Organizing Your Closet

Did you know that we wear less than half of our wardrobe 80% of the time? That means you have over 50% of your clothing sitting in your closet, unused, almost all the time. It’s fun to shop for new clothing and always have plenty of outfits to choose from, but it also leads to a very cluttered closet.  Learning how to properly declutter clothes can make it easier to pick an outfit in the morning, reduce stress, and reshape buying habits. To learn how to declutter your closet, follow these tips.

Set aside a set amount of time

Decide on a day to declutter your closet and designate a set chunk of time to complete the task. Before you begin, set up a few boxes and garbage bags to help sort and declutter your clothes. You should have at least 3 boxes and one trash bag.

Completely empty out the closet

Take everything out of your closet and put it all into one pile in your room to sort and declutter your clothes. You may want to separate the pile into sections, though you will have time to do that once everything is separated.

Separate clothing & accessories into piles

While decluttering your closet, go through everything, and separate your items into four piles: keep, toss, maybe keep, and donate. While going through your clothes, ask yourself the following questions –

• Do you love it?
• If you saw it in a store today, would you buy it?
• Do you wear it often?
• Is it ripped or stained?
• Does it still fit?
• Is it in style?

Revisit your maybe pile

Once you’ve sorted everything out, revisit your maybe pile. Try on every article of clothing. Sometimes simply putting it on and seeing yourself in it may help sway you one way or another. After you’ve tried everything on, place the maybe items into a box and write the date on the outside. In 6 months, take the box out again. Whatever you haven’t worn from the box should be tossed or donated. If you plan to donate clothes in Pittsburgh, look into organizations like Goodwill, Thriftique, East End Community Thrift, or Red White and Blue Thrift. 

Clean your closet

Before putting your clothes back, take a moment to clean your closet. Wipe down shelves, dust off surfaces, and give it a good vacuum. Put clothing back neatly and in an organized manner. You can either organize by color, season, or by how often you wear the pieces.

Deal with boxes immediately

After you’ve sorted everything out, deal with the boxes immediately. Don’t let the boxes sit around and continue to clutter your space. Set aside time to drop off your donations and immediately toss the clothes you put into the garbage bag. Put your maybe box back into your closet and hang up all of the clothes you decided to keep.

Always keep a donate box

To continually avoid clutter in your closet, always keep a donate box somewhere close. Throughout the month, toss in clothes you no longer want. Then, at the end of everything month, empty out your donation box and drop off your donations wherever you choose to donate clothes. Or, sell them to a consignment shop for some extra cash.

Maintain your closet

Set aside 10-15 minutes every week to declutter your closet to continually keep it clutter-free. Rehang any items that fell. Fold clothes that have lost their shape. Reorganize and make sure everything looks as organized as it did when you hung it all back up after decluttering. These few minutes every week will help you avoid having to do another big day of reorganizing down the line.

Seasonal cleaning

Once per season (4 times a year), take everything out of your closet and do another purge. If you live in an area that experiences large shifts in temperature, you may want to fold and put away clothes that you won’t wear during that season. Many people use storage units to hold their seasonal clothes to avoid clutter in their closet. While purging, take the opportunity to dust and vacuum inside of your closet. Then, put everything back neatly and maintain your closet until next season.

By following these tips for decluttering your closet, you should be well on your way to properly learning how to declutter clothes. The most important thing you can do to declutter your closet is to take the time to maintain it after your big purge. Consistently reevaluate your clothing and try not to bring in more than you get rid of. If you buy new clothes, try to get rid of old clothes to maintain a consistent amount of clothing in your closet. Take the time to properly fold and hang clothes and maintain an organized closet. For more tips on enjoying your space and getting organized, sign up for our monthly blog newsletter.