You’ve reached that point again. Your closet has become an overflowing mess and could seriously use some purging. The idea of weeding through your little sea of tightly-packed clothing, however, is understandably intimidating. If you dream of having an organized closet that only includes clothes you truly want to wear, try implementing these helpful tips for cleaning out your closet.
Take Everything Out
While pulling everything out of your closet may make it look like a tornado blew through your room, doing so is the first step in effectively cleaning out your closet. By taking all your clothing out at the same time, you will have a better view of each item. That way, you’ll have an easier time deciding which pieces should stay and which should go.
Dismiss the Obvious
Some clothing items are hard to get rid of, while others are no-brainers. To ease into the process of paring down your closet, start by eliminating any unwearable clothing items. In other words, any clothing articles that have stains, tears, rips, or don’t fit your figure properly must go.
Get Picky
Now that you’ve done away with the pieces that clearly don’t belong in your closet anymore, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start making some big decisions. To create a wardrobe that consists of clothing that you love and wear regularly, you will need to get a little picky. Consider getting rid of a clothing article if:
- You haven’t worn it in the last three months
- You don’t feel confident when you wear it
- It doesn’t go with anything in your wardrobe
- It has high-maintenance care instructions, and you aren’t willing to put in the work
- It doesn’t suit your current style
- You’re only keeping it because you feel guilty about buying it and never wearing it
While parting with perfectly good clothing items can be challenging, being intentional about the clothing in your closet will help you create a more organized wardrobe that you truly love. Plus, you can sell or donate anything that you don’t want so that the piece gets the use it deserves.
Create a “Maybe” Bin
Something that keeps many people from discarding clothing that they barely wear is the idea that they will ultimately regret their decision—that once the item is gone, they will finally think of a bunch of different ways to it. A great way to eliminate the finality of giving the clothing away is by putting it in a “maybe” bin.
The maybe bin is a box of clothing that you simply can’t decide whether to keep or get rid of. Once you’ve put the clothing in the bin, put it somewhere out-of-sight for three months. If three months pass and you never gave the clothing items inside the bin a second thought, get rid of them. They obviously don’t provide much value to your wardrobe, and you’ve already proved that you can live without them just fine
