Let’s Talk About the Closet!

Are you forcing clothes into the closet just to shut the door?    Then it is absolutely time to clean it out.  I find cleaning with music on to be motivating; you may want to put on some of your favorite vibes while you declutter.  Start by taking a picture of your closet to remind you not to let it get that bad again.  Next, remove everything from it: clothes, shoes, hats, handbags, everything!   Put all of it on your bed, except the shoes.   You will be able to see it all, and you will want to get it finished before it’s time for bed!   Now, if that sounds a bit overwhelming to you, just start with one end of the closet and work your way through, stopping when you have reached your limit for that day.  You didn’t acquire all this stuff in one day, and you just may need to pace yourself.  Whatever way you choose, start by sorting the clothes into groups: pants, tops, dresses, hats, and accessories.  As you go through each group one by one, item by item, sort the items into piles.

1. I wear this a lot, it looks good on me, and I’ll KEEP this.
2. I want to keep this, but I am not wearing it now, it’s more for a different season, so I’ll STORE it.
3. Nah, this doesn’t fit well, I don’t wear it. DONATE pile.
4. Oh no, this is so worn out! I never wear it.  TRASH pile.

Then you will want to take out the trash pile first, out of sight, out of mind, and second, take the donate pile to your car so you will not be tempted to revisit those piles.   Next time you go out, stop and donate the items.   Now it’s time to box up those items you want to store.  Find a place out of sight to store them, like maybe an attic space or a guest bedroom closet.   Lastly, return to the closet those items that you decided to keep.  Perhaps you might want to add a shoe rack or some space-saving hangers for a little organization.   Now, stand back and take another picture.  Compare the 2 pictures and see the difference!

Now that your closet is much lighter, try this out.  Think about doing a shopping ban on clothing for at least 3 months?  I have a little rule I use to help keep the closet uncluttered.  If I buy a piece of clothing, I must get rid of a piece of clothing.    I started doing this because I lived in a motor coach for 10 years, and there just wasn’t enough room to add extra items.  If a pair of shoes comes in, then a pair of shoes must go out.    I had a summer wardrobe and a winter wardrobe; whichever season it was, it was in my closet, and whichever season it wasn’t, I put it into storage in the underneath compartments.