6 Ways to Declutter your Closet

We all have those days when we go to our closet that’s filled with clothes, and think to ourselves, “I have nothing to wear.”

Why is it that with a closet and dresser full of clothes we think this way? You’re probably not in love with the clothes you have, they don’t fit, or the quality isn’t there. I’ve laid out 6 questions to ask yourself below that will help determine whether an item should remain in your wardrobe.

The first step to building a closet with a wearable wardrobe is clearing out all the clutter. When you have a closet of fewer items that you love and feel confident wearing, you’ll be surprised how much easier it is than when you have a closet filled to the brim with pieces you’re iffy on.

Plus getting dressed will be so much quicker, easier, and less stressful! So no more stressing about being late to work or an event because you’re not liking the outfits you’ve put together!

QUALITY

If the pieces have unintentional holes/rips or stains you can’t get out, get rid of it. This is probably the easiest factor in deciding if you should keep an item or not.
If you think certain items can be fixed then stop putting off getting them repaired so you can get to wearing them again!

FIT

We all have that pair of jeans from high school or college that we keep telling ourselves we’ll fit into again. First off, this sets unnecessary standards on ourselves, there is no need for us to try to get back in to these jeans! And if you do gain or lose weight in the future, you can always get a newer pair.

If an item is too small you should get rid of it, it’s simply taking up space for no reason and can often make us feel bad about ourselves for something that is totally normal. If an item is too big, same thing applies unless it’s an item that you intentionally bought to be oversized.

HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Wear this clothing item right now, if you don’t want to wear it, why not? If you don’t want to wear this now then chances are you won’t want to in the future either.
Make a maybe box, if you don’t want to wear an item throw it in there, then come back to your maybe box and ask yourself the same question. If you still don’t want to wear it, it’s time to say goodbye.
The bottom line of this is if you feel uncomfortable in a piece of clothing in your bedroom, you’re going to feel even more uncomfortable in public.

TRENDS

Having pieces that go with the latest trends is such a fun part of fashion, but I know sometimes I go a little overboard. Like how many leopard print items have I gotten this past year? Probably enough to have to do a major purge in a few years time.
This is more of an avoidance tactic but try not to get too many trend pieces because those are often the pieces you wear a few times and then never reach for again.
The same rule can be applied to events, I use to be the person who would go out and buy an outfit for a themed party or specific event and then never wear it again. I suggest asking all your friends for pieces to borrow, or using a rental service like Rent the Runway!

DUPLICATES

When cleaning up your closet look for similar pieces. An example would be maybe you have three different black blouses that are all extremely similar. Chances are you’re wearing one way more often that the others, so whichever is your favorite you should keep and say goodbye to the others.

LAUNDRY DAY

What item’s are always in your laundry bin? This is another way of identifying what clothes you know you’re wearing, so you can set your laundry aside and look into your closet to have to look through less clothing items.
Another way of asking this question is what items can you not remember the last time you had to wash it, let alone wear it? This can be a simple check to make deciding on what to keep easier.

GETTING RID OF IT

This is entirely up to you but the best ways to get rid of clothing to be more sustainable is to either donate them or resell them. These tips apply to clothing that are in good quality, because you don’t really want to give stained or ripped clothing to others.
Donate: This is the most simple option, just get your clothing together, give it a wash, and then bring to your local thrift shop or goodwill.
Resell: This option takes a little more time but if the items are in good condition, and are brands that are sought after, then you can make a little cash reselling them! I’ve personally used Poshmark to resell some of my items and it’s very simple. Other reselling sites are Mercari and Ebay.

I hope these tips have helped you to declutter your closet which is the first step in creating your dream wardrobe!