A few days ago, the New York Times published a story on how the weather impacts retail sales — specifically, how shoppers return to stores in droves as soon as spring pops. Retailers call this phenomenon “pent-up demand.” The premise is that after months of wearing the same winter-weary accoutrements (beanies, boots and coats for months on end), shoppers are salivating to spend their money on new, non-woolen items.
I am not immune to this phenomenon, of course. But buying new items doesn’t have much appeal right now — after a long season of hibernating in my apartment, the place feels more cluttered than ever. So any new purchases mean something old will need to be stored out-of-sight until fall. It’s all about balance (and a lack of visible storage space).
Here are three quick ways to clear your space in time for spring.
First, I tackled the cramped tray of perfumes crowding the vanity. I’m all about bountiful beauty countertops, but there’s nothing particularly attractive about a herd of mismatched bottles. (And yes, my husband knocks them over constantly.)
I use scents seasonally, with darker, stronger scents getting airplay during colder months, when even the strongest juice is mitigated by frigid temperatures and odor-blocking gloves. I decided to move all those scents to the closet and only display the six I’ll be wearing in the sunnier months.
Next, I rummaged through my make-up and plucked out any product that could be deemed “matte,” “plum” or “nighttime.” When it’s summer, I stick to a 5-minute regiment of tinted moisturizer, cream blush and mascara. I relegated all the winter products (mostly dramatic, stronger colors) to my desk drawer, so I can find my summer products easily.
Here are the products I’m retiring for the next few months:
Next, I turned to the shower, which has long been a cavern of half-used bottles of shaving gel, failed shampoo purchases and assorted tubes of salt scrubs. I threw out everything I was no longer using (good-bye, Dimethicone!) and combined half-used conditioners into a single bottle. (I’m not a purist, sue me.)
Overall, these small changes made a huge difference — the apartment appears more organized, there are fewer unused products taking up valuable real estate and the results were aesthetically pleasing. Next up? I’ll be tackling the dozens of coats drowning the front closet.
How are you approaching your spring cleaning? Please share your tips!