Spring is a fabulous time to cast a critical eye over your wardrobe and refresh and renew your wardrobe.

We keep clothes for a variety of reasons, according to Professional Organiser, Narelle Todd. An item of clothing may remind you of a certain event or feeling, or you remember how much you paid for a blouse or shoes and feel guilty because you haven’t worn it enough. Or wishful thinking may be causing you to hold onto those outfits which are a couple of sizes smaller than what you wear now.

Having guided many people through cleansing their wardrobe, Todd recommends the following tips to successfully spring clean your wardrobe:

Set yourself up for success and:

• invite a friend who will be honest with you or engage a neutral third party by hiring an Image Consultant (see www.jumptheq.com.au) or a Professional Organiser (see www.round2it.com.au),
• dress in quality undergarments and shorts and shirt to make it easy try garments on,
• have two bags handy, one to store items you will be donating to charity/friends, and the other for items that will be tossed,
• play your favourite music, and
• pour yourself a glass of your favourite beverage.

Firstly remove the obvious fashion faux pars and clothes that you don’t wear or dislike and place them in your donate bag.

Of the remaining items in your wardrobe, ask yourself, “Does this compliment my lifestyle?” “Does it match my personality?” “Is it the best colour for me?” “Is it the best style for me?” If it is a ‘no’, place the item in your donate bag.

Of the items you are keeping, check if they are marked, soiled, torn, or otherwise showing signs of wear and tear. Place items that can be repaired in a pile; for items that are beyond their best days, immediately place in your toss bag.

Separate your winter clothes from your spring/summer wardrobe and place these items in a little used section of your wardrobe (or in another little used space). By removing our darker winter clothes and showcasing our brighter, lighter spring/summer clothes you will experience an immediate mood boost.

Inevitably you will have items of clothing that you will have trouble removing because you are certain you will one day wear them. Todd recommends hanging those items in your wardrobe but doing so with a twist. You want to differentiate these clothes from the ones you are definitely keeping. So hang the clothes that are on probation with the end of the coat hanger hook facing outwards. Set yourself a time limit of say 2-3 months. If you wear one of your ‘probation’ items, when you return it to your wardrobe, turn the coat hanger to match the other hangers in your wardrobe (that is, with the coat hanger hook facing the inside of the wardrobe). At the end of the 3 months, you will know which of your probation items you are never likely to wear. They will be the ones hanging back to front. Donate these items to charity/friend and allow someone else to enjoy them.

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Narelle Todd www.round2it.com.au is passionate about creating time and space management solutions that work with your personal style so that you are free to live a more satisfying life. © Successful Living Pty Ltd 2007.