Spring isn’t the only time you should give your home a deep clean. Now that we’re just a couple of days away from a brand new year it would be a great time to clear out your closet and leave the foolishness (read: clothes that don’t fit, are outdated, etc.) in 2014. If you need help deciding what to keep and what to toss, check out THIS post. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Okay, now that you’ve taken care of your foolishness, it’s time to organize.

Now it’s time to put back all of the items you decided to keep.  Start with the things you can hang. When you are putting the clothes back, organize any way you like, but my suggestion is to first organize by category, then organize by color.

Start with these categories:

• Sweaters
• Long sleeve tops
• Short Sleeve tops
• Dresses / Jumpers
• Skirts
• Trousers
• Jeans

After sorting into categories, sort items by color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, white. This will help you put outfits together quickly.

If you don’t have a shoe rack, keep shoes neatly lined up at the bottom of the closet or keep boxes neatly stacked.

Sweaters should be folded to keep from creating wrinkles and hanger dents. They can be organized by color too.

I also suggest sorting shoes by category to make things even easier. This means dress shoes in one place, sandals in another, etc.

Now it’s time to deal with the stuff you decided to get rid of. What do you do with it? Here are a few ways you can get rid of the mess, and relieve your stress:

• Return for store credit: Many stores won’t let you return items for a refund after a certain period of time. If you have clothes in your closet that still have the tags on them, you may be able to return them to the store for store credit.
• Sell on Sites like eBay, Poshmark, or Threadflip: If your items are still in good condition try selling them online. You can also sell store credit/gift cards for cash on eBay.
• Host or participate in a Clothing Swap: Make it a girl’s night! Invite your girlfriends to bring clothes they don’t want to keep (but are way too cute to donate) and have a little cocktail party where everyone gets new clothes without spending money. Donate any un-swapped items.
• Donate items to an organization like Goodwill, Salvation Army or Dress for Success. Keep receipts for tax purposes.

BMWK, Are you ready to organize your closet to start out the new year?