Decluttering: A Guide on How to Clean Out Your Closet

Declutter & Organize with Ease: Learn How to Clean Out Your Closet. Discover practical tips and tricks for a refreshing and clutter-free wardrobe.

A cluttered closet can be a source of frustration and stress, hindering your daily routines and making it challenging to find the items you need. Over time, clothes pile up, old items accumulate, and the organization goes out the window.

It’s time to take control of your closet and embark on a journey of decluttering. I will walk you through step-by-step on how to clean out your closet efficiently, and perhaps even embrace a minimalist approach to wardrobe management.

A Guide on How to Clean Out Your Closet

I did a closet clean out at the beginning of 2022, but as I’ve been losing weight a lot of my clothes don’t fit any longer. I have been diligent about selling items on Poshmark first. Then, if I cannot sell the items by dropping prices over the span of several weeks, then I’ll send everything left to ThredUP. If it doesn’t sell with ThredUP, then they donate the clothing.

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Set Your Goals

Before diving into the decluttering process, take a moment to reflect on your goals and expectations. Why do you want to clean out your closet? Are you seeking a more organized space, making room for new items, or aiming for a minimalist lifestyle? Setting clear intentions will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the process.

According to NBC DFW’s Consumer Reports, “more than 9 million tons of clothes end up in landfills in a year.”

I’ve been wanting to build a more sophisticated capsule wardrobe. My goal is to simplify my wardrobe as much as I possibly can. Knowing exactly why I own something and why I love it helps me feel refreshed and decluttered.

I always try to get rid of items I no longer like or that no longer fit me. I also don’t like to keep things that I’ve never worn because I will probably never wear it ever. If it still has tags on it after a couple of years, why should I still keep it?

I do, however, keep some pieces. I don’t think I want to ever get rid of my wedding dress, but it just sits in my closet. That reminds me that I should find a garment bag of some sort!

How to Clean Out Your Closet

1. Setup a workspace. I like to use my bed. I toss everything into a big pile.
2. Remove everything from your closet and place it it in the workspace.
3. Try on all your clothes. Make sure you have a mirror in your workspace to be able to check the fit.
4. Sort into four piles. Keep. Sell. Donate. Recycle.
   • Keep Organize the keep pile. The easiest way I learned how to organize is to create small piles of alike types of garments. I make a small pile of tees, pants, skirts, dresses, etc. Once the keep pile is separated, it’s time to grab your hangers.
   • Sell – You can use online shops like Mercari, eBay, Poshmark or ThredUP to sell your good garments and accessories. You can view of the best online platforms to sell your clothes here.
   • Donate – If you don’t have time to sell your clothes, there are some organizations to donate your items like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Make sure to be a good judge of your clothes that they are in good condition.
   • Recycle – Clothes that are stained or unwearable and unsellable should be recycled. Trash is for Tossers has a list of many other places to recycles
5. Clean your closet. – While your items are sitting in your workspace, grab your cleaning supplies and get to work on the empty closet.
6. Take Action. – Now it’s tie to clean up your piles. Start by hanging all your keeps items together in the closet. A trick that I learned is to hang all the hangers backwards. Then, over time as you wear your clothes, place the freshly laundered clothes on normal facing hangers. Over the next year, you’ll then be able to tell if you actually wear all your clothes. Then it’s time to declutter again!

Stay Strong

Now that you have a clean and organized fresh closet, it’s time to stay strong and keep it organized. One tip to keep it organized include to always put away your freshly cleaned clothes. Another tip is take care of any newly ripped or damaged items right away instead of hanging it back in the closet.

Have you cleaned out your closet lately? Let me know some of your tips and tricks in the comments below!

XOXO,
Katie

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