How to Clean Out Your Closet
With more time at home than ever before, many of us are trying to use our days productively.
Are you still working as usual? or find yourself without? Chips in paintwork, cracks in ceilings, and messy backyards are all getting a little more TLC than we’ve been able to afford in the past.
What have you been doing with your extra days in the house?
An answer we’ve found from many of our clients and friends is the major spring closet clean.
A task that usually has us sighing and collapsing on the bed in regret after an hour of making more mess than we started with, cleaning out your closet can be tough.
But it doesn’t have to be!
So today, we’re going through our top tips on cleaning out your closet for the best, most organized results.
Top Tips on How to Clean Out Your Closet
Dive in. And be brave!
Brace Yourself for What’s to Come
If you’re reading this blog and looking for tips on how to best clean out your closet then you probably already know it’s a big job. But brace yourself. Because it’s going to get worse in your wardrobe before it gets better.
And by that, we mean you need to make a mess to get it clean.
Don’t give up halfway through. And make sure you have plenty of cups of tea or coffee on hand! And snacks.
Get in Full Spring Clean Uniform
When you’re cleaning, you need to be comfortable. And when you’re spring cleaning your wardrobe, you need to be extra comfortable.
Plus, you’ll be constantly trying bits on so you need to clean in an outfit that can easily be whipped off and put back on without causing you any stress.
For this, we highly recommend a good slouchy t-shirt and some shorts. Opt for stretchy bike shorts that can stay on when you’re trying on dresses and even trousers or go for comfortable jersey shorts that can easily slide on and off.
The goal is to make sure you’re as least stressed and irritated as possible. So, don’t start cleaning out your closet in jeans. Just trust us, ok?
This H&M slouchy, oversized tee will do the trick.
And either bike shorts.
Or comfy sweat shorts will keep you cozy and in control.
Gather Your Equipment
Plan ahead when you want to do a major spring clean. You’ll be sending lots of stuff to donations or recycling so make sure you’ve got bags ready so that you don’t get left with piles of clothes and accessories in your room.
If you don’t, you’ll find yourself sneaking back into the pile of donated clothes and stealing things you don’t really need back!
Also, if you don’t have good hangers right now, maybe now is the perfect time to get organized. On places like Amazon and eBay, you can get hold of lots of hangers and storage solutions inexpensively which can make this process a lot easier.
Slimline hangers allow you to hang more volume but don’t work well with heavy items. So, think about what you have and the space you’re working with and order some bits online in advance so that you have everything you need for cleaning day.
Start with an Edit
We could all do with a wardrobe edit from time to time. Lots of us are even changing our shopping tactics and switching to capsule wardrobes, where we buy less and wear our clothes more.
So – start with an edit of what you have.
This means, literally go through every single piece in your closet. Take it out one at a time, look at it, try it on if you need to. Ask yourself:
· Have I worn this in the last 6 months?
· If not, why?
· Does this suit me?
· Is this a classic or a statement or trend piece?
Then, decide if you’re keeping it or not.
If not, start a bag of items for donation and a bag for recycling.
If you are, start creating piles. This will depend on your lifestyle but they might be:
-
Day dresses -
Work dresses -
Going out dresses -
Top for jeans -
Basics -
Workout clothes etc.
Or separate into classics, statement pieces, trend pieces.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to see the gaps in your wardrobe much more easily. This will hopefully stop you from buying unnecessary items and keep your purchases more intentional.
See our blog 10 Affordable Fashion Staples for items that you’ll never want to throw out.
Focus on Jeans
Often during a closet clean-out, jeans can be left aside for some reason. Maybe it’s due to the fear of having to try them all on or maybe it’s just pure indecisiveness. But lots of people tend to pile up their jeans and then simply put them all back.
Try to spend some time focusing on your jeans collection – especially if you’re one to stockpile on denim.
Get each pair out and… try them on.
Do they fit? Do they feel comfortable? Would you still wear them? Have you worn them in the past year? If no, why not?
Start asking yourself these questions to decide if you should keep them or donate them.
If you’re not sure which types and styles of jeans you should be wearing to flatter your body type – we covered that in our jeans blog.
Your collection should have you covered to suit all occasions. Think about whether you tick off our essential jeans basics list:
Skinny jeans
Straight-leg jeans
Flare jeans
White jeans
Move Everything
To do the job right, you want to walk in front of your closet after your clear-out and see everything clean, tidy, and in its own place.
So, make sure you move everything out of the way of your closet – whatever size you’re working with.
Then, fully clean in and around your closet before putting anything at all back in.
Put Thing Back Slowly
Once you’ve edited, recycled, donated, tidied and cleaned, you need to put everything you’re keeping back into your wardrobe.
Don’t rush this bit! It’s the most rewarding!
Put your items back in an organized way. Whatever works for you. That might be separating work clothes and weekend looks. Or it might just be color coordinated or by season.
Hang as much as you can to look after things as best as possible.
For folded items, stack horizontally rather than vertically into drawers or storage boxes so that you can easily see what you’ve got. This means less rumbling and mess when you’re next on the hunt for something.
To best look after jeans, hang them from the waistband. This isn’t possible for many due to space. So, if not, roll them instead of folding to stop them from getting dents and lines in the denim.
Donate and Recycle
The last thing you’ll do is discard the items that no longer fit or suit your style. But don’t put them in the bin! Every year, millions and millions of items of clothing find their way into landfills. It’s damaging to the earth and is completely unsustainable.
Instead, find somewhere else for your clothing. Charities all over the world are asking for clothing and footwear donations for those in need. Seek out a local charity that needs your help. If items are ruined in some way and can’t be donated, they could still be recycled. Look up your local clothing and textiles recycling center and make sure they end up there and not in a dumpster.
Cleaning out your closet properly is more than a 30-minute job. But it’s so worth the extra effort. You’ll find pieces you forgot you have that you can bring back to your wardrobe rotation and you can recycle or donate all the pieces that are just collecting dust.
Have a full spring clean this weekend and start with the place you begin all your mornings. The closet.