With spring unfolding more and more each day, the phrase ‘out with the old and in with the new’ seems most appropriate, especially in regards to your spring cleaning routine. The best way to help feel clean is to re-assess and organize your closet. Cleaning out your closet can make you feel accomplished and help reduce the clutter that have piled up during the winter months.

The first thing you should do when cleaning out your closet is to separate what you have into three different piles: what you will throw away, what you will give away and what you will keep. After sorting your belongings into different sections, you will be more able to assess how to put everything back in an orderly fashion (pun intended).

1. Hang it up

When re-organizing your closet, hangers seem like a small issue. However, the right type of hangers, especially multipurpose hangers, can help remove some of the clutter. Hangers with clips for skirts and hooks for those hard-to-hang items can remove some of the tension involved in putting away clothes.

Mollie Weiss, a sophomore majoring in English, claims that multi-purpose hangers have created more space for the rest of her clothes.

‘With one multi-purpose hanger, I can put all my jeans together and have an excess amount of room for my shirts,’ Weiss said.

After making sure the hanger situation is under control, it’s important to find a specific way to organize all the clothes you’re about to put away. Whether it’s by color or type, like dresses, skirts, etc., finding a way to coordinate what you’re putting back in your closet will help to keep it organized.

2. A place for everything, and everything in its place

Besides managing your clothes, it is important to evaluate the little things. Scarves shoved away beneath everything can help add to the clutter. Instead of pushing them into any space possible, hang them on hooks on closet doors or find a box in which to put them. Putting things away neatly can change the entire atmosphere of the closet space.

3. Shoe-in

Here’s the tricky part ‘ all the shoes you have lying around. One technique to arrange your shoes is to place them into boxes, one box for every pair of shoes. Another technique is to get over-the-door shoe holders that can be found cheaply at almost any discount department store.

Danielle Nackash, a freshman majoring in English, says hanging her shoes over her door has helped her clear up much of the disorder found on her closet floor.

‘By putting my shoes into compartments, I removed so much of the mess that was making my closet space seem messier than it actually was,’ Nackash explained.

4. Develop a routine

After taking the time to re-organize your closet, the key to maintaining it is to develop a routine. Set a time where you put away clothes and can maintain the order you’ve set up for yourself in your newly organized closet.

By cleaning out your closet, you’ll find more room for your new spring wardrobe and will feel more organized as you tidy up the space around you.