So the holidays are over, the New Year is dawning. You'll need extra closet space for all of the lovely items your dear friends and family have given you. Making extra closet space involves pulling everything out and evaluating what you've got. If you organize your closets at the start of your spring cleaning, you won't have to clean twice.
Spring cleaning involves some basic organization steps that will help you gain that valuable extra closet space. First, empty the closet completely and separate what you find into three categories: Keep, Give Away, and Discard. Get the items you will give away packed up and into your car immediately so they won't be in the way of your spring cleaning.
You are likely to have a number of items you want to keep, that are taking up valuable closet space but could be stored in cabinets in other areas of the house. Keep a storage bin on hand for these items and distribute them before you continue with spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning starts in the bedroom and involves long-term storage of summer and fall items to free up even more closet space. Those beach towels, shorts and bikinis can usually be stored in another, less accessible space. Most people put these items in the attic for the winter. Make sure they are put in water-tight plastic storage bins, with cedar balls to prevent the bugs from snacking on your summer favorites.
When putting back the items you decide to keep, hang all of the shorter items together and progress to longer items as you go. This will give you an idea of where extra closet space can be found below the clothing. This space is best utilized for shoes. You can maximize the space by making some simple inexpensive shelves out of boards, with bricks in between the shelves as spacers. These can be made to look very attractive with some creative painting as well.
Plastic bins are another great spring cleaning tool that will help you keep organized and get extra closet space. They can often be purchased at the local dollar store and will pay for themselves in the time you would otherwise spend looking for things. If there isn't already a shelf above your hanging clothes, make sure you install one and use it for bin storage.
Once the bedroom is taken care of, you should move on to the bathroom closet. Spring cleaning is a great time to evaluate the items taking up closet space in the bathroom. For example, did you know that the bathroom is the worst place to store medications? The high level of humidity can cause medications to go bad before the expiration date. These items are better stored in that cabinet above the refrigerator in your kitchen. This will keep them at a normal room temperature, relatively dry, and away from children's hands.
Another important thing to remember during your spring cleaning is that you don't have to hang on to things just because they were expensive. It is often difficult to let go of that gorgeous leather coat, even though you just got a new one as a gift and you don't have closet space for both. Try to think about to poor soul who will get the coat through good-will and it may make letting go easier.
Once you've mastered letting go of the things you don't need and your closets are sparkling, you'll feel good about finishing the job by cleaning underneath and behind the furniture. Plus you'll have closet space for the unexpected finds behind the couch!