Cleaning out your clothes closet – packing away warm clothing and hanging up spring and summer items – is one of those must-do chores at this time of year. The cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID recommend this simple way to streamline the process. Get three containers (bins or bags) and label them: 'Keep', 'Donate' and 'Toss'. Then, follow these rules of thumb to help you decide where each piece of clothing belongs:
1. Keep
- Keep all 'favourite' items of clothing that you've recently worn within the last few months.
- Keep items from last spring and summer that are in good shape and that you look forward to wearing.
- If any of the clothes have been hanging in the closet unworn for a long time (they may even still have price tags but have passed the return/exchange date at the store), maybe it's time to reconsider keeping them. Perhaps they should be put into the 'donate' container.
2. Donate
- Donate clothes that you didn't wear last year.
- If you keep the same clothes in your closet year-round (regardless of the season) then shorten this to a six month rule. If an article of clothing hasn't been worn in six months, it's time to let someone else enjoy it instead.
3. Toss
- Toss any items that are full of rips, holes or stains.
- Consider re-using some of the tossed pieces of clothing as rags for cleaning. Examine the pile and consider if any items would work cut up as cleaning rags, especially for those outdoor projects that include dirt or grease (think: cleaning the BBQ or lawn mower).
