How to Purge Your Closet

On New Year’s day, we began 2013 by talking about cleaning out your closet as a way of blessing somebody else who might be in much more need of those jeans than you. But if you’re like me, simplifying and cleaning your closet isn’t an easy fete. In fact, you might dread it (although I admit I love to do it).

Here are my tips for cleaning out your closet and getting rid of unnecessaries:

1. Take everything out of your closet, dresser, tubs, etc. You’ll be starting with a clean slate, which is the perfect mentality to begin the process with.

2. Refold every piece you own. Yes, this might be a big pain, but it gives you a close look at everything you own. Look for stains, rips, tears—anything that might make an item unwearable. More than likely if it has sat in your closet for a few months with a rip or a broken button and you haven’t fixed it yet, you probably won’t get around to it. So just toss it in the secondhand pile.

3. Evaluate each piece. If you’re like me, you care about having on-trend items (and, by the way, it’s fine if you don’t care about that; it’s just part of my job as a personal-style blogger). If something is way out of style, give it away. If something is too big, give it away. If something is too small and you think, Oh, I’ll keep these for when I lose those last ten pounds, give it away. Dress for how your body is now! Your closet and your mental state will thank you when you’re not confronted with those skinny jeans you used to wear five years ago.

4. Keep an eye out for duplicates. I am so guilty of this. When I’m shopping and find a nice-quality sweater made of wool or cashmere at a low price, I’ll buy it. But I’ve ended up with a lot of duplicates (hello, wool, gray turtlenecks) that only serve to take up space in my wardrobe. If you find you have similar items, pick your favorite or the one that fits best, and put the others in your Goodwill pile. Sometimes it hurts to get rid of stuff, especially if memories were made in a certain item of clothing, so keep the mentality of I could be blessing somebody else who really needs this item.

5. Once you’ve sorted, put your clothes back in your closet, organized by color. I keep my closet color-coordinated, and I find it helps me out big time. Not only will it help you save time by not having to look for that shirt as you’re trying to rush out the door for work, but it also gives you an overview of what you already own. Then, when you’re tempted (like me) to buy that wool, gray turtleneck that’s a great price, you’ll be able to remember that you already have one just like it.

Try out these tips and let me know what you think! Either leave a comment below, or you can tweet your thoughts/pics to me @ReMixHer!

CaitlinWilson (25 Posts)

Caitlin Wilson is the founder and editor of Re-Mix-Her, a personal-style and fashion blog. Caitlin graduated with a degree in professional writing, with concentrations in public relations and Biblical languages, from Taylor University. She works at Litfuse Publicity Group as the Chick of All Trades (social media coordinator and publicity assistant), and she also works as a freelance writer and editor. When she isn’t found browsing Pinterest at a local coffee shop (with an iced coffee in hand), she’s either shopping, thrifting, or hanging out with family and friends.