Polished Pope | Styles

I usually Welcome Spring with open arms. One of the reasons that I love this season so much is because of Spring Cleaning! May not sound fun to most but I absolutely love it. I get to clean and revive my home from top to bottom. Spring Cleaning is not just your everyday straighten and wipe down but it is truly a time for your to really declutter your life. At first it can be stressful and overwhelming but I can assure you that once you are done you will be excited and relieved. When it comes to Spring Cleaning your closet I have a few tips and tricks to make this process easy.

One: It is imperative to have background music playing, so tap into your favorite Pandora station and get moving. Music will keep your spirit engaged, avoiding any type of anxieties you may feel when its come to letting go of things.

Two: Be prepared to really let go of a lot! Make a pile for ‘maybes’, ‘Goodwill giveaways’, and for ‘hand-me-downs’ for some of those favorite things that you know a friend or family member will appreciate just as much as you did. When making piles, you have everything laid out in front of you, which will then show you how much stuff you have been holding onto. This will then allow you to really self-reflect and ask yourself the question, “Will I ever?”. If you do not have a valid response to this question, let it go!

Three: Make it a priority to stay organized through this process. Keep in mind with Spring you have to keep a balance of pieces to wear because although we are approaching the warmer months, we will still have an occasional chilly day when Mother Nature wants to throw us a curveball. I like to keep some of my favorite jeans and long sleeves on hand, in addition to those cute jackets, sweaters and transitional pieces that you can layer with and wear all year round. This purge will help you determine and audit your existing wardrobe so that you can avoid any future impulse buys.

Four: Do you know about the one year rule? This is where it truly applies. It you have not worn it in a year, it is time for you to let it go. We tend to hold onto several pieces, some from decades ago. I am guilty of this myself. Do not become a hoarder. As a professional Goodwill shopper, I am positive that whatever you are trying to hold onto, you can find it again later. Look at it this way, if you can not give yourself three different ways to style a piece that you are trying to hold onto, it is time to let it go. In this case, we can make some exceptions to those cocktail dresses that you wore for a friends wedding but if you have not put in on within the last couple of of years you have to be honest with yourself and decide if you will really wear it again.

Five: After you have completed the mentioned task evaluate your closet organization systems. Eighty percent of the time, most of us only wear twenty percent of the clothes we own because of the lack of organization. Do you need special tubs and bins to store your off season clothes and shoes? Do you need invest in special closet systems like shoe canvas compartments, slim hangers to increase space or clip hangers for your skirts? At this point of the Spring Cleaning process it is time to consolidate and create and working systems so that you can maximize use of your entire wardrobe this season. This will also make your life so much easier. If you need any consulting on this, I am here for it! A second opinion during this process can help you with making those tough decisions.

When it is all said and done you can go shopping again! You can be intentional about those wonderful things that you would like to add to your wardrobe. I was very intentional about finding a green dress for celebration of Spring Green looks. After purging and donating two bags of clothes to a friend I was able to treat myself to this beautiful featured item that someone else had purged. It was hard to let go of the things that I donated but I kept in mind that my items were going to a very special person and that anything that I donated I would be able to replace if I truly needed it.

The featured item in this look is now one of my favorite dresses from Goodwill. It a very charming color and style of dress. Can be worn to many occasions. With its bold print, it is a statement piece all by itself. It can easily paired with minimal jewelry, such as a cute bracelet or watch, and post earrings. I paired this look with my favorite go to spring heels and handbag. I also threw in another Goodwill find, to give this dress a simple accent, and of course a pop color on my nails and my lips to compliment. Keep scrolling to find out the manufacturers of these pieces.

Happy Spring Cleaning!