I am a self-diagnosed clothes hoarder, and my roommate can attest to this. Closing my closet door and shutting my drawers are problems I struggle with every day. Finding empty coat hangers to support my clothes collection is even more difficult. Every time I attempt to clean out my closet, I manage to convince myself that the clothes I don’t wear might just come in handy one day ‑‑ that maybe one day, in that one specific circumstance, I may find a use for it. Those days never come. Because of this and the shrinking nature of my college dorm room, I have adopted the clean-and-purge method. Here are my top 5 tips to streamline your spring cleaning:
1) Stackable drawers – In a dorm room, storage space is limited. Stuff that you need to store away, however, is not. Last year, I was able to raise my bed, so I stashed a lot of stuff underneath. This year, however, I don’t have that luxury. Instead, I invested in some clear, stackable plastic drawers that sit underneath my hanging clothes. These drawers are in addition to my built-in dresser, but judging by the swelling size of my sweater collection the extra space is a must. That being said, try to utilize the space well by getting rid of multiples. I have finally accepted the fact that I do not need five plain grey t-shirts. Just one. Take those repetitive pieces out immediately. The feeling is similar to ripping off a band-aid. It hurts at first, but then you quickly forget about it.
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2) “Little things” organizers – It seems sometimes as though there are an infinite amount of “little things” that take up space and make my room seem cluttered. I never know what to do with all the random paper clips or pieces of jewelry lying around. Recently, I discovered a little trick. I had a bunch of small jewelry gift boxes that were going unused. I took the top off and arranged them in my top dresser drawer and then organized my “little things” by their use. If you have limited space on top of your dresser this works well for pairs of earrings or all of those spare buttons.
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3) Spring smell – In a small space, smells tend to become more pungent. There is nothing quite like walking into a room that smells of fresh flowers. My roommate and I use this little trick and watch as visitors walk into our room with a smile on their face, commenting on the nice smell. Use duct tape to apply three or four dryer sheets (preferably spring meadow scented) to your air conditioner vent. The circulating air carries the fresh smell all around the room.
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4) Organize by color – Although it is a bit embarrassing to admit, a lot of times the last thing I think about before I go to bed is what outfit I will be wearing the next day. Even if I don’t have exact pieces picked out in my mind, I normally have thought of a general color scheme. Organizing by color helps to make the process of getting dressed much faster. Whether you are looking for a neutral palette or a pop of color, you know exactly where to go and don’t have to spend precious minutes searching through unorganized clothes. Plus, it gives you a couple of extra minutes to stand in line for coffee.
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5) Magazine display – Traveling nearly every month has led to a hefty collection of fashion magazines that I read once and then cram into random drawers. Eventually, these pile up. Recently, I took some of my favorites, threw the rest out, and stuck them in a sleek, detailed container that I got from the beloved Container Store in order to display them on my desk.
Adopting some of these little practices over time can make a difference. Who knows, one day your closet might end up looking like this one: Pinterest.
Clean on.