How to Quickly Clean your Closet in Under 15 Minutes

When you think about it, one of the most expensive rooms in our home has to be our closets. With the costs of clothing, shoes, and accessories it only stands to reason that this room contains most of our valuable items.

So, if this is the case then why we do not clean it more maybe just a bit surprising.

Or, maybe it’s just me. And other’s clean their closets more than I do.

Now, to be clear I am not talking about cleaning OUT the closet. That is something different entirely and if you are still on the closet decluttering stage then you are definitely not ready to dive into washing walls and polishing woodwork.

READ: RULES FOR CLEANING OUT THE CLOSET

Once you are done reading up and then decluttering your closet, head back over here. Don’t be tempted to skip this step and go right to organizing. It isn’t often that our closets are empty and so giving things a good and thorough cleaning doesn’t happen regularly. Take advantage of this empty space to get in and wash all the surfaces so you have a truly clean slate when you are ready to organize.

How to Quickly Clean Your Closet

Step #1.  Wash the Walls

It always amazes me how much dust can build up in such a small space along with cobwebs. Take the time to wipe everything down from ceiling to floor. You can use a dry dust mop like this one or do a wash down with a damp sponge.

Step #2.  Clean the Lights

As you are cleaning your closet lighting it might be the best time to make changes if you feel they are needed. Good lighting, especially in a larger closet, is important so you can really see what you have inside. This is even more important if you dress in your closet as well.

My favorite closet lighting choice is still fluorescent lighting. It is good cool light and still pretty energy efficient. In most but not all cases, all you need to do to switch to florescent is to change the bulb. To know for sure google the type of lighting fixture you have to see if there is a bulb that will work.

Step #3.  Polish the Woodwork

Do a good wash down of the trim making sure to get the grooves and the corners well. This is where dust and dirt can get trapped. Depending on the type of trim you have will determine the cleaning agent to use but I have found that more often than not just a gentle soap like Dawn and warm water can do a great job with little to no damage to the wood.

Step #4.  Clean the Floors

Take a vacuum and do a quick sweep around the base of the closet being sure to get the corners and the base of the trim and walls. The hose attachment will work the best here. If you have carpet in your closet I like to use a sweeping action with the hose attachment to really get the dust and dirt that can build up at the base and corners.

Step #5.  Wash the Rods

No matter what type of hangers you are using, the wear and tear to the rods in a closet happen. The issue is that the wearing then attracts dust that gets stuck on the hangers that can then get on your hands and finally on your clothes. By periodically wiping them down with a wet clothe you can keep the dust down and in turn keep it off of your clothes.

Step #6.  Wash the Shelves

Wipe down any shelves you have in the closet again using soapy water and wipe with a dry towel. You may want to add shelving paper at this point if you have a solid shelf rather than a wire one.

If you have wire shelving in your closet take the time to clean each section on each shelf. Time-consuming yes but again the dust that can collect here can, in turn, get onto your clothes.

Step #7. Do Any Repairs

Take the time to paint any walls and patch any holes while this room is empty.

Step #8. Replace the Hangers

The best hangers to organize a closet are either plastic or velvet-covered. I prefer the velvet-covered myself since they keep shoulders from stretching allowing clothes to last a bit longer.

Take the time to replace any wire hangers now while you are still in cleaning mode.

Finish Up!

Now that you have everything cleaned out and ready to go, it’s time for a bit of fun. Head on over to The Best Way to Organize a Closet and get ready to create a space you love.