Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Clean Out Your Closet Part 1

Clean Out Your Closet - Part 1

The new year has begun! At this time, many go through their homes and CLEAN OUT.  Before you touch the clothes in your closet, make sure you have a plan.  What? You just throw things out left and right and then wonder why you feel like you have nothing to wear a month from now?  I thought so.

The first phase is to go through every item in your closet and separate into the following piles:
  • Pile #1: I wear this all the time and love it
  • Pile #2: Throw out or donate; I will never wear this again
  • Pile #3: Needs repair or dry cleaning; I won't wear it until its done
  • Pile #4: Wrong size and I don't want to get rid of it just yet (maternity clothes go in this category)
  • Pile #5: Sentimental clothing; I don't ever plan on wearing it, but it means too much to get rid of

As you go through this first phase, keep a list of things you realize you need (like a classic white shirt) and things you love but are so worn out you need to replace them (like your favorite jeans).  To help keep track of it all, I uploaded a free printable - the Closet Cleanout Sheet!  Easy and simple - cut in half, and tape the sheet somewhere in your closet.  If you put it on your fridge, you'll never see it and never use it. PUT IN CLOSET!  I made sure there were two because when I clean out my closet, I clean out my husband's at the same time!

As you clean out, keep the list handy and fill out as you go. By the time your piles are sorted, you've got a (hopefully) cleaner closet and a list of things you still need to make your wardrobe function effectively. 

Now, what do you do with all those PILES?  Let’s start with the easy ones and work our way backward.

Pile #5: Sentimental Clothing
Fold everything nicely as you reminisce; then put it in a box.  This box goes at the top of your closet in those places that are hard to reach.  Don’t get rid of the clothes if they mean something to you, but they shouldn’t be taking up precious space!

Pile #4: Wrong Size
If there are clothes you love that are too big (REJOICE) then put them in a box next to the sentimental clothing box.  If the clothes you are looking for are too small they may go in the box – if they are I-just-need-to-lose-that-last-5-pounds-from-the-holidays too small, they get to be hung in your closet.  Else, they go in the box with the clothes that are too big.  Maternity clothes should also go in a box until you’re ready to use them.  Once it becomes that time in your pregnancy where nothing but maternity clothes fit, I’m sure you can find them a home hanging up in your closet!

Pile #3: Needs Repair or Dry Cleaning
Make sure each item in this pile is fixable and that you will wear it when its fixed.  If not, move it to pile #2!  Now that you’ve done that, put the rest of the pile (and hopefully this is a small pile) in your car.  The next errand you run, stop by the dry cleaners and drop them off!

Pile #2:  Throw Away or Donate
If the clothes you no longer are wearing are still in good repair, donate them.  If they are completely worn out and beyond repair, throw them away.  Put them in garbage bags and add them to your car (don’t get them mixed up with your dry cleaning from pile #3!)  Donate at a Salvation Army or Goodwill near you. 

Pile #1:  Clothes I want to Keep
Oh, pile #1!  Hopefully this was the biggest pile, nevertheless, we want to make sure that as we put everything back in your closet, we arrange it in such a way it makes it fun, easy, and efficient for you to get dressed in the morning – it really is possible!  Putting clothes back into your closet is going to need a post all of its own, so look for Clean Out Your Closet Part 2!

Don't forget to download your Closet Cleanout Sheet!




4 comments:

Maternity Wear said...

Great information shared here about clothing which should be threw up, stored for further. It depends on the person how he or she thinks.

Unknown said...

The point of cleaning out your closet is to make it more efficient - instead of having to rummage through clothes that don't fit or need to be dry cleaned before you find that one shirt you were looking for - wastes time and space, when if you would follow the above guidelines you could streamline the process of getting dressed. Hope it helps!

Fitness By Alicia said...

Great information! I did this process sort of when we moved. I have my extra clothes that are too big or too small in a guest bedroom closet. I like to go look at them it get me motivated to lose weight.

Image Envy said...

@Fashion By Alicia:
I wish I had the space of a guest closet! That's perfect you can still hang them up but not take up room in the master closet!