Don’t be frantic. Don’t procrastinate. ‘Tis the season for turbo closet cleaning. I have preached about this subject many times, but recently I read an article by Clea Shearer, co-founder of the Home Edit and picked up some new ideas and fresh perspectives. Thinking of closet organization as just three steps makes it easier to start. (After all, anyone can do just three steps).

• Step 1 EDIT

Editing what you have is the most tortuous phase of the spring closet makeover: deciding what to let go of. Clea Shearer reinforces the old refrain: “The first rule of purging a closet is to physically touch each piece and check yourself- if you have not worn it in six months, the only reason it should remain in your closet is if you feel in the next six months you definitely will wear it. Abide by the one year rule. If you haven’t worn something in the past year, there’s a good chance you never will. Donate it, give it away, or store it in a sentimental box for safekeeping – but never let an item you DON’T wear, take space away from the items you DO wear. Also, if the clothes don’t fit, they have to go. No thinking, “I just need to lose 10 pounds.” We all know how hard that is. For really sad old garments consider taking them to a textile-recycling  company- www.usagain.com in Denver Colorado is a good one. Remember that your life changes and evolves and your clothing needs to as well.

• Step 2 ORGANIZE

Create order in your closet. Group clothes by type and then subdivide by color. Use matching hangers and hang garments facing in the same direction- Joy Mangano’s “huggable hangers” work well. The objective is to make your closet efficient, unified and aesthetically pleasing. Think eye level- keep things off the floor- hanging shoe and accessory bags work well. Depending on your space, baskets can be a good way to store your foldables. Use shallow ones- deep ones get messy when you have to dig to the bottom. Group your scarves by color and hang them (again huggable hangers). Edit the scarves that give you a struggle -(too big, too small, too scratchy). Life is too short for that nonsence in the morning. Editing is a muscle- the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Remember that clothing is a commodity that should be used and enjoyed, not stored or hoarded.

• Step 3 RESTOCK

After you have edited your clothing, it is usually clear what you need to add. Often it is a replacement for a basic or a desire for something fresh and new. Think: one new item in, one old item out. Rotate in your new finds and see how you can combine the old and the new. Take pictures of the combinations so that you can remember what worked with what later in the season. Those photos will help you edit your closet next year. It is more fun to go on the “hunt” when you know that you are looking for an item you need and will help you freshen the clothing you already own.