Perhaps I’m nesting or perhaps it’s the start of the new year that makes me want to clean everything out of the house, but I’m ready to get rid of everything in the house, literally everything! While I need to clean out our storage closet I really need to clean out my closet. Between the pandemic, working from home and being pregnant my lifestyle has significantly changed. The way I dress daily has changed as well and even how I am going to dress in the office has changed too.
When I return to the office I plan on updating my wardrobe with a few more power casual pieces. I previously wore very formal clothes in the office. I did this for two reasons. First, I work in a formal environment where I need to be dressed professionally, and second, I love getting dressed up for work. I love tailored dresses, heels and classic accessories. I don’t plan on deviating from that too much, but I will be mixing in more of my weekend style. Such as longer or midi length dresses, sweaters, casual blazers and fun shoes.
Which means I need to clean out the closet and make room for some new stuff. Here are my tips for cleaning out your closet and then reorganizing it.
Tips For Cleaning Out Your Closet
When cleaning out my closet I literally take everything out of my closet and create piles. I do this for clothes, shoes and accessories. I usually tackle one category at a time because it can be overwhelming to do it all at once. You can even split it up over a few days to make it easier. I have four main piles that I utilize.
- Keep
- Sell
- Donate
- Throw Out
These piles allow me to truly assess what I have and what I need to update and or replace. Now let’s review the categories and how you can easily put items into each. All you are doing at this point is creating four piles, nothing else. I’ll walk you through what to do with each pile once you’ve sorted your closet.
Keep
These pieces are the ones I love and wear. You have to love and wear them for them to be in this pile. I have pieces I love, but don’t wear and as hard as it is, they belong in another pile. Items that you love and wear are the best ones to have in your closet. You may run into items you love and wear that are a little worn. It’s ok, keep them in this pile and I’ll discuss that when taking inventory of your closet.
Sell
The sell pile is great for items you love, but don’t wear. If you love it, chances are you have taken really good care of it and the item is in great condition and will sell nicely. Other items that are ideal to sell are those that you no longer wear often or have fallen out of your normal rotation. I have found the most success selling on Poshmark. I tend to start with higher prices and create deals or offers over time to select “likers.” While Poshmark is easy, it is time consuming. If I don’t feel like putting effort into it I use ThredUp. Through ThredUp you can request a clean out bag which allows you to package up your items, ship them to ThredUp and wait to see what you earn. Their payouts aren’t high and they take forever to process your bag once received, but I enjoy that they do the work for you.
Donate
The donation pile serves two purposes. On the first closet clean out the donate pile is created with items from your closet. I typically donate items from brands like Target, Gap and Old Navy. I also tend to donate more t-shirts, shoes, workout clothes or costume jewelry. These items don’t have a huge resale value and I also accumulate a lot of them. I make sure that any items I donate are still in good condition and wearable. I typically donate my items to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
Throw Out
Kind of self explanatory, but anything that I wouldn’t pass along to a friend or family member needs to be thrown out. Any items that aren’t wearable, have holes, stains or just loved too much must be thrown out.
Take Inventory Of Your Closet
After you have followed the tips for cleaning out your closet and created the piles, you are ready to take a full inventory of your closet. There are most likely items that you are getting rid of that need to be replaced. Check the donate, sell and throw out pile for anything you need to replace. I tend to throw out a lot of black items as they fade over the years due to washing. Make a list of items you need to replace and slowly replace them over time.
I also check the keep pile for duplicates. I tend to over buy and if I like something I buy it in multiple colors. Get rid of the trendy colors and keep the neutrals in your closet, they will go further in your wardrobe. A few general rules I follow when taking inventory of my closet are:
- Remove Duplicates
- Check for items that need Repair
- Remove any items you haven’t worn in a year
- If you don’t love it and wear it, then list it for sale or donate it
Organize Your Closet
The final step to cleaning out your closet is to put it back together! There is nothing more fun than reorganizing your slimmed down closet. My go to for storage containers are the “Our Storage” boxes from the Container Store. They come in all shapes and sizes and can fit just about everything. You can see what I use each size for in my closet. I also love that they are easy to move. Whether you are moving them from room to room in your house or actually moving homes, they are easy to stack and transport.
My biggest love are their shoe containers. I have a container for each pair of shoes. It keeps the shoes dust free and extends the life of them by not being knocked around in the closet. I’m currently working on fully reorganizing my shoes to add a photo of each to the outside of the box. Stay tuned for that home project too. I hope you enjoyed my tips for cleaning out your closet.
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