One of the tasks that I try and regularly keep up with is decluttering my clothing closet. I know it’s time to do it when I can’t find what I’m looking for, or basically it just looks like a giant disaster.
A messy closet wreaks havoc on our lives, and believe me, this is not an extreme statement. There is nothing worse than a messy closet. Think of a time when you were attempting to get ready to go out and you end up face to face with a closet disaster. You started pulling things out only to discover they don’t fit or are so outdated that 1990 was calling for you to return them! Things are jammed in corners and are either so wrinkled that there is no way they could be worn, or even worse, you discover items still with the tags on that you never liked and still don’t! None of this is helpful when you have to be somewhere in 17 minutes :)
A cluttered closet is a cluttered mind, and we don’t realize how much this can affect our moods and general well being. Good advice alert:
IF YOU HAVEN’T WORN IT IN A YEAR, YOU NEVER WILL - GET RID OF IT!
“But maybe I….” NOPE - you won’t. Look, you made a mistake purchase - it happens, and now is the time to let it go. No amount of keeping something that you aren’t wearing makes any sense. “But it was expensive!!” Yup, you made an expensive mistake - it happens. Unless you are planning to sell it at a consignment store or on eBay, there is zero point in keeping things that you aren’t wearing or using. These things are just occupying valuable real estate in your closet; real estate that you can use to ease clutter and also to make space for new items that you buy and actually like and want to wear.
So let’s dive into this challenging but rewarding task.
I want you to remember back to the Rule of 3 - a garbage pile, a donate pile, and a keep pile. These piles should in some way be distinct from each other, and I usually recommend having a different colour bag for each one. Please feel very free to tailor this system to something that works best for you, just make sure that the piles can be distinguished from one another. Here’s where it gets fun - work in sections when you do your clothing, with the reason being that if for some reason you get derailed from this activity, you won’t wind up with a crazy huge mess in your room.
I like to start with drawers, as it’s usually a smaller job and a nice way to get my toes wet. The first step is to empty all of your drawers out onto the floor or bed or other surface. Yes all of them. Once you have done this you have created an opportunity to clean all of these drawers that you probably don’t often have access to. Grab your favourite cleaning supplies and get busy! :) Once you have given all of the empty drawers a once over, you can switch attention to the items you emptied.
Each item deserves a moment of examination and contemplation. Ask yourself the important questions: Have I worn this in the last year? (Unless you had misplaced this item and have now found it, if the answer is no, it must go - pop it in the giveaway bag and keep going). Don’t be afraid to throw things out that aren’t even suitable for donation - after all, garbage is garbage. Last but not least, the ‘to keep pile’ exists for everything that you wear, want, and love. Keep going, item by item and eventually you will end up with 3 full bags or piles. Once you fill bags, put them aside for now and get more and let the process continue until you have gone through absolutely everything in your drawers.
I find the putting away part of this adventure fun because now you get to see what you actually have and return these items in a neat and organized way to the drawers. Try to keep shirts with shirts, socks with socks, and work at filling the drawers back up. You will notice that you have more space in each drawer now - what a relief!
As you make your way to your closet, we apply the same process - section by section you remove everything from the closet. Take the time to clean where you can because things can get awfully dusty in there, and now is your opportunity to freshen things up. Slowly, as you did with your drawers, you will fill your bags eventually ending up with garbage, giveaway and a keeper pile. As you refill your closet(s) put stuff away so that its ready to go when you need it. This means don’t put a shirt that is wrinkled beyond recognition back in, take the time to iron it or take it to the dry cleaner. You will be surprised how much you find, and also how many items are no longer serving you and are ready to go. This next bit of advice is very important so I may revert to all caps for it:
THE BAGS OF GIVEAWAY AND GARBAGE NEED TO BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY
Yes, you have that correct - no putting the giveaways in the garage or the trunk of your car where they will remain for the next 6-12 months. Once you have completed this drawer and closet adventure, garbage goes directly into the garbage and the giveaways? They need to be given away within 24 hours, otherwise this exercise was all for not!
Take the time to admire your drawers and closets afterwards, and let me tell you - you will feel great. Not only will you actually have more clothing to wear, but you will also have the space to find it. Good luck on this adventure and see you next time!
