5 Steps To Cleaning Out Your Closet
by guest blogger Kelsey Dech
With a new season often comes a new wardrobe and now that Fall is in full swing, it may be time for you to take a second look at your closet. We love a good spaghetti strap and a cute pair of cutoff shorts but unless you’re living below the equator, chances are you need to make some room for your long sleeves, sweaters and jackets. But before you go full Marie Kondo on your wardrobe, read through these 4 steps to help clean out your closet.
- Determine Your Goal
Before you take anything off the hanger or out of the drawer, ask yourself why you are cleaning out your closet in the first place. Is it to make way for new pieces? Is it to refine your style? Maybe you’re looking to declutter and transition to a capsule wardrobe or maybe it is just a seasonal changeover. Whatever it is, narrow down your goal prior to getting started.
- Prep
Depending on the size of your closet, clearing out your wardrobe can take hours so it’s best to prep in advance. Take a look at your calendar and decide what day and time works best for your schedule. Once you have a date in mind, be sure to make a short list of supplies you might need. For example, garbage bags, storage bins, labels, and markers often come in handy. Pro tip: have an upbeat playlist ready to go as well. Cleaning is always better when there is a good tune to back it up.
- Sort
The day has come for your big closet clean and it’s time to get to work. Remind yourself of the goal you set out for yourself and ensure you have all your supplies ready to go. Begin going through and sorting your existing wardrobe based on this goal. For example, if you are aiming to make room for your Fall clothes, you’ll want to go through all of your Spring and Summer styles first. Sometimes sorting by style is the way to go. In other words, making piles based on the type of clothing. Like a blazers pile or a tank top bin. But for others, sorting items based on how you feel about it works better. Typically, this is when you sort items into 3 to 5 categories:
- Keep
- Store Away
- Donate
- Repair
- Trash
It’s important to keep in mind that the sorting process will look different for everyone so find what works for you and your goal. PS! If you do have items that fall under the well beyond repair category, make sure you dispose of them sustainably and ethically. There are many textile recycling projects across the country so do your research and see how to properly dispose of your unwanted belongings before you just toss them into the garbage bin.
- Organize
Once you’ve sorted through your entire wardrobe and determined what’s staying versus what’s going, now is the time to reconstruct and get things back in place. Take this time to color coordinate your wardrobe or maybe give yourself a moment to flip the hangers around so they’re all pointing in the same direction. Whatever it is, make sure you are not just letting your closet go back to the same way it was set up. What’s the point of cleaning it out if you’re just going to keep it as disorganized as you had it before?
- Clean Up!
The hard work is done and your closet is shining from hanger to hanger. All that should be left to do is clearing up any leftover supplies and loading up your car with your donation pile. Didn’t end up with any items to donate? Lucky for you, tidying up should be even quicker!
What are your closet cleanout tips? Send us an email at hello@stellargirl.com of dm us on insta and we will share them at @stellargirlofficial
