Steps to De-Clutter Your Closet
- If you are planning on de-cluttering all family members closets, then just do one at a time so as to not get too overwhelmed and quit half way through the purging.
- Get 2-3 boxes or bins and label them Sell, Donate and Trash.
- If you know you don’t have much to sell or a reliable consignment shop near you, then plan on just donating it all, otherwise that Sell box will just end up collecting dust in your room or garage
- Pull everything out of the closet, yes everything. It’s much easier to work with a clean slate.
- Decide on a method of sorting: seasonal, casual vs dressy, work vs. casual, color, clothing type etc.
- Designate areas of the closet for those sorted categories. If you having shelving in your closet, consider labeling designated areas.
- Do not buy any hangers, storage containers etc until you see what you are left with after purging so you don’t end up with items you don’t need.
- If you have furniture or moveable storage units in the closet, determine where the best location is for them after you determine your function for the closet.
- While the closet is empty – dust the walls, surfaces, shelves etc and clean the floors.
- Arrange folded items by type, for example: workout clothes, pajamas, t-shirts, tank tops, bathing suits, bathing suit cover ups
- If you have items that need to be protected such as evening wear or suits, then use a garment bag, not a plastic bag from a store or dry cleaner.
- Use baskets for belts, scarves, purses if you have shelving, if not then, use open wall space for hooks.
- If you have distinct seasons where you live, consider storing seasonal wardrobes in airtight containers.
Closet Maintenance Tips
- Keep a small donation box or bag in your closet at all times so when an item no longer fits or suits your tastes it can be immediately placed in the bag. As soon as the box or bag is full, donate the items.
- Don’t keep clothes in dry cleaning bags, when you bring clothes home from the dry cleaners transfer them to your hangers and save the wire hangers for crafts or school projects (or just get rid of them! NO WIRE HANGERS!)
- Regardless of how you choose to sort your clothes, keep like items together within each category.
- Consider taking the closet doors off and using a tension rod and curtain panel, to give yourself more space.
- Oprah’s organization guru, Peter Walsh, has a nifty trick for keeping only what you actually wear in your closet – turn all your hangers around, for a set amount of time (he says six months, I say three) every time you wear an article of clothing, turn the hanger back around. This will tell you exactly what you are wearing on a regular basis and what can be eliminated.
- So go on, get to it! And don’t forget to come back and share your success with us!
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