By Casey Schellberg
At the beginning of each new year, I make time to do the one chore everyone dreads: cleaning out my closet. I love getting new clothes for my birthday, Christmas, etc., but I also have my closet packed wall to wall. While it can be time-consuming, I have a simple way to clean out my closet each year that gets rid of the clothes I forgot about, and adds the new ones I can’t wait to wear.
Breaking down your closet into sections will help you tackle this chore a lot easier and even allow you to do it over the course of a few days. I like to first start with any hanging items, specifically tops. Take them all out of your closet and lay them all in one pile. If it’s too big, separate it by sleeve length. Then, go piece by piece and decide if you want to keep it, donate it or sell it. These 3 piles will be used all throughout the process and help you keep everything separated and organized.
When you are deciding whether you want to keep an item, sell it or donate it, think about these following questions: Does the item still fit you? Have you worn this item in the past year? Does it reflect your current style? Does it still have tags on it or is it in a good condition? Could I make money off of this?
Continue going through each pair of pants, dress, jackets, pajamas, shoes, etc. until you have all your clothes separated into 3 piles. Feel free to hang back up any clothes you decided to keep or start bagging the clothes you are donating/selling throughout the process so the piles don’t get too big. I like to do this after I’ve gone through each category of clothing.
While it may seem overwhelming at first, cleaning out your closet can be really simple, and even fun, if you break it down into the short steps I explained above. Remember to drop your donation items off at your local donation center or box afterward so you can enjoy your closet space, at least till the next shopping trip.