With spring on its way, many students find that their closets are still stuck with the winter blues. If searching for tees and shorts among piles of heavy pants and pizza boxes feels like embarking on a journey to discover a new world, perhaps it is time for spring cleaning.
While it may seem like a daunting task at first, students can avoid becoming overwhelmed by following a few simple rules, according to Linda Birkinbine, owner of Keep It Organized, a local business specializing in organization.
"It's an easy doable task and it's a great time of year to do it," Birkinbine said.
As a professional organizer, Birkinbine finds that many don't know where to start when tackling an overcrowded wardrobe. She suggests going through the closet one item at a time and trying things on.
"Is it the right size? Is it flattering? Is it out of date? Do I love it? These are the questions you need to ask yourself," Birkinbine said.
Birkinbine has clients separate items into different colored garbage bags - white for donation and black for garbage. She recommends purchasing photo boxes to use as shoeboxes. After all, it is much easier to locate favorite shoes in colored boxes than at the bottom of the closet.
"I have a hard time parting with clothing. I always think that I might wear it later, even if I don't wear it now," said freshman nursing major, Julia Yager.
For Birkinbine, the general rule is to get rid of clothing that wasn't fashionable the past two seasons. She insists that people hold onto things for far too long, especially items that don't fit with their lifestyle anymore.
"If you haven't worn it in a year, it has to go," Birkinbine said.
If you have items that are being kept for sentimental reasons, but that you don't use on a daily basis, Birkinbine suggests moving them to alternate storage. The same holds true for dresses and other items you don't wear often and take up a lot of space.
It may be beneficial to store winter clothes away during the summer season to make more room in the closet.
"Keep something in your wardrobe for every occasion. If you only have one formal dress, keep it until you replace it," Birkinbine said.
For students like junior pharmacy major Jamie Kaminski, spring cleaning is a nightmare. A packrat by nature, she hates de-cluttering and generally doesn't like throwing anything out.
"I despise cleaning, especially my closet. I plan to avoid spring cleaning as long as possible," Kaminski said. "I don't like getting rid of anything that might be useful later."
Birkinbine frowns on keeping clothing in the hope that it may come back in style. Most fashions return with variations that make older versions less than chic. The only good reason to keep out of date clothing is if it's the last item of its kind left in the closet.
Jamie Sheffler, a freshman undecided major, plans to tackle her closet and allow her friends to try on clothes before sending them off to someone else.
"I'm going to set aside a day and grab a friend to help out," Sheffler said. "I want to see if the clothes fit any of my friends before I donate them."
Yager also plans to weed through her clothing to give it to those more in need.
"I donate all the clothes I don't want to the Salvation Army," Yager said.
Plato's Closet, a franchised consignment-like store in the Northtown plaza on Sheridan, buys women's and men's clothing in good to excellent condition.
"We accept anything that's been out in major department stores or malls over the last year," said sales associate Adrena Warner. "We take clothing, shoes, purses and accessories."
According to Warner, clients are typically paid 35 to 40 percent of the price for which the item will be resold. Items should be in mostly new condition; overly worn, stained and ripped items are not accepted.
Birkinbine recommends that students interested in selling items besides clothing flip through the yellow pages to find a consignment shop or a reseller. For those that want to make a little more profit off items like once worn designer jeans she recommends eBay or the classifieds.
"After going through the whole closet, choose a place for everything," Birkinbine said. "The reward of all the cleaning is that ther
