What are your guidelines/tips for cleaning out your closet?

[Tonks]

The other thread about what you wear when you leave the house made me realize that my closet is in desperate need of a cleaning out. So I started, only to accomplish making it look like a bomb went off in my bedroom.

HOW do you decide what to keep and what to toss?

I have several issues:
—One, we are still being quite Covid cautious and probably will be until there’s a vaccine that prevents transmission. So that means I’m not doing a whole lot of going out or getting dressed up. But should I just toss all those clothes? That seems silly.

—Two, my body is always changing shape, so I have several different sizes of things. I have learned to keep old sizes because I often need them again. Right now I’m seeing my sizes in clothes increase as I build muscle, but I have surgery coming up this summer so my guess is that I will lose a lot of it and my size will go down. What should I do with all these things that don‘t fit now but I want to keep?

Any tips welcome. I’m seriously regretting starting this closet process. But it‘s all out there now, so I’m stuck.

 

[marymm]

If you have sufficient closet space, I suggest keeping your dressy clothes segregated to one side (perhaps in one of those garment bags meant to hold more than one garment).

Keep the clothes in the size you currently wear front & center.

Group the clothing that fits larger / fits smaller into two separate storage containers and slide under bed or elsewhere if there's not enough room in the closet.

As you go through the categories (dressy, current size, larger/smaller), consider discarding:
- anything that you don't care for but keep around for "just in case"
- anything that doesn't go with anything else in your wardrobe
- anything you have multiples of (excepting your clothing staples)

As you are categorizing, doublecheck everything is clean/stain-free/hole-free with intact buttons and functional fasteners.

If you are keeping items that require hemming/tailoring/drycleaning, add those tasks to this week's (or this month's) to-do list -- and remember to sort the returned items into their categories.

Toss anything that is stained, worn out, misshapen.

Donate to charity anything you aren't keeping but is in good shape and clean.

 

[missy]

My husband's rule of thumb is if you haven't worn something for 1-5 years out it goes. That's his rule. And when he buys new clothes he gets rid of clothes.

I, OTOH, keep everything haha. No seriously for me it just depends. I do have clothes from decades ago that I still wear but I have gotten rid of all my professional work suits and stuff since I do not plan on ever wearing those again. And I get rid of shoes when they are worn and cannot be salvaged. Turns out I am hard on my shoes. Who knew. But clothes are trickier because I still fit into everything I used to and it always happens that when I get rid of something a month or two later I'm like darn I wanted to wear that

Luckily I have lots of closet space so it's not critical but I do plan on cleaning out some closets and drawers this month and see if I can donate clothing to charity. I feel so much better and lighter when I do get rid of things I am no longer wearing. It just takes a lot of mental energy for me to part with things. IDK why because in my mind they are *just* things but still it isn't super easy for me like it is for my DH.

 

[Tartansparkles]

If it hasn't been worn in the last 6 months, it goes. If it's something that I really want to hang on to, it gets another 6 months but definitely no longer than 1 year (except one or two formal/evening outfits). And for each new thing in, an old thing out. But I don't particularly enjoy shopping for clothes and I am very picky. I have to be absolutely sure about whatever I am buying and it must also go with at least 3 other things that I have, so that helps keep the quantity down.

 

[Tonks]

If it hasn't been worn in the last 6 months, it goes. If it's something that I really want to hang on to, it gets another 6 months but definitely no longer than 1 year (except one or two formal/evening outfits). And for each new thing in, an old thing out. But I don't particularly enjoy shopping for clothes and I am very picky. I have to be absolutely sure about whatever I am buying and it must also go with at least 3 other things that I have, so that helps keep the quantity down.

SIX MONTHS?!?!?

Omg.

I’m over here deciding whether 10 years is too long.

 

[missy]

SIX MONTHS?!?!?

Omg.

I’m over here deciding whether 10 years is too long.

It’s not!


I mean it depends

 

[Tonks]

So apparently one can speed the process along by involving one’s 16 year old daughter.

“You’re *keeping* that???”

She doesn’t appreciate anything from the time when sleeves were 3/4 length and belled.

 

[Austina]

If I haven’t worn something in over a year, then I’ll donate it. That doesn’t necessarily apply to my ‘good’ clothes, because we used to cruise a lot, so I have really nice dressy clothes that I wear then.

I try to have a one in one out rule, so if I buy something new, I look to see what I can donate so I don’t get to the stage where I‘ve just got things sitting unworn.

When I live in the UK, I’d do a purge twice a year and donate to the local charity shops, but before we left, we both got rid of mountains of cold weather clothes that we knew we simply wouldn’t need here.

 

[Tonks]

Any advice re: shoes? Im looking at some Frye knee high leather boots that are comfortable, broken in, and fit well. I stopped wearing them when ankle boots became a thing. Are knee high boots coming back?

 

[Mooshi]

I get really honest with myself about how I feel when I wear something. Everything but "happy" leaves. It's got to make me feel good about myself, be comfortable for many different activities, and make me smile when I go for it in the closet. I've started shopping with "dopamine dressing" in mind and it's made getting dressed in the morning a lot more fun. Bright pink cashmere sweater is better than multiple polyester beige sweaters for me.

Donating unworn items to my local womens shelter makes it easier to get rid of items that don't make me happy but are still in great condition. They have a thrift store, the women staying at the shelter get first dibs (for free), and everything else that is sold supports running of the shelter. I've also seen this set up for animal shelters, it makes me feel great helping out!

 

[hardwear]

Great advice so far!

If you have professional clothing, dresses, skirts, blouses shoes, bags, jewelry and no longer need please donate to Dress for Success. Fantastic not for profit organization to help women become independent financially and clothing is the first step for many of these women, donated items are then used for these women to wear to their first job interviews. And if they get a job, they get to come back to get a few more outfits.

We brighten the lives of women across the world

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

dressforsuccess.org

-Dedicate only 1-2 hours a day to clean out/ declutter anything more and it becomes overwhelming very quickly.
-Follow the 1 year rule, if you haven't worn it in 1 year...its likely not going to happen.
-Make some boxes: keep , donate, throw away, give away and start dividing your items into these. You will go back to these and sort again when you are ready to hang back into your closet.
-Organize with hangars/bins/storage baskets. Not sure what size or type of closet you have.
-Keep only the clothes that you love and know will go back to them regarding size changes.
Good luck! Closets are challenging.

 

[marymm]

Any advice re: shoes? Im looking at some Frye knee high leather boots that are comfortable, broken in, and fit well. I stopped wearing them when ankle boots became a thing. Are knee high boots coming back?

Keep the Frye boots! For sure I see people (including fashionable people) wearing knee high boots -- and, really, isn't there a strong argument that Frye boots are always in fashion?

More seriously, IMO quality knee-high leather boots that are comfortable should be considered a staple (unless you have more than 2-3 pairs)

 

[Avondale]

HOW do you decide what to keep and what to toss?

I only keep the clothes I love. Everything that’s old and too worn to be presentable gets tossed, as well as everything I no longer like.

I keep a small amount of clothes in my wardrobe. The amount of apparel in the average person’s closet terrifies me, to be honest. Due to the fact I keep no more than two pairs of jeans at any one time, I throw away the old ones when they tear and buy a new pair. Shirts, tees, blouses - it’s a similar ordeal, no more than 10 for summer and 10 for winter. They get worn often, due to which their life cycle doesn’t get the chance to span over a decade. Something gets old, needs to be thrown out, I go shopping and replace it.

Overall, life is a lot easier when it’s not crammed up with too many belongings.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

So apparently one can speed the process along by involving one’s 16 year old daughter.

“You’re *keeping* that???”

She doesn’t appreciate anything from the time when sleeves were 3/4 length and belled.

if something is well made and was not too trendy it will come back into fashion again
not that i like to use the world fashion

3/4 sleeves are an easy fix if you can sew a nice straight line

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Any advice re: shoes? Im looking at some Frye knee high leather boots that are comfortable, broken in, and fit well. I stopped wearing them when ankle boots became a thing. Are knee high boots coming back?

keep !

 

[Tonks]

-Dedicate only 1-2 hours a day to clean out/ declutter anything more and it becomes overwhelming very quickly.

I sincerely wish I had read this several hours earlier. I spent most of the day on this. It’s still not done. But there comes a point in the middle where you’re stuck. You’ve taken everything out and you can’t very well stop.

Anyway, I got it to a place where I can reasonably call it a day but I’ve got more to do. Clearly I have avoided it for too long!

Thank you for the great tips.

 

[Tonks]

Keep the Frye boots! For sure I see people (including fashionable people) wearing knee high boots -- and, really, isn't there a strong argument that Frye boots are always in fashion?

More seriously, IMO quality knee-high leather boots that are comfortable should be considered a staple (unless you have more than 2-3 pairs)

Idk, my teen daughter seems to think my Fryes are kind of funny. Of course, she also guffawed over the concept of a shrug sweater. So clearly she’s not an authority on All Things.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i have learnt in the last 20 years that what goes around really does come back again
its just knowing how to piece together an outfit so it doesnt actually look 20 years old !
so if you still like something and its good quality i vote keep it

before we moved we had a tiny flat but with awsome storage
we had a triple wardrobe and all my clothes fitted
i arranged everything by colour and i used difdrent coloured coat hangers for different sizes
then we brought our mid century house and went from one bedroom to four and although thankfully they all have built ins we have much less wardrobe space

right now im hungry, i had a descent breakfast
but im remidning myself if i lost a few pounds and then a few more i would never have to buy clothes ever again

 

[Lookinagain]

I'm not sure the one year rule works if you size changes up and down. 5 lbs on me, up or down is a change in size. So I have to keep 3 sizes. Sounds like you may go up and down too. So I'd say your rule should be longer. And anyway, I think one year is too short even if your size doesn't change, especially if you are in an area where you have 4 seasons and therefore have to have multiple wardrobes. I only wear my winter clothes in winter....that only comes once a year.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I go through my closet fairly often looking for things that can be donated. I still keep too much. There are some things I just can’t get rid of and I do have a couple of different sizes. I don’t really need dress clothes anymore since I retired but I did keep some. You never know when you might need a dress outfit! I do live in an area with four seasons and that is a consideration too. Just hard for me to wrap my mind around paring down to only the things I reasonably wear now. I keep telling myself if we ever downsize and I no longer have the closet space, there will be a lot that will have to go. At that point, I turn the light off and figure I will deal with it then - lol! Women and our clothes - blessings and curses!

 

[marymm]

Idk, my teen daughter seems to think my Fryes are kind of funny. Of course, she also guffawed over the concept of a shrug sweater. So clearly she’s not an authority on All Things.

Teens are totally fashionable -- but a different fashion aesthetic perhaps as compared to parent/older generations, yes?

And the knee-high Frye boots I am imagining may be completely different than the Frye boots in your closet lol!

Bottom line, if you can't imagine scenarios where you'd put them on and wear them out, it doesn't matter how comfortable they are and how good a condition they're in: put them in the "donate" pile -- this is a good rule applicable to everything in a closet.

 

[ShinyPink]

Teens are the worst! So honest and brutal! My girls have such opposing tastes in clothes and always have so I always look like crap to one of them. Just remind her of when she was four and thought it was stylish to wear a tutu and glitter shoes with everything!
And remember that everything eventually comes back in style, so keep those cute belled sleeves for when you're 80 and have nothing to wear.

 

[kenny]

I've become a packrat.
I think this is the only way my closets, house and garage will get de-cluttered.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I've become a packrat.
I think this is the only way my closets, house and garage will get de-cluttered.

well we all sincerly hope that never happens Kenny

 

[Bron357]

I’m terrible.
I have Wardrobes full of business clothes, formal wear, dresses, jumpers, shirts, leather coats, leather jackets, fur coats, trench coats, wool coats. You name it, I have it.
People would “die” if they knew just how much stuff I have that I no longer wear but can’t just “donate”. Too good to be shredded for rags.Tens of thousands of dollars worth, embarrassingly and seriously.
DH friend asked “you wouldnt have a white fringed leather jacket and a pair of matching white cowboy boots?
Yep, here you go.
sigh, I wish there was a workable solution.
if there’s something you need ……………

 

[Tartansparkles]

SIX MONTHS?!?!?

Omg.

I’m over here deciding whether 10 years is too long.

Ahh, but when you have a very limited wardrobe, pretty much everything gets worn within the 6 month window

 

[Tonks]

Teens are the worst! So honest and brutal! My girls have such opposing tastes in clothes and always have so I always look like crap to one of them. Just remind her of when she was four and thought it was stylish to wear a tutu and glitter shoes with everything!
And remember that everything eventually comes back in style, so keep those cute belled sleeves for when you're 80 and have nothing to wear.

Actually my daughter and I end up wearing a lot of the same stuff. (Maybe I should dress more like a grown-up? Hmm, food for thought but I actually really like my casual style.) Anyway, we also wear the same size, so that has been interesting. Tried the whole “we’ll share it” approach to some things. Rapidly realized that all ”community property” leggings ended up in her drawer alone. So I’ve put an end to that, but she does borrow my stuff all the time.

Where she ends up laughing are my clothes from YEARS ago that she can’t imagine. And honestly, since I think the 90s were like five years ago, sometimes I can use the perspective.

 

[Tonks]

I've become a packrat.
I think this is the only way my closets, house and garage will get de-cluttered.

We will not speak of my attic, but as we have been in our house more than 20 years this has occurred to me. I think the only way to keep an attic decluttered properly is to move frequently.

 

[springerspaniel]

only way to keep an attic decluttered properly is to move frequently.

I agree completely! We moved 10 years ago and got rid a lot of stuff but since then there has been a steady influx of more...

 

[FL_runner]

SIX MONTHS?!?!?

Omg.

I’m over here deciding whether 10 years is too long.

I do the six months, with the exception of coats and formalwear

I also do “one thing in, one thing out”. I keep a bag on the floor of the closet and toss things in I think I want to donate- if I have not reached in after a few months I donate.