Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Spring(ish) cleaning: Ways to tidy and decorate your living space

Justin Surgent/Collegian
Justin Surgent/Collegian

Spring semester brings new classes and a clean academic slate. But if your room looks like you never left for break, it’s time to do some cleaning.

There are a few ways to go about getting organized. When vacuuming and Swiffering haven’t helped, or you’re simply bored with the way your room looks, try something different to bring life back into your space. Take a Saturday afternoon to complete your spring cleaning. It shouldn’t take more than a couple hours depending on how much there is to be done and your motivation.

Tackling Your Closet

First, bring all of your spring clothes out from storage and put them together – you’ll work with them after taking care of all the cold weather clothes in your closet. Tackling the closet should be at the top of your “to clean” list. There are a lot of ways to approach this task. Preferably, start with what is hanging up. Being in plain sight, it’ll be easier to pick out items you no longer want or need. Browse through the hangers and take out most of your winter jackets except for one universal coat that will keep you warm in 30 degrees in sunny, rainy, snowy and windy weather. The rest of the jackets can be put away since they will be too heavy once the temperature hits 60 degrees. Light jackets, blazers and zip-ups can and should stay – these are good year-round.

Dresser Drawers

When removing clothes from your dresser, be sure to keep them folded and in piles to stay organized while you clean. Since there will supposedly be six more weeks of winter, keep some long-sleeved shirts and sweaters; the ones that are used the most that you know you’ll wear again. Put those shirts back in the drawer, and place whichever ones won’t be used aside.

Pants and dressy clothing are different. Jeans and leggings are wearable year-round. Leggings in particular can go under your pants in the wintertime to keep your legs warm in the cold and can be used as tights with a sun dress when there’s a spring or summer breeze. Keep your jeans and leggings unless they are ripped or don’t fit anymore. In that case, set them aside. The same rule applies to dresses, skirts and shorts. Now switch in your spring clothes: t-shirts, cardigans, light sweaters, shorts, spring skirts and dresses.

Tip: If you went down the checklist, and there’s still barely any room for spring clothes, take out those “going-out” clothes that you rarely wear, and place them in an under-bed bin to come back to when you do decide to wear them. Always put only what you absolutely want and will wear in the drawers.

Organizing Your Shoes

Put away those snow boots, there is no need for them anymore. Replace them with your sandals, flats and sneakers. Casual boots are also still acceptable. If your shoes are all in one spot 24/7, then you’re good to go.

You can always get rid of old shoes as well, though you don’t necessarily have to throw those away. In fact, if you don’t want to give anything up and are simply just switching winter clothes with your spring clothes, then just stick those piles of winter wear in a storage bin that can slide nicely under the bed.

Looking to sell clothes for money? Style.ly is a site that buys used designer items from companies like Abercrombie and Fitch. Ebay and Amazon are the go-to for selling your personal items. Places in Amherst and Northampton will also accept old clothes, some as donations and other as re-sales. Some choices are Goodwill, The Cajun Queen, The Salvation Army, Plato’s Closet, Hospice Shop and the New York Shop Exchange, all within a few miles of campus.

Organizing Your Desk

Throw away notebooks that don’t contain information relevant to your career path. Turn a drawer into a file cabinet by getting drawer dividers. The notes that you do keep should be put in those files. If anything you need is already on your laptop, then you can take all those old notes and kiss ‘em goodbye. Be sure to recycle when you can. Set another drawer aside for your textbooks, notebooks and printer needs. Pens, pencils, scissors and other supplies can easily be stored together as well.

Regarding the room as a whole, vacuum up the floor and dust the windowsill. Try to get a Swiffer with wet and dry mops for a cleaner floor. Make sure to clean under the bed and under the desk well – those spots gets the dirtiest and the dustiest.

Rearranging Furniture

It’ll usher in that “just-moved-in” feeling, like everything in your room is new – even when it isn’t. A big change isn’t necessary; the small gesture of moving a poster will have you looking at that wall differently. You’ll be surprised how different the room will feel after moving a table or even the desk to a different spot.

Make a Collage

If you’re really looking to add something to your room and don’t want to spend any money or time at the mall, a collage is the best way to go. If you have the time, use a thick, paper-based material, like cardboard or paper from a shopping bag, grab some magazines and cut away. Taping snippets together can be fun – plus, looking through all those old magazines will spark up new ideas for beauty, shopping and fitness.

Got $1?

Heading to the nearest dollar store will save you a pretty penny compared to department store shopping. Not everything can be found at the dollar store, but the majority of your baseline kit of decor can be found there. Most dollar stores sell rugs and storage bins as well.

Spring cleaning gives a sense of accomplishment when it’s all said and done. But the best part is: You only have to do it once a year.

Alexa Wilansky can be reached at [email protected].

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