Ever looked at your closet and realized that you don’t wear half of what’s in there? I do this about once a season and it always results in a makeover of my closet. Afterwards, I look at my closet with love and appreciation instead of questions. I thought I’d share a few of my tips for cleaning out your closet and making it organized once again.
Before you start this process, I want you to realize something – this is not a “quick” project at all. Depending on how involved you get, it can take quite a while. That being said, make sure you set aside enough time to complete this project. Otherwise, you might find it at the top of your “unfinished projects” list the next day. (P.S. I’ve even broken it down into easy steps to help you along the way.)
Optional starting step – Find inspiration images of what you’d like your closet to look like. Keep these nearby during the process.
1. Pull everything out of your closet. Yes, I mean everything. While you have everything out of your closet, wipe it down with a damp rag so that things go back into a clean space.
2. Divide things into piles – love, like, and donate. (You might need a fourth category – trash – depending on the mess level in your closet.) Items you “love” are the ones you just can’t part with. These items should make you feel good when you look at them and/or wear them. The items in the “like” category are the ones that you like, but could possibly pass on to a new home. The donate pile are the items you no longer want.
3. Put all of the “love” items back into your closet. Use the backwards hanger trick when putting items back into your closet. This will save you some work the next time you give your closet a makeover.
4. Put all of the “donate” items in a bag or box for your favorite donation site.
5. Now comes the hard part – the “like” pile. Take a look at your closet. Take a look at your inspiration piece (if you have one). Keep these in mind as you complete the next step.
6. Determine which “like” items to keep and which ones to give away. Try on clothes and look at yourself in the mirror – how do you feel? If the answer is anything less than “good,” then the item should go. Look at your choices – do you have duplicates of styles or colors? Maybe it’s time to pair down a little. Really think about your like pile before adding them back into your closet.
7. Step back and survey your closet one last time. If something seems out of place, you might need to get rid of it. Make sure that your closet lines up with your original vision.
How often do you reevaluate your closet? Do you have any special tricks you use? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
