Spring Cleaning for Clothing Article

Decluttering your clothes is as easy as 1 2 3
By Marcia Francois

Wherever you are in the world, the seasons change every three to six months and it's either warming up or cooling down. Whatever your situation, take the time to sort out your wardrobe.

Pareto's Principle states that 20% of your efforts result in 80% of your results.

Did you know that this principle also applies to your wardrobe? That's right - you only wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.

The aim of your wardrobe is to have clothes you love, that look good on you and that flatter your body shape.

I've been reading up a lot on clothes websites and blogs and I gathered some tips for everybody:


* If you wore the fashion the first time around, you shouldn't be wearing it this time.
* Even if it still fits you, the styles and colours will have changed.
* Pleated and tapered pants are out for all body shapes. Aren't you glad?!

Now let's get busy purging and organising your clothes.
1. Put on some upbeat music and call a friend or professional organiser to help you.

2. Set aside an afternoon and remove everything from your wardrobe.
3. Make 3 piles:

* Clothes you don't love, don't suit your lifestyle or don't look good on you
* Clothes you love and that fit you properly
* Clothes that you're not sure about, for whatever reason

4. Action the piles

* Donate or throw out
* Organise in your wardrobe or on your shelves according to your personal preferences - by colour, style (smart, casual, etc), or season/ sleeve length, etc.
* Move to another place in the house or to a storage container. Diarise a to look at again date (I think of this as a pending file for your clothes).


When you look at this pile again, fit everything on. You will then be able to look at the clothes unemotionally and decide whether they deserve to take up space in your wardrobe (you want to keep them) or whether they need to be donated.

Rather have half the amount of clothes and be able to wear everything than a full-to-overflowing wardrobe where you can only wear some items.


Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You'll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

Frozen Burritos

I've been asked a couple times how I cook the burritos after I freeze them. See Mass Cooking Day

If I have time/remember ahead of time I pull out a bag the night before and then microwave them for about a minute. I have a real strong microwave so it might take a bit longer in other microwaves.) If I forget I usually defrost them (50%power for 2 minutes) then do the minute on high power. I only cook one at a time so they cook more evenly. If you cook them much longer the ends can become a bit tough.

I'm just about set to do another batch though. I'm down to my last bag. They have been quite a hit with my grandpa, so I need to make some more.

Spring Cleaning Sunday

I think I'm going to use the lists I posted earlier and do a couple of rooms tomorrow. I usually use the "Flylady" style of cleaning (you can do anything for 15 minutes she says). So I'm getting my timer out and going to plug away tomorrow.

Anyone want to join me? I'm going to start in the bedroom and the bathroom.

I'll hopefully remember to post pictures when I'm done.

Spring ....or is it?

It has been so cold here recently you wouldn't even realize it was spring. I think our area's fruit crop is going to be pretty bad this year due to the cold. I just want a nice warm day so I can throw open the windows and get some fresh air in the house. Because nothing feels better than a light spring breeze blowing through the window. It clears out all they yucky winter feeling and just makes things feel fresher.

That always gets me in the mood for spring cleaning. But WAIT, I don't like spring cleaning! Ok, well I suppose that's not entirely true, but I dread the fight I get to have with my kids about what jobs they get to do or what clothes they need to get rid of or throw away because they are just too small or worn.

But I'll do it anyway. My favorite spring cleaning tool came from here. The printables are pretty enough to hang on the fridge or wall, and are detailed enough to cover pretty much any task that spring cleaning should cover.

So hopefully in a week or two things will warm up and I can get in the mood for spring. And if you have any ideas about sorting winter to summer clothes let me know or any other spring cleaning tips you'd like to share. I can always use the help!