How to “Let Go”– and REALLY Purge Your Closet
We’ve all done it– standing in front of the closet in a trance wondering what to wear or wondering where that favorite fuchsia scarf could be hiding. It’s usually not so much a matter of nothing to wear but a matter of being able to easily find what you do have.
My answer to this was to purge out my closet. I did my “purge” in several phases over a 3-month period. And to this day I follow a strict rule of “one piece coming in means one piece has to go out”– I don’t want to go back to my jumbled junky closet. Here are my rules for Closet Success:
1. If you haven’t worn something in a year it goes regardless of condition, price or size. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably never will.
2. If you have a piece of clothing that every time you wear it you feel annoyed– dump it.
3. If it’s waiting to be mended–enough is enough. Are you really going to pull out the needle and thread yourself?
4. If you hate to iron–why do you still have an ironing pile? Get rid of everything in the “ironing pile.”
5. It’s okay to keep a few “skinny” clothes (we all do it) but you don’t need to keep all of them. Styles change, you change, your body shape changes so chances are that when you get back to the magical “skinny size” you’re going to want new stuff anyway.
6. Sentimental clothes you never wear should not reside in your closet. Either take a picture to preserve the memory or limit yourself to one bag of “clothes to show my kids”.
7. Don’t hang onto pieces that are “kind of okay” because you don’t have anything better as a replacement. Let them go.
8. You don’t have to do everything all at once. Purge in stages and be motivated by your success. One week you could do shirts, the next week jeans, etc.
9. Try everything on. This can not be stressed enough. A blouse that is too tight belongs in the purged pile. Even if the pattern is beautiful and you only wore it once 10 years ago when you were in college.
10. Don’t over-stuff your closet space. Cramming your clothes into the closet and battling every morning to find something to wear won’t make your closet grow bigger. It will only make you cranky…every single day.
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These are some really great tips! I’m a believer in purging the closet. I have to convince wife to do the same – but very carefully bring it up :).
Love your post 🙂 I should keep the points you mentioned in mind (always); I have real issues when it comes to purging my closet. One week ago I gave away a shirt that no longer fitted me, it took me 10 years to actually get to the point of being able to “part with it.” I had to battle with a lot of sentimental attachment to give it away!
i had to laugh when I read your comment. You have no idea how many times I had the same thought about my “stuff”. I continue to downsize even now.
If you have work clothes and cauasl clothes the first thing to do is to separate them into two piles. Next, put seasonal items together within those two categories, starting with heavy sweaters on one end of the rack and working your way down to light-weight t-shirts. Finally, arrange your items by color so you will be able to find what you need at-a-glance.Of course, the best way to organize any cluttered space is to declutter. If you have too many clothes than what will comfortably fit into your closet you might want to consider purging the clothing that you no longer wear.Here is a great way to test yourself. When you organize your closet, put all of the hangers on the rod so that the hooks are facing toward the back of the closet.As you wear an item and then return it to the closet, turn the hanger so that the hook is facing toward the front of the closet.After six months, any hangers with hooks still facing toward the back will indicate clothing you have not worn in six months. If you don’t wear it in six months, get rid of it it is just cluttering up your closet.
I love this post. Last year, I read a book on how to de-clutter with Feng Shui, but your advice is to the point and easier to follow. I need to print this off for my granny, who keeps EVERYTHING for fear if needing it later.
You know, my grandparents did the same thing- ha. Luckily my own parents have been cleaning and getting rid of things lately. Do you happen to remember the name of the book you read on de-cluttering with Feng Shui? It sounds interesting…
Thanks for stopping by. (your blog is amazing by the way) Cheers!