We all know when time is right to start turning our closets upside down to get ready for Summer. Have a closet therapy. Plan to go through your wardrobe from last Spring and Summer to see what needs to stay, and what needs to go. All of your donations can go to a local charity (Goodwill or National Jewish Women's Counsel). You'll feel better knowing your unwanted clothes will benefit others in need. Do yourself a favor try things on and be brutally honest during this process. If it's hard for you to stay focused invite a friend who can constructively criticize your taste, but do it with a sense of humor to make it fun. The questionable items would be:

1. Dress you haven't wore for years. Clothes tend not to improve with age.
2. Jeans you've been waiting to squeeze into for the past 3 years.
3. A dress for success ensemble that no longer suitable because you've changed jobs
4. Items you feel guilty tossing because they were gifts from your family

Once this is done, you'll be able to take inventory and determine if there's anything new you need to buy to make your Summer wardrobe complete. For most of us, clutter causes anxiety and stress whether you realize it on not. This negativity affects your life and your health so try getting it out of your house. You should implement a rule of thumb: for each item you bring in something else has to go.

If you are fortunate enough to have two closets then put spring and summer items in one and fall and winter in another. If short on space, store off-seasonal items (fall, winter) in another closet. Arrange like items together. Group shirts together, pants together, skirts and so on. Color-code the closet within the category from light to dark. Decide what you want at your fingertips and what should be stored away in containers under the bed, on top shelves, or in drawer. Don't hang cashmere or cotton sweaters on hangers. They STRETCH!!! Instead fold them neatly and stack them on the shelf in the closet. Arrange by the length of the sleeve (long sleeve, ¾ sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless and tank tops) so when you are ready to put something back you know exactly where it goes. Use a labeler to label the shelf under each pile.

Use specialty hangers for belts, scarves and purses. Invest into good wooden or plastic hangers, wire hangers leave marks on the shoulders of your clothes. Get rid of dry cleaner plastic covers as they clutter up your closet.

Use a shoe rack to keep your shoes visible and organized and PLEASE take them out of original shoe boxes. Stuff boots with tissue paper so they don't loose their shape.

And last but not least the closet should be bright and inviting so you can see what you have.

Make decision and take ACTION. Organizing is very therapeutic once you start to embrace it. "Ahhh - I already feel much better!!!"

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