When it comes to cleaning, we often assume that this means vacuuming, mopping and dusting. But there is a lot more going on than just that and there is plenty of furniture at home that needs special cleaning. When you have to clean and organize closets it can feel overwhelming, before you even begin. Just looking at their closet makes people dread this task. If you simply have to clean the exterior it's not that hard, but the interior - that's another thing. Emptying an entire closet, cleaning well and polishing the furniture, then putting everything back in a neat and organized way is a lengthy process. Most families usually deal with closet cleaning once or twice a year - when they need their summer clothes and when they need their winter clothes. When it comes to closet cleaning it's best to first establish a working routine and to know which stage comes after which. Don't start cleaning in the evening, as you might not finish before bed. Here are the steps of a full closet cleanup:

1: Take everything out (not just a few shelves, everything): hangers, clothes, shoes, boxes, blankets, everything you have. Put all of these on a bed or on a chair and other pieces of furniture and then try to organize them based on their type.

2: Go through each piece of clothing and pair of shoes and think whether you need it or you don't even wear it anymore. Decide what is worth keeping, what can be sold, given away or immediately thrown away. 

3: Start cleaning the closet: use a damp clean towel and clean each corner and inside wall. If you have a special furniture cleaner now's the time to use it. You can even use a freshener or spray some perfume inside.

4: Plan how to organize the closet so it's easier to reach your most worn clothes for each season. Use vacuum bags if there is not enough space for everything.

5: It's time to deal with the shoes - clean the boxes from dust and do the same with clothes: if you don't wear a pair, discard it. If you want to have your shoes really organized, buy a shoe rack.

During the cleaning process of the wardrobe, don't forget to take a chair or ladder so you can reach the top of it. It will probably be really dusty, so use a wet towel to gather the dust and then polish with furniture cleaner. If you happen to find mold in the closet don't panic - there are numerous cleaners on the market, but make sure you smell the clothes. Some of them will smell of mold or might have traces of it. You can either leave them hanging on the terrace or simply wash them in the washing machine. This will prolong the process of cleaning the closet, but it is essential that you do it, or the mold would ruin the clothes. Most people who do a full closet cleanup would tell you that it takes them between 4 and 6 hours to get everything sorted, depending on the size of the closet of course. If you have small children you will have to do the same procedure with their closet too. Remember that a full closet cleanup happens only a couple times a year, which is really not that much of a chore, compared to other cleaning tasks. Think positive, focus on what needs to be done and make sure you declutter the closet at least a bit.