It’s almost that time of the season to switch your wardrobe from wooly winter items to colorful cozy spring things. Cleaning out a closet is no easy task but it’s one that every style crazed fashionista needs.
What you do with your clothes in the end is your own choice. Donate it, sell it, store it or swap it, it’s purely up to you. The biggest hurdle to overcome is simply getting started. Dedicate an entire day for this cathartic cleanse and do it alone. Only you can be perfectly honest with yourself about what’s in and what’s out. Dress comfy, put on some tunes and take a deep breath…and follow these steps.
Empty it out
If you’re serious about maintaining an organized wardrobe, you can’t do it without looking through absolutely everything. Don’t just grab armfuls of clothes to throw on the floor either. Take out each garment one at a time. Inspect their condition, look for any damage or wear and tear. Most importantly: try each piece on. If the clothes don’t fit you have absolutely no excuse for keeping them.
Separate into categories
After you’ve tossed out everything that is too small (no cheating!) you can start to divide up the rest of your wardrobe. Be brutally honest with yourself and put your clothes into piles like ‘Favorites’, ‘Never Wear’, ‘Donate’ and ‘Save Forever’. This is an easy way to further flush out your drawers and figure out what can be placed at the very back of your closet and what needs to be up front.
Match up outfits
If you’re anything like me you have certain pieces that are always paired together. This skirt with that top, that dress with this cardigan. Save yourself a lot of space by pairing garments together on hangers….which in turn you’ll also save a lot of. This will be a huge time saver in the future when you’re getting ready for work or a night out; your entire outfit will be in one spot, no digging through drawers to find a sweater or a pair of leggings.
Figure out what you’re missing
Having a huge wardrobe can cloud your mind while shopping. Everyone needs basic pieces: a black skirt, a white button-down, a colorful cardi and so on. Not knowing exactly what you own can stop you from buying what you need. Take inventory of what you have and what you’re missing. For every garment that you don’t own, throw out something that you don’t need. Not only will this ensure a shopping trip, it will also cut down on more clutter.
Organize
The final step to a clean and pristine closet is to put everything back in an orderly fashion. It makes no sense to do a massive overhaul if you’re going to toss everything back in. Pick up some organizers and shelves that can fit comfortably in your closet. Come up with a system where clothes you wear often are on one side with special occasion clothes on the other. Figure out a scheme that you will follow and follow it!
