How to Spring Clean

The Messy Room, by Janice Jong

September deserves a big HOORAY because it's officially springtime (at least for us in the Southern Hemisphere), all the good TV shows come back on air (hello, Gossip Girl) and it's my birth month!

I love it when the seasons change - to be honest, I'm really an autumn/winter kinda gal because I like the feeling of snuggling up indoors and of layering on lots and lots of clothes, but there is good news in the onset of spring, namely spring cleaning!

I know, I know, I am a little nuts for actually getting excited about cleaning. What can I say, I'm a little OCD. Still, you have to admit that there's a sense of satisfaction to be gained from a neat, organized closet. So in that spirit, here are some tips for spring cleaning!

• Step 1: Empty out your closet. That means take out everything and dump it on your bed. It might be funny to take a photo of the gigantic pile that builds up.


• Step 2: Clean the inside of your wardrobe so it's fresh and airy. (This is the bit where you can channel your inner 50s housewife and vacuum/dust/spray to your heart's content.)


• Step 3: Stocktake your clothes, shoes and accessories. Be absolutely brutal. Toss out anything that: (a) doesn't fit you anymore; (b) doesn't flatter you; (c) you don't like; (d) you haven't worn in the past year. This can be difficult...who wants to part with the really expensive pair of shoes they bought but that don't fit? I tell myself that if I'm never going to wear it, I don't need it. If you really, really, really can't bear to part with the item, put it in a box, label it and store it somewhere far, far away - if you don't even notice it's missing, dump it next spring.


• Step 4: Reorganize your remaining belongings. I like to group everything by item of clothing - coats, dresses, pants, jackets, tops, shoes, bags (I also like to order them by color but that's optional...I warned you I was a neat-freak) so it's easy to pair things together.


• Step 5: Get rid of everything in your "outcast pile". If they are still in good condition, you can hold a clothes swap with your friends (you know what they say, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure), or you can join a clothes swap event like Swap My Style or The Clothing Exchange. Alternatively, if you have some nice pieces you could set up a stall at a market and sell them. If they're a little worse for wear, donate them to The Salvation Army.

You might want to team up with a friend and spend a day each cleaning out both of your closets. It'll speed up the process, provide you with a voice of reason (to force you to let go of your tattered college sweater), give you inspiration for new outfit combos and facilitate some clothes swapping.

Ta-da! That's it, five steps and you're done. Happy spring cleaning!

Photo credits: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5428569