I’d like to think of myself as a fairly organized individual. I grew up in a military household, both of my parents were in the army and that meant that nook and cranny of our house was absolutely spotless. There was nay a speck of dust anywhere, and everything had its place, from the knives and forks in the cutlery drawer to the towels in the linen closet. It was like living in a museum! When I first moved out over a decade ago, I tried to emulate those same clean habits, but in my mother’s eyes, failed miserably. And I soon realized that I didn’t see the value in scrubbing my horizontal blinds every weekend, it just wasn’t that important. But what I did take with me, were pertinent organizational skills, so when I was running around on a Monday morning trying to get ready for work or school, I knew exactly where to find everything.

Cleaning out your bedroom closet can be a rather daunting endeavour. Even for someone like me who actually enjoys organizing, I don’t look forward to the spring purge. But I refuse to turn into my auntie Carmen who is a self-proclaimed hoarder, so every May, I dive in, and clear out. So let’s get started! C’mon, it’s not like you need a liberal arts degree to figure this out people, a lot of it’s just common sense, but if you’re lost, read on.

Assess Your Needs!

This is probably the most  difficult part of the whole process, well, it is for me at least. Saying goodbye to beloved articles of clothing or shoes that you’ve attached some sort of emotional memory to can be really difficult. Just chant this statement to yourself over and over again: “IT’S ONLY STUFF, IT’S ONLY STUFF”. It doesn’t define you, it colours you, and sometimes, it’s time to change the pallette.

Your Closet is for Your Clothing!

Most of us who live in small apartments or have limited space tend to stuff our closets full of things other than clothing and accessories. I understand that space is a precious thing, but I’m telling you, storing your rollerblades next to your Ralph Lauren pumps is a recipe for disaster! Don’t stress, we’ll talk about we’re to store your sports equipment later, but right now, it’s all about the fashion!

Purge, Baby, PURGE!

This is sooooort of like the first step, accept you have to actually throw stuff away! Well, maybe not throw them away, but donate them, give them to charity or sell it on a clothing exchange site. But did you know that women think only wear only something like 20% of their wardrobe? Yikes! That’s a whole lot of extra clothes left all by their lonesome in your closet! And then there’s always those pieces that still have the tags on! Eeeek! Either way, get real, and get down to business. You’re not going to wear it all, so get rid of it. Clutter be gone!