It’s that time of the year again! While Minnesota weather still feels like we’re in the throes of winter, spring is inching closer and closer. Birds are starting to chirp, and now that daylight savings has passed, the sun will be shining for a longer period of time. Spring is a perfect time to go through your closet and donate old clothing. It’s an opportunity to feel refreshed and renewed for the season of growth and blooming, while also helping people in need. There are couple of ways to go about it, but here are some tips and tricks to most effectively organize and clean your closet:
Create Piles
When you are cleaning, instead of throwing clothes all over and creating a mess, try to stay organized during the process. As you go, you can adjust the piles to whatever fits your needs best, but some ideas to start with are: donate, wash, and sell. Bins or boxes are helpful if you are organizing a large amount of clothes because they’ll keep all the clothing contained. If you have any nicer clothes that you are getting rid of, you could make a pile to take to a consignment store (Buffalo Exchange, TurnStyle, or Encore Boutique are a couple in the area), or sell online on an app like Depop. Once you’ve decided which piles you need, it’s time to begin the process!
Learning to Let Go: Does it Spark Joy?
While it can be easy to get caught up in what to keep and what to donate, it’s best to keep it simple. If you haven’t worn the piece in a year or more, it’s probably time to donate it. Though you might want to keep everything, remember that the point is to reduce clutter and help provide others with the clothes that they might need more. A Youtuber named Arden Rose recently uploaded a spring cleaning video where she uses the question: “Does it spark joy?” a question made famous by decluttering expert and Netflix-famous Marie Kondo. I think this is a helpful way to think about spring cleaning. If a piece of clothing doesn’t make you happy, get rid of it!
Organize
Once all the clothes you don’t want are out of your closet, it’s time to organize the clothes that you are keeping. Maybe you like to organize by color or type of clothing. It can also be helpful to invest in some good organization tools, like slim hangers, shoe compartments, or organization boxes. Now, you will be able to find everything efficiently and without hassle!
Spring is the perfect time to refresh your closet. The first step to a revamped wordrobe is to clean it out first. While you’re ridding your closet of clutter, you will also be helping others. (Donate your clothes to Goodwill or another secondhand store!) As the sun comes out and the earth is reenergized, there’s no reason you shouldn’t as well by cleaning out your closet and refreshing your life!