Declutter Your Closet in 3 Easy Steps
When we were about to renovate our bedroom, I needed an an easy way to declutter my closet. I tried the KonMari method of dumping everything out in the middle of the room seeing what sparked joy for me. While it was a fun experience, I found a few challenges with the method:
- I have plenty of items that don’t spark joy, but I keep them because they serve a purpose (i.e. the ugly shoes that I keep by the door to run out to the mailbox in the winter).
- A once-in-a-lifetime clean-up doesn’t work for a fashion blogger with a changing lifestyle (and kids!)
- Given the changes in temperature in New York, there are clothes I don’t wear for nine months and then wear every week for the next three (i.e. flip-flops). They may not spark joy, but since I hardly wear them, it’s not worth replacing them.
3 Easy Steps To Declutter Your Closet
Here’s my easy way to declutter a closet…
1. Put away off-season clothing so that you can focus on what you can wear now. I find it easier to know what I love and need when I only have to think about the current season. I have drawers in my bed to store away off-season items, but you can use bins or garment bags.
2. Gather up all current clothing, accessories, shoes, and handbags and separate them into love, need and recycle piles. Love can include items that you don’t wear often but can’t part with; just make sure you don’t have too many of these. Need includes items that you don’t love, but use as a placeholder until you can buy something that works better for you. Recycle can items that you want to donate, repair or clean.
3. Take your loves and needs, and organize them by sub-category (coats, dresses, blouses). Hang them in your closet or fold them to put on shelves or in drawers. If you hev a lot of clothing and accessories you can also organize them by color. It comes in handy when you’re pulling outfits together.
What Goes In Each Pile?
Love Category
These are the clothes, shoes and accessories that you reach for over and over again. For example, I bought this handbag a few years ago, and often use it in the winter when I wear a lot of red. It fits all of my necessities and has detachable crossbody strap which I find very helpful when I’m shopping for groceries.
For clothing, you’ll want to keep what fits you now. If your weight or size fluctuates, keep a couple of sizes.
Need Category
Then, there are the clothes, shoes and accessories that you need, even if you don’t love them. Those black work pants that you’ve had for five years? Hang onto them until you find a replacement. Those sneakers that you wear to walk the dog? Your dog won’t mind if they’re not fashionable!
These are some items that I wore for a while, but replaced them with others over time.
Recycle Category
This is often the hardest part, as we often think we’ll give away something we’ll need later. While, that’s true, sometimes it’s worth buying something similar that’s a better match for our personal style or body. Here’s what you should recycle:
- Anything that is stained or torn (unless you plan to upcycle or repair them soon)
- Items in colors that are not flattering. If you just don’t look good in orange, give it away. The exceptions would be orange accessories, orange in a print or possibly orange bottoms. Wear your most flattering colors near your face.
- Anything that is not likely to fit you in the near future. If you plan to wear something two years from now, chances are that it won’t be in style then. You might end up buying something similar but it will be slightly different and look more current.
I like to keep my recycle pile for a month or so, just in case I change my mind or buy something new that makes a discarded item relevant again. I also find it easier to declutter each season, as I often think something is less useful when it’s not a part of the current season.
What you have left is the clothes that work for you, right now. Now you have a better idea of what you need to buy for your ideal wardrobe.
P.S. If you have any questions about decluttering your closet, send me a message here. Want to know more about me? Here are the details.
