Spring Clean Your Closet

Goodbye Winter ’14 and hello Spring! And after the winter we’ve had, I bet you’re almost excited for every single thing that spring brings, even if it means blowing your nose 500 times a day and having to shave your legs more than twice a month (or is that just me?). Spring cleaning is another one of those things I don’t typically like the sound of, even though I haven’t technically Spring cleaned in years. Maybe ever. Yea, definitely never.

That’s probably because — Well, for one, I loathe cleaning. Two, I’ve moved every year since 2002. So really, I never had the chance to ;). I would just pack up my stuff — that would of course accumulate year after year — and move to the next place.** Sure, I’d get rid of things here and there with every move, but I guess I never realized how much stuff I actually had and I never had the time to organize or go through it. OK yes, I also have a shopping problem. Anyway, when I finally, sorta, had time after my crazy year on The Rhode Show, it was a perfect now-or-never opportunity to try and do an early Spring cleaning. Thanks to my cousin Kenzie who volunteered so much of her time helping me (like I’m talking more than a week’s worth of time!), it actually got done. Plus, now I can share some ideas and tips to help you with your closet clean-up!

First, we de-cluttered the clothes, room by room, closet by closet. Whatever we were keeping, I took first dibs (obviously), then Kenzie took her pickings (it’s only fair Kay and Maddy — her sisters ;)). Since I don’t know where my job will take me next, for my ‘folded’ apparel, I bought these containers that are both easily-accessible and mobile to live out of in the interim. Everything else is at the dry cleaners or got hung up and then eventually made its way to the coolest invention ever — wardrobe boxes. Next, we went through my accessories and shoes to determine what to keep. BT-Dub, check out that awesome shoe-shelf my dad made me! (I guess he figured, can’t beat ’em, join ’em!)

As far as what I wasn’t keeping… I put aside all my ‘business attire’ I wore at my old office jobs and arranged a drop off at Dress for Success Boston. Last year, I spread the word at work and a colleague added a generous number of pieces to include! (More from me on DFS Boston). With pretty much everything else, Kenzie and I got to boxing and labeling for Goodwill Industries because when I lived in Brooklyn, I’d enjoyed walking my stuff over to the nearby location and chatting with the people who worked there. Here in RI? My only option for a Goodwill is an unattended drop off box. They kinda resemble dumpsters, no? Either way, I didn’t want to feel like I was ‘trashing’ my stuff, so I looked up the nearest one in Mass. The Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries has a South Attleboro location that’s super close to the RI/Mass border and it made the drop-off experience more personal, which was important to me.

Check out Meaghan’s blog post on Spring Cleaning and donating to Goodwill Industries

And what better way to earn a little much-need cash than to consign! So, I headed to Blackbirds Consignment in North Providence, Goddess Closet in Greenville and Second Time Around in Providence with all o’ the below and more. BUT, get this — I’ve already earned a couple hundred bucks at Blackbird!

Aaaand, Kenzie helped me clean out more than just my closet. She helped me get rid of things I really didn’t need and I’ll tell you, a second opinion is underrated at a time like this. She also helped me designate a “home” for everything else, which helped me tremendously every single time I felt overwhelmed by the task — which was often. But the best part of going through this whole experience WITH Kenzie was having her company. We laughed SO much! Like, every time we found 1 of my 90 notebooks with ideas scribbled down all over them and those old jazz dance shoes I INSISTED on keeping! (“But, Kenz, what if I take a Zumba class?” is what I asked her.). Then, as if cousin of the year couldn’t impress me even more, Kenzie went out and bought me this great notebook as a “home” for all my new ideas! (loved the personal message on the first page!).