Closet Clean Out & Organizing Tips

Clean Out Your Closet

To get your closet ready for organization, you need to start by cleaning out all of those unnecessary items. Here is a list of items to get rid of. My advice is to make two piles; one for lightly used items that you can donate, and one for items to trash.

1. Anything you haven’t worn in a year or more

It might be a great shirt, but clearly you do not love it enough to make it part of your regular wardrobe rotation. Put it in the donation pile. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you don’t need it. Pass it onto someone else who will love the item.

2. Anything that does not fit

If it is unflattering or doesn’t fit right now, it will always be unflattering. As Marie Kondo asks, “does it bring you joy?” If it doesn’t fit then the answer is NO. It just takes up room in your closet, plus it doesn’t make you look and feel great. Those items have got to go. NOW!

3. “Skinny” clothes

Why do we keep these items around?  We love to keep those clothing items that don’t fit just in case our bodies change, but it’s time to get rid of them! I’m all for weight loss motivation, but keeping those jeans from high school is not it. Get them out of your closet and create more space.

4. Anything that looks worn

If it has a hole in it that is not fixable, toss it! If it has stains, toss it! You have enough cute lounge wear that you do not need to keep these pieces in your closet. They just take up space.

5. Shoes that hurt

Nobody has time for pain. If you have worn a pair of shoes 2-3 times and they are still painful, get rid of them. Chalk it up to a bad decision. We’ve all done it more than once. I have my shoes displayed where I can see all of them. I need this visually to style outfits. I’ve never been one to store my shoes in boxes and if you do I suggest using clear shoe boxes.

6. Unused bras and underwear

Undies with holes in them? Trash.  Bras where the underwire digs in? Get rid of it! This closet clean out includes everything top to bottom.

7. Seasonal items you “might” wear again

Something you “might” wear again is not a good enough reason to keep them in your closet. The season has passed and so has their time in your closet. This includes jewelry, purses, belts, etc. Let go of what you no longer use. Otherwise, you will be temped to keep it for those, “just in case” times that we all know are few and far between.

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Organize Your Closet

Now that you have gone through every nook and cranny of your closet and determined the items to keep, let’s talk about tips to organize your closet clean out. Before you do this, take everything you piled up on the floor and get it out of sight.

1. Group similar items together

When organizing, it helps to put all of your tops together, bottoms together, accessories together, etc. I would take it a step further and put similar tops together, like putting your casual tees in one spot and your jeans in one location. This makes it much easier to choose your outfit based on occasion.

2. Color coordinate

Take step 1 another step further and color coordinate you pieces. Again, this helps to quickly assess your closet and find all of your items easily. I love having all of my white tees together as well as my white button down shirts.

3. Invest in storage

Gather storage bins, hangers, clear or cloth bins, all of it! The more you can consolidate in a neat and orderly fashion, the better. If you have a small closet space, think of storing your seasonal clothes in a bin and switch out seasonal clothing. Also, I think having the same hangers for all of your clothes makes your closet look cleaner and more organized. I use slim velvet hangers.

4. Make a plan to maintain

After you have organized everything, make a plan as to how you will maintain this. Do you need to reevaluate every month or two? Set a reminder and make a plan to maintain your closet clean out. No need to do a complete purge every time. My recommendation is to do this at least twice a year – spring and fall. Do a quick check and see what you did not wear that year or ask yourself if you would buy that item again. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time, it can be a 5 minute quick de-clutter.