Everyone’s got their own strategy for cleaning out a closet, right?
Sometimes you have extra stuff you can donate, sometimes you have a better way of putting all those sweaters away until you need to wear them again, sometimes you just find an easier method of hanging stuff up.
But no matter how you like to organize your closet, there’s always one tried and true method for closet organization: getting rid of stuff you don’t need!
This, of course, is easier said than done. It can be tough to know what to get rid of and what to keep when it comes to organizing any room, but one as personal as our closet (since that’s where our whole wardrobe lives!) can be much trickier to navigate.
However, we think there’s always a few opportunities to pare down the things in your closet and free up a little room for the stuff you really like (or even some new pieces). If you’re looking to free up some space in your closet, here’s three things we think you could get rid of to start on the right foot.
Three Things To Get Rid Of In Your Closet
Anything that doesn’t fit anymore
Let’s start with an easy one: stuff that doesn’t fit!
We’ve all been there: some shirt from forever ago that’s maybe a little too snug now, a dress from your phase when you were trying to size down because that was the style at the time, or just something you ordered online that didn’t fit like you hoped (but couldn’t return for various reasons). Even if it’s something you used to love wearing, we think you’ll be able to get rid of these without a big impact on the rest of your wardrobe.
Go through your closet hangers and closet organizers (just to make sure you didn’t miss anything), take out everything you’re sure doesn’t fit anymore, and then maybe grab a few other ‘maybes’ that you haven’t worn in a while to see if they still fit. Worst case scenario, you have a few more pieces you can comfortably wear, and the rest can get donated or sold!
Clothes you’ve only worn once
Now, this tip ties in a little with the previous idea (since a lot of stuff that doesn’t fit was probably an online purchase that you had to try on), but this category may be more all-encompassing than you’re expecting.
Think about anything you’re never really going to need to wear again. Stuff like bridesmaid dresses, work clothes for when your job had a stricter dress code, those ugly t-shirts that Aunt Tracy made up for the last big family gathering, and so on. While it might make you (or Aunt Tracy!) a little sad to see these things get tossed out, it’s better than just hanging onto something you’ll never wear again, and the extra space in your closet will thank you. (In fact, this could free up some space for you to set up a few extra wire closet shelves to help organize the things you’re keeping!
Anything you haven’t worn in the past year
Now, this can be the hard one, but we promise it’s worth it. After the stuff that doesn’t fit and the stuff you only needed once gets donated, take a look to see if there’s anything you haven’t worn in the last year or so. (This sounds kind of complicated, but believe us – you’ll know them when you see them.)
Maybe they’re in good shape but they’re not quite your style anymore, maybe the weather was never quite right for it, maybe it still has the tags (definitely a big sign), but either way, if you haven’t liked it enough to wear it in the last 12 months, it’s just taking up space in there.
We all know parting with clothes can be hard, but think about it this way – you’re just making room for the stuff you actually like, and if donating a few old tops makes it easier to get to something you’ll be excited to wear, you’ll feel a lot better about it in the long run!