eNewsletter
While the weather in March can be unpredictable, the approach of spring brings with it the spirit of renewal. What better way to take advantage of that refreshing energy than by starting a bit of spring cleaning?
March 13-19 is National Clean Out Your Closet Week. Cleaning your closet in a physical sense – dusting and vacuuming and wiping down shelves – is great, but you can also purge your closet of old clothes that you no longer wear or want. Cleaning out your closet at least once a year reduces build up of dust, clutter and clothes.
If you’re looking to bust those dust bunnies, you should clean from the top down inside your closet. Start with light fixtures or high shelves, and work your way down to hanging rods and eventually the floor.
Clearing out your clothes can be a more difficult task. Many people struggle with getting rid of old pieces that are in good condition. Or maybe you have that one shirt that you just swear you’re going to wear this summer, even though you’ve had it hanging in your closet for three summers already.
Here are a few tips on how to clean out your closet, and practical ways to keep it organized throughout the year.
- Donate or Sell your Clothes
No one wants to throw out perfectly good clothes, so consider donating them to local charities. Organizations like GreenDrop have drop-off locations, but will also pick-up donations from your home. You can also reach out to local shelters to see what donations they are accepting.
If you have some really high-quality items and are looking to make a little extra money, you can also consider signing up for websites like Poshmark where you can sell your clothes to others.
- Try out the “6 Month Rule”
When going through your clothes, it can be difficult to choose what to keep and what to get rid of. During your sorting process, try and think if you’ve worn that item in the past 6 months. If not, it might be time to say goodbye to it.
If you’re still not too sure, try hanging it up backwards in your closet, so the hook on the hanger faces the opposite direction. If you still haven’t worn it after another six months and that hanger is still backwards, it’s definitely time to find it a new home.
- Sort your Clothes by Category
This tip can be useful in both your cleaning out process and your organization process. Breaking out your clothes into categories like t-shirts, blouses, trousers, dresses, etc. can help you figure out how much you have of each style when you’re deciding what to donate or sell. And organizing them by category in your closet makes sure you know where every piece of clothing is. You’ll never again have to dig through in a panic for that one nice shirt you just know that you have.
If you’re looking for more tips and tricks on how to organize your closet (or other parts of your life!), check out these books from the Yonkers Public Library.
Happy Cleaning!
Alison Robles is a part-time page at the Crestwood Library. She is an avid reader with a passion for YA lit, history and science fiction. A Yonkers native, she graduated from Iona University in 2020 with a dual-degree in Marketing and Public Relations.