{By Abigail Mae}
If you live anywhere near the top half of the United States, you will know that these autumn months are a time of change, when cold weather starts to settle in. It is time for the heavy sweaters to come out of storage, and the sundresses have to be packed away. For some, this is a happy time, others are a bit blue. Regardless of where you live or how you feel, it is still a good thing to start each season with a clean closet. (I do this every season but some of you will be more than happy with just twice a year.)Being organized it a large part of being fashionable. It makes it so much easier to put a fabulous outfit together when all of your clothes are folded nicely, and hanging in their proper places. In order for you to wear what you have, you have to know what you have in the first place. You may just find that sweater that you lost a year ago, or those fabulous patterned tights that you had to have but then forgot about.
I have attempted to condense my way of doing things into six simple (really!) steps. Take what you like and make it your own, but here is my plan to get your closets (and room) organized, and working for you (instead of you working for them!)
Step One: Look around YouTake a deep breath and look around your room and. Are there shoes piled in the corner? Are your hangers all messy? Do you have clothes heaped around? This is a time to assess the damage. Be realistic with yourself and try to figure out how much time it will take to get your room in tip top shape.
Sometimes I am too busy to get started right away on a project, so I will set aside some time later in the week or weekend to devote to just cleaning/organizing. Or you can break it up into little five minute jobs such as; organize top dresser drawer, tidy nightstand, etc.
Step Two: Make a Plan
This is a good time to make a list of everything that needs to be done. While you have everything out of place anyway, this is the perfect time to clean your room (I mean CLEAN clean your room!). Divide your room into chunks. For instance, in my room I have a desk, a closet, a bed, and a bathroom. Then start to list all of the steps required to accomplish cleaning that specific space.
My list for cleaning my desk looks something like this:
Desk
- Organize Papers (throw out papers that you don’t need, file others, set out important ones)
- Throw away pens that don’t work, sharpen pencils.
- Put books back on the bookshelf.
- Clean and polish desk, then put your things back, it’s also nice to put a new candle or fresh flowers out.
- Clean out drawer and organize office supplies.
Step Three: Get to Work!If you are going to do this all in one day make sure that you have everything that you need before you start. Turn on some music, something soothing or maybe upbeat, you decide! It helps to get yourself in the right frame of mind before you tackle anything. Preparation is very important!
Before you start make sure that you have:
- Trash bags (For junk and clothes that you send to Goodwill! Once it’s in the bag it doesn’t come out!)
- Laundry baskets (these will come in handy with sorting)
- Hangers (It is so nice to re-hang all of your clothes on matching hangers. They are $1.99 at Wal-Mart and they come in virtually every color.)
- Cleaning supplies (dusting rags, window cleaner, etc.)
- Diet Coke or Sweet Tea (Or whatever your favorite drink is. These just happen to be my favorite and make any event a party!)
Step Four: Clean as you go
While you’re organizing things, this is the perfect time to clean things... Since everything is being sorted through now’s your chance to dust those shelves, move the bed and such.
Step Five: SortEverything is going to go into one of four piles (this is a good time to use the trash bags and laundry baskets).
- Toss - Throw it away.
- Mend - This is the clothing that you want to keep, but needs some mending before you can wear it again. You can also use this pile for shoes that need to be resoled or polished.
- Keep - Anything that serves a purpose and that you still want.
- Sell/Give Away - I like to take the clothing that I don’t want any more, but is still in good condition and do something with it.
Step Six: Put AwayThis is when it all starts to come together! Fold your clothes, put them away. Re-hang dresses and sweaters in the closet. Re-organize your bookcase, etc. You should be just about done. Finish with vacuuming and dusting and “spot cleaning”, if you live at home your mother will be so happy that now would be a good time to ask her for, well, anything!
And there you have it! A few well spent hours and you should be well on your way to becoming a more organized girl. I hope that you can find this useful. I realize that everyone’s style of cleaning is different but this is how I like to get it done. I would love to hear some feedback on how this worked (or didn’t) work for you and what you did differently.
Happy Cleaning,
Abbe
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Abigail Mae is 21 and lives in Northern Illinois with her family and 9 siblings. She works as a personal assistant to her father. When not at the office she can be found in the kitchen - baking! This is her favorite thing to do (besides fashion-y things). Her recent obsessions are gluten free recipes and cupcakes!Her earliest style moment was at the age of 12 months when her mother tried to dress her in yellow overalls (Hey! it was the '80s!) and she said "I do not wear yellow." She would define her style as Classic. Some of her favorite designers are Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor, J. Crew and she simply adores Lilly Pulitzer!
Images Credits: MarthaStewart.com
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