how harmful the fast fashion industry is, thrift stores across the U.S. have really boomed in business this past decade. Instead of dropping off your clothes at your local thrift store, that’s nine times out of ten overflowing with donations, here’s a list of causes you can support by donating your clothes:
- Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) – Committed to helping veterans, communities and those serving in harm’s way, the VVA accepts clothing and household item donations. They have locations in 33 states and will even pick up your donations for you.
- Dress for Success: This organization’s mission is to empower women “by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” Find a donation location near you or get your friends together and hold your own Dress for Success donation drive!
- Dress for Success serves women, but if a man in your life has a suit to donate, Career Gear accepts men’s clothing donations
- Free the Girls: This nonprofit helps girls and women around the world rescued from sex trafficking. They collect donations of gently used bras which are then sold by survivors working to become entrepreneurs and live a life of freedom on their terms.
- One Warm Coat: Imagine a world where no one goes cold during winter. That’s exactly what One Warm Coat is working to achieve. Donate winter coats you don’t want anymore or hold your own coat drive to share and spread the warmth.
Pro Tip: If you want to get rid of your clothes quickly but aren’t sure where to donate to, many local fire stations or churches have clothing donation drop off bins. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re driving around town (wherever you are!) and you’ll probably spot one.
Welcome to Your Spring-Ready Closet
Most of us don’t have the infinitely large walk-in closet of our dreams. *sad face* Which is exactly why rotating seasonal wardrobes makes so much sense. Storing out-of-season clothes is the perfect space-saver that allows you to utilize every inch of the closet you do have.
Rotating your seasonal clothes from storage to your closet and vice versa doesn’t have to be a headache. I hope my clothes storage checklists, organization tips and decluttering hacks helped you take this task from overwhelming to done in no time.
Which tip did you like the most? What are your favorite closet organizing hacks that I missed? Let me know in the comments below.
And don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram stories when you start spring cleaning your wardrobe. I want to see all those closet transformations. Let the wardrobe rotations begin! Tag me in your stories and pics.
