I know I might be in the minority here, but I LOVE cleaning out my closet. There is something freeing about purging items that are just hanging around taking up space in my little closet. Don’t worry, this post isn’t about how amazing it feels to clean out your closet. For those who don’t enjoy it as much as I do, I’m going to break down my process in simple steps and suggestions and hope it makes it a little less painful for you.
Step 1. Find some motivation to get started. How about the potential to earn some cash? I started selling some of my items in good condition on Poshmark. I’ve made over $700 so far this year with minimal effort. There are a ton of other ways to earn some cash on sites like Thredup or local consignment shops. If money isn’t your motivation, find another way to get excited. Think of a way to reward yourself once you finish. Maybe you’ll buy that new leather jacket or handbag you’ve been dying to add to your wardrobe now that you have more space. Or maybe you’ll reward yourself with an entire day to yourself to relax once you finish. Think about some type of reward for completing the project and write it down.
Step 2. If you are doing your own closet, schedule the time withOUT your kids around. You are going to want time to try on clothes and not get distracted. If you’re cleaning out your kids’ (age 4+) closet, I recommend scheduling a time WITH your kids available. The first benefit to having them around is they might need to try on their own clothes as well. It also helps to involve them in the process so they learn organizing habits at a young age.
Step 3. Put a simple system in place for how you will clean your closet. I use a three pile method: keep, toss/recycle, and donate/sell. I start by taking everything out of the closet and pile it on my bed. I go through the items separating them into the three piles. I use a large bag to separate and store the items that need to be tossed or recycled and another for the donate/sell. You can repurpose a lot of your stained clothes into rags to use around the house. My kids’ school hosts an annual textile recycling drive so I put them all in a bag and wait to donate them so I’m not throwing out too much in the trash.
For the items you are considering keeping, asks yourself a few questions.
- Does it actually fit?
- Do I like how I look in it?
- Is it comfortable and do I like the feel of it? For me, the days of wearing anything itchy or uncomfortable are long gone!
- Does it fit my current lifestyle?
Step 4. Decide on a method for how you’ll store your items. I like to keep it simple and hang my items by length and color. So I have all my long-sleeve blouses sorted by color, followed by my short & sleeve-less blouses sorted by color. I suggest investing in some simple and affordable hangers. I use velvet hangers like the ones here that don’t take up too much room. It’s an easy way to dress up your closet and care properly for your clothes so they last longer.
Step 5. Keep it clean by putting your clothes away like you intended. For me this means finding the right cadence for doing laundry so I don’t have a monstrous pile to avoid.
If you have the money to invest in a fancy closet system, great. But most of us don’t and do just fine, especially with our tiny New England closets. Keep it simple, use the closet you have, and consider keeping less of what you think you need to have and more of what you really love.
