Clean Your Closet

by Mary Lou Andre

Chase away the winter blues by getting your closet ready for warmer weather. Here are five tips to get you started:

Heavy Coats:

Before you pack away your winter woolens, be sure to check the pockets for stray items you might need before it gets chilly again. Also, consider taking coats to be dry cleaned, as many cleaners will store them through the summer for no additional cost. If you're keeping coats at home, rotate them to the back of your closet.

Winter Boots:

Give winter boots and shoes a quick sprucing up (polish and buffing) before loading them into a bin or large tub. Slide them under a bed or stash them in another easy-to-find location (preferably out of sight). If an item needs to be repaired, take it to a cobbler before stowing it away; paying for minor fixes now means you won't need a whole new shoe collection next winter.

Seasonal Switch:

Rotate your winter clothing to a storage closet or bin. Consider each piece, and decide whether it should be kept, discarded, cleaned or repaired. Assessing your clothing each time the weather changes means you're less likely to hold onto items that you don't wear or need.

Organizing Crates:

Plastic organizing containers are handy for beach items, gardening gear and shoes that often end up piled on the closet floor. Crates are also useful for housing athletic gear (t-shirts, bike shorts and leotards) and other hard-to-corral items.

Wire Hangers:

It's preferable to use sturdy swivel hangers for your clothing, so if you have 100 extra wire hangers in your closet, set up a recycling system. Place excess wire hangers in a box or bin, and return them to the dry cleaners regularly (most are happy to get them back).

Expandable Mug Racks:

Originally designed to hold coffee cups in the kitchen, mug racks are an indispensable storage solution for your closet. Attach the racks to shelves with a generous amount of space underneath, so you can display summer bags, totes, necklaces, bathing suits and cover ups. Consider spray painting them first to match your closet's interior.

With your closet organized and your short-sleeved shirts visible, you'll feel like its summer already (no matter the weather).