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Making Life Better: Spring Clean Your Closet

Too many clothes and not a thing to wear? Winter coats sharing (too little) space with summer dresses? Not sure how to protect those wool sweaters when you store them? Just follow these steps.

Take everything out. Yep. Everything. It’s the best way to really clean the closet and start fresh, says certified professional organizer Lorie Marrero, author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. Wipe the walls, baseboards and shelves (including shoe racks) clean. Vacuum the floor.

Decide what to keep, what to donate and what to toss. “Ask yourself, Does this fit me well? Does the style suit me? Do people compliment me on it?” suggests Erin Doland, editor in chief of Unclutterer.com and author of Unclutter Your Life in One Week. If an item is in good shape but doesn’t fit or suit your current style, donate it. Is it threadbare, torn or stained? Toss it, says Marrero.

Ditch the skinny jeans you haven’t squeezed into in years. This is a tough one, but Marrero is firm: Unless you’ve just had a baby or are in a similarly atypical weight-loss situation, don’t keep clothes that don’t fit. “Your goal is to have easy visibility for things you can wear right now,” she says. Don’t start every morning looking at a bunch of choices that do not apply, especially when those choices scream negative messages such as “You’re too fat to wear that.”

Create a repair pile. “Repair things like missing buttons and broken zippers, and also fix things that can be altered to be wearable, such as hemlines, pants cuffs and side darts,” suggests Marrero. “But only if you’ll really wear it once it’s fixed!”

Store winter items safely. You can store all clothing in one large, primary closet, organized by season, says Marrero. Or store out-of-season clothing in another closet, on a covered garment rack in a separate storage area, in a cedar chest or trunklike container, or in an under-bed storage box, she suggests. “Stay away from cardboard storage boxes, as bugs like cardboard,” says Doland. If you’re not using a cedar chest, she recommends putting cedar balls and lavender-sachet packets into your storage box to discourage moths and other pests. Make sure all clothing is clean before storing, so stains don’t set in and bugs aren’t attracted by perfume or food, says Marrero.

Create a system you can live with. When you put clothes back in the closet, group them by type, with pants, blouses, dresses and so forth kept together, advises Doland. You may also want to organize by color within each group, she adds. “Fill up any available wall space with hooks for hats, necklaces and the like,” suggests Marrero. “You’d be surprised where you can fit one more hook in a tight, overlooked spot and finally get that big hat or handbag out of the way.”

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