This question has been on repeat over on Instagram Stories so I thought I would publish this popular post again. Spring is approaching, so it’s a great time to get a head start on your spring cleaning by cleaning and organizing our closets. I have some great tips to make it so easy. Purging out those items that you don’t need will give you much more peace of mind! I recently cleaned out and organized my closet with the help of my amazing stylist, Lexi Dennis. Watch her work her magic in my closet HERE. It’s such a reward to purge when you get some amazing new outfit ideas at the end of it. Now before I dive into my tips, I do have a few items I NEVER purge. Designer handbags, special gifts and precious keepsakes. Those will never lose their value or go out of style. Designer handbags become vintage and will always hold their value!
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Tips for Cleaning Out Your Closet
To get your closet ready for organization, you need to start by cleaning out all of your unnecessary items. My advice is to make two piles; one for lightly used items that you can donate, and one for items to trash. Below I have listed some great organizations in Dallas that take donated clothes. You can also resell your items through a second-hand clothing site like Poshmark. Ok now let’s look at my list of items to get rid of.
1. Anything you haven’t worn in a year or more
It might be a great shirt, but clearly you do not love it enough to make it part of your regular wardrobe rotation. Put it in the donation pile. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you don’t need it.
2. Anything that does not fit
If it is ill-fitting now, it will always be ill-fitting. As Marie Kondo asks, “does it bring you joy?” If it doesn’t fit then the answer is NO. It just takes up room in your closet, plus it doesn’t make you look and feel great. Those items have got to go. NOW!
3. “Skinny” clothes
Why do we keep these items around? We love to keep clothing items that don’t fit just in case our bodies change, but it’s time to get rid of them! I’m all for weight loss motivation, but keeping those jeans from a decade ago is not it. Get them out of your closet.
4. Anything that looks worn
If it has a hole in it that is not fixable, toss it! If it has stains, toss it! You have enough cute loungewear that you do not need to keep these pieces in your closet. They just take up space.
5. Shoes that hurt
Nobody has time for pain. If you have worn a pair of shoes 2-3 times and they are still painful, get rid of them. Chalk it up to a bad decision. We’ve all done it more than once. TIP: I have my shoes displayed where I can see all of them. I need this visually to style outfits. I’ve never been one to store my shoes in boxes.
6. Unused bras and underwear
Undies with holes in them? Trash. Bras where the underwire digs in? Get rid of it! This closet clean out includes everything top to bottom. Need some new ones? I highly recommend Soma.
7. Seasonal items you “might” wear again
Something you “might” wear again is not a good enough reason to keep it in your closet. The season has passed on these seasonal items and so has their time in your closet. This includes jewelry, purses, belts, etc. Everything must go. Otherwise, you will be temped to wear it and look dated.
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Tips for Organizing Your Closet
Now that you have gone through every nook and cranny of your closet and determined the items to keep, let’s talk about tips to organize your closet clean out. Before you do this, take everything you piled up on the floor and get it out of sight. Consider also one of the PestPro Thermal bed bug heater kits since experts have proven they lay larva and eggs in your clothing.
1. Group similar items together
When organizing, it helps to put all of your tops together, bottoms together, accessories together, etc. I would take it a step further and put similar tops together, like putting your casual tees in one spot and your jeans in one location. This makes it much easier to choose your outfit based on occasion.
2. Color coordinate
Take step 1 another step further and color coordinate you pieces. Again, this helps to quickly assess your closet and find all of your items easily. I love having all of my white tees together as well as my white button down shirts.
3. Invest in storage
Gather garment bins, hangers, jewelry cases, all of it! The more you can consolidate everything in a neat and orderly fashion, the better. I love having an acrylic jewelry case because I can see all of my jewelry choices. I have a bracelet stand, a necklace stand and a jewelry drawer. Also, I think having the same hangers for all of your clothes makes your closet look cleaner and more organized. I use these hangers. Storage TIP: I store all of my travel sunscreen in a plastic bag and keep it inside a straw bag. That way I won’t forget it when I start packing for a beach trip.
4. Make a plan to maintain
After you have organized everything, make a plan as to how you will maintain this. Do you need to reevaluate every month or two? Set a reminder and make a plan to maintain your closet clean out. No need to do a complete purge every time. My recommendation is to do this at least twice a year – spring and fall.
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What are your tips for the ultimate closet clean out? Did I miss anything? If you’re looking for more amazing organizational products that won’t break the bank, be sure to read HERE. Also, I highly recommend Lexi Dennis for your own closet clean out and styling session. She made so many new outfits for me with things that were already in my closet. It basically saved me money. Give her a ring (904) 451-7766 and tell her I sent you!
xoxo – Tanya
Photo: Audrie Dollins
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DFW donation locations
St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas
Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support
Hope’s Door New Beginning Center
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You are going to laugh at me….but I organize my closet by outfit…so then, I can see the pieces that I bought that really don’t go with anything. And either I find something to make an outfit if I really love the piece, or it goes to the resale shop. And I 100% agree with all your tips! I clean out twice a year, and use Poshmark as well as local resale shops. GREAT post!!!!
Mary-
How in the world do you have enough room for all those outfits to hang? I’m going to have to come over and investigate…
xoxo- Tanya
My tip I learned recently was from Reza on Shah’s of Sunset! I have the same shelves you have for shoes, Tanya, and I have too many shoes. Reza displayed them with one shoe facing front and its match facing backwards. Gave me room for at least 1 more pair per shelf!
Great post and very timely!
Paige-
That is an excellent suggestion! Fortunately, I have enough room to shelve all of mine and see them. And it gives me a reason to purge a pair if it gets too crowded.
xoxo – Tanya
Hi Tanya! Now that my closet is cleaned and purged I still struggle on putting together outfits . I am 90% casual or business casual. Will you do another post on putting together outfits? Specifically how do I start? I find I gravitate to pulling the outer most piece first, so a sweater or Nike vest and work backwards. I feel I limit my creativity doing it that way. True? In the summertime there is no outer piece in our climate so I really repeat the same top/pant combo too often. A post will be appreciated!
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for the suggestion. Personally, I start with “what am I doing today” and let the outfit develop from there. I also take the weather and temperature into consideration. Beyond that, it just happens organically.
Let me see if I can address that in Wednesday’s blog post.
Thanks-
Tanya
I second Margaret’s request!
I organize everything. Keep shoes and boots in dust bags and rotate them. I buy quality as it truly holds up. I am my own thrift store. Change buttons or a belt. Had a jacket long or short. Donate anything that is worn or a color that just not look good on you. And do donate to that woman’s shelter.