How To Declutter Your Closet

Photo byStock-Asso and Shutterstock

Closets–we all have one, and most of us have too many. They’re full of clothes you don’t want, can’t fit, or don’t need. They are jam-packed with shirts, ties, pants, and shoes that you don’t even know you own anymore. However, don’t despair.

Now is a great time to get your wardrobe back into shape and organize your closet. It’s time for a closet declutter—the kind where you can get organized and live clutter-free–a deep clean-out. Here are 8 simple steps to declutter your closet—for good this time!

First, Prepare

Decluttering your closet is a relatively simple and straightforward process. It begins with a mindset and ends with you taking action. Here are four simple steps to get you through the decluttering process:

1. Mentally Prepare

Decluttering is a challenge. It’s hard to let go of things that once brought you joy. Get in the right mindset before getting rid of clutter in your closet. Maybe talk to some friends who have done it or read an organizing book.

Learn how to declutter so you can make a plan. Then, set a goal for organizing your closet and reward yourself when the job is complete.

2. Make A Plan

Once you have the right mindset, it's time to make a plan. Set limits on how many pieces of clothing you want to have. Decide what you're going to keep and what you're going to toss before you start sorting through your clothes. Make sure that everything in your closet makes you feel good about yourself. Don't force yourself into keeping something just because it was expensive or hard to part with! Let it go if it doesn't fit anymore and hasn't been worn in six months!

Look for duplicates. Do you have two pairs of black pants? You probably don't need them both to pick one pair and donate or sell the other one!

3. Establish Four Bins For The Decluttering Process

The four-bin strategy helps you move through each item with purpose. The first bin is for items you want to keep. The second represents maybe items. The third is for things that need to be donated or discarded. Lastly, the fourth is things you need to relocate.

The "keep" pile should be things you absolutely love and wear frequently. The "donate" pile should be stuff that you don't love but could possibly help someone else out with—it could be clothes or other household items (like a mattress or a crockpot). And the "throw-away" pile should obviously be things that are broken or worn out beyond repair (sorry!).

Then sort through each pile and figure out what needs to happen next. If something is in the "keep" pile but doesn't fit anymore because you've lost weight or gained muscle mass since buying it, consider tossing it. If there isn't anything else like it in your collection—you'd rather have multiple versions of something else than one version that no longer fits well.

Before you relocate something, make sure it has a real home to visit. You don't want to move stuff from the living room to the garage just to move clutter around.

4. Remove Everything From The Closet And Begin

The last step is to go through all of your items. First, you have to remove everything from the closet. Then, only put the things you will keep back inside. The remaining items are to go into the three bins of the decluttering process.

Now, remember to only keep the items that bring your joy and that you need during this process. Don’t keep something just to keep it. Don’t keep things because you “might need it” or “what if.” Instead, go with the first instinct- do you love it? If not, let it go. Here’s a list of decluttering questions to ask yourself when going through your items:

• Is the item old and outdated?
• Does it fit well?
• Has it lost its shape?
• Do you feel good about the article?
• How do you look in it?
• Is it a duplicate?
• When was the last time you used it?

If you have items that are more than one year old and you haven’t worn them, get rid of them. Don’t hesitate to get rid of things you look at often but never wear. And don’t worry about the waste. The money left the moment you made the purchase. All we can do is better in the future.

You’ll have an opportunity to donate clothes to charity or other people who can use them. Or you could also sell them on eBay or at a garage sale for some extra cash.

This article was produced and syndicated by Simple Is More.