5 Steps to Decluttering Your Closet

Guest Post

If you’re like most people, you probably have a messy, cluttered closet.

And that means getting dressed in the morning can be a total nightmare. Sometimes you have to search through everything you have to find an outfit to wear. And on those days when you know what you want to wear, you have to dig through all the stuff that’s in the way to find it.

Ready to make mornings more manageable and get your closet under control? Keep reading to learn the five simple steps to declutter your closet.

1. Remove Everything

To declutter your closet most effectively, the first step is to take everything out. That includes every hanger, every shoe box, and every pile of folded clothes on every shelf. Clean off the floor in your closet, clean off your shelves, and empty your hanger bar. When it’s time to put everything back in, you’ll be happy to have a clean slate.

Taking everything out can be a tedious process, but if you don’t, you’ll just end up shifting items around instead of making significant changes. Place everything on your bed or in piles on the floor. Once your closet is empty, you’re ready to move onto the next step.

2. Categorize

With everything on the bed or the floor, it’s time to start categorizing. Some people like to separate items by season. Others like to organize by categories such as work clothes, casual clothes, and dress clothes. Other people prefer to keep pants with pants, shirts with shirts, and dresses with dresses, etc.

Think about which method of categorization will work best for you and separate items into the piles and groupings of your choice. By having different categories, it will be easier to put things back into your closet when you’re ready.

3. Assess Every Item of Clothing Individually

With all items separated into categories, it’s time to tackle the hardest part of the job – deciding what to keep. Take a look at each piece, one by one. As you go through your piles, ask yourself a few key questions to help you determine if it should stay or go.

Do I love this item? If the answer is no, problem solved. If you don’t love it, it can go.

Do I wear this? If an entire season has gone by and you haven’t worn it, it might be time to part with it.

Does it fit? Don’t hold onto those skinny jeans that you think you’ll fit into again when you lose a few pounds. If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it.

Is it stained? Everyone has that favorite tee shirt or sweatshirt that they love but never wear because it has a stain. Unless you think a dry cleaner can fix it for you, it’s time to let it go.

Is it comfortable? Are you holding onto that dress only because you like the color? Are you keeping those pants because they were expensive but don’t fit too well? If it’s not comfortable and you don’t enjoy wearing it, give it away.

You have to be honest when asking yourself these questions. It can be tough to decide part with items you want to keep, but it’s an essential part of decluttering. If you can’t handle this step, your closet is going to be a mess again in a week or two.

If you want to take an extreme approach to clean out your closet, check out the KonMari method. Decluttering expert Marie Kondo has a tough, disciplined, and simple approach to decluttering – if it doesn’t bring you joy, you shouldn’t keep it.

4. Downsize and Donate

When you know what items you’re ready to get rid of, create a donation pile. If there are a few items you’re on the fence about, store them in a bag outside of your closet. Give yourself a month or a few weeks to wear it. If that time period passes and you still haven’t worn it, you’ll probably feel better about letting it go.

Cleaning out your closet means downsizing more than just clothes. Don’t overlook items such as shoes, handbags, and accessories. In many cases, it’s those little things that end up taking up the most space.

5. Put Everything Back In the Closet

With everything sorted, categorized, and edited down, it’s time for the fun part – putting everything back in. If you followed step one and emptied every item out, putting things back in will be a breeze.

You can arrange your closet by season, by item type, or by color – how you want it to look and function is up to you. To really make your wardrobe look different than before, we recommend buying new hangers to give your closet a uniform look. Coordinated hangers will instantly make your closet look neat and organized.

It’s also a good idea to buy a few storage bins to hold out-of-season items or accessories. You can also use bins to hold shoes, purses, scarves, and all sorts of small items. With the right combination of shelves, containers, and hangers, your closet will have a brand new look.

Conclusion

Decluttering your closet can seem like a daunting task, but if you follow these five steps, it’s possible to do. Start by taking everything out. Separate items into categories so you can assess everything you have. Decide what you want to keep and downsize by donating items that you don’t wear, don’t fit into, or don’t feel comfortable wearing.

Get some new hangers or storage boxes and put everything back in. When you finish, you can step back and admire the fantastic work you’ve done!

Keep in mind; the decluttering process doesn’t stop there. To keep that closet looking neat and organized, you have to keep up with the process. Every time you buy something, try donating one item in return. If you keep a donation bag or bin beside your closet (or on your closet floor), it will be easy to toss things when they no longer meet your needs.