Hello warmer weather…goodbye winter sweaters and heavy coats! Time to make the seasonal switch to spring and summer clothes. While you’re at it, give your closet a thorough makeover. You’ll thank yourself every day.

CURATE YOUR WARDROBE
If you’re like most people, you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. With that in mind, remove the cold weather clothes you love and wore most this past season. These are your favorites – set them aside. (Hint: If you have to think about an item, it’s not one of your favorites.)

Then try on each of the remaining items and ask yourself: Would I buy this today? Store only those clothes that make you look and feel your best. Donate the rest. Do the same with your warm weather clothing.

PROPERLY HANG + ARRANGE LIKE WITH LIKE
The next step is to sort and hang similar clothing together. Within each category, such as blouses, you can further organize by type such as sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve – and/or by color. You may also choose to separate work clothing from casual and dressy clothing.

Matching hangers are a quick and easy way to upgrade the look of your closet. But make sure to use the right type of hanger for each garment. Padded hangers, for example, help keep blouses and dresses ready to wear, while pant hangers prevent unsightly creases.

And here’s a good habit to get into: Group empty hangers together, so you can easily find one.

WASH + STORE WINTER CLOTHING
Store sweaters and other winter clothing in sealed closet storage boxes. Sturdy, same-size boxes are best because 1) you can safely stack them high, and 2) they give your closet a neater, more uniform look. Just be sure to wash or dry clean all garments before storing, lest they become summer snacks for clothes moths.

3 TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CLOSET (AND YOU) ORGANIZED:

1.  Keep a donation basket in your closet. When you try something on and decide you don’t love it, toss it in. When the basket gets full, bag up the contents and donate to your favorite charity.

2.  Avoid misplacing your watch and items you remove from your pants pockets each night by placing them in a valet tray.

3.  Turn unused wall space (or back of door space) into storage space with a peg rail – perfect for hanging pajamas, robes, jackets, purses, anything you grab frequently.