Have you ever walked into your closet and thought “I have nothing to wear?” Or maybe the opposite has happened where you’ve looked at all of your clothes and couldn’t figure out what to get rid of?
Well, if either of these situations sounds like something that’s happening in your life right now then this post is for you!
In this article, I’m sharing 7 simple and easy steps for a successful closet purge and organization.
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Purge Your Closet Successfully Every Time
We all have closet spaces that could use an update. Sometimes, you just need to take everything out and start fresh to see what you’re working with.
In order to help you purge your closet successfully every time, I wanted to address the most common questions first.
Check out the answers below.
You should declutter all the clothes and shoes that no longer fit you, are worn completely out, are out of style, and the ones you don’t see yourself wearing in the future.
In order to know for sure that you want to get rid of something try it out and see how you like it on. If the first instinct says no, you should most probably purge that item from your closet.
My recommendation is to purge your closet twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. If you do it more often you won’t give yourself enough time to assess whether you have worn something often enough or if you like something.
When you clean out your closet seasonally you can buy what you lack in your closet more easily. You also already know what you don’t want to keep from the off-season clothes because you just wore them recently.
The answer is don’t get rid of all your clothes because you won’t have anything to wear and it will cost you a lot to buy all new clothes. Besides, that’s not sustainable.
I often see beginner minimalists trying to rush the decluttering process and getting rid of too many things because of the declutter high. Take the time to go through all your stuff, not just your closet, and carefully select what you want to keep and what you don’t. You don’t want to have regrets in the future.
RELATED ARTICLE: How Many Clothes Do You Need?
7 Simple Steps for a Closet Purge and Organization
Closet purge and organization don’t have to be something you dread every season. It can be a simple, yet effective process that you will successfully complete every time by following my 7 step guide.
Follow these steps in the order they are listed below and enjoy your clean and organized closet all season long!
1. Take everything out
Take all of your clothes, shoes, and bags out of not only your closet but also all the storage spaces you keep them in. Put everything on your bed or floor.
This way you can really see everything you have in one pile and be shocked by the amount of stuff. Am I right?
Taking everything out at once makes it actually easier and faster to complete this process than going through shelf by shelf.
2. Wipe down the closet
You are doing a clean-out of your closet so the next logical step is to wipe down all the surfaces in your closet. If you started this list from the beginning, you can easily do that.
Disinfect all the surfaces, remove the dust, and get it ready for a wardrobe update.
Once your closet is clean and fresh you will appreciate it more and try harder to keep it organized and tidy.
3. Organize your clothes into 5 piles
You are probably wondering what you should do with that big pile on your bed right now. You will organize it in a way that will make this closet purge really simple.
Organize all your clothes, shoes, and bags into five piles:
- Keep
- Donate
- Toss
- Repair
- Store
You can also opt-in to add one more pile called Sell if you have more high-quality items than you didn’t use.
Then, go carefully through all the items and put them into one of those five piles.
When selecting what to keep and what not you can use the Marie Kondo method and ask yourself if it sparks joy. If it doesn’t then it’s time to thank the item for its service and let it go.
If that approach is not something you resonate with, you can use a more thorough way and try everything from your closet. Once you have it on you can see whether it fits, the condition of it, and if you like it.
Once you go through everything, check the piles one more time and make a final decision on where each item from your wardrobe belongs.
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4. Put clothes back in your closet
This is the fun part! It’s time to revamp your wardrobe. Take a good look at your closet space and assess the best way to organize your items so they won’t produce clutter.
I recommend keeping everything in one place, if possible.
That means all of the in-season clothes, shoes, and bags should be in your closet space and not in different places around the house.
***Of course, that’s not the possibility for everyone’s living space and that’s completely normal. I’m just pointing out the ideal solution.
Tips for utilizing your space:
- Hang what you can. This takes less space and keeps the clothes wrinkle-free.
- Fold clothes Marie Kondo style to save on space (see the picture below).
- Use every inch of the space. Add hooks, organizational storage, baskets, boxes, vacuum bags, etc.
Bonus tip: to prevent your clothes from getting destroyed use moth repellents or lavender bags on each shelf of your closet.
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Cedar Chips and Lavender Sachets
Pro tip: Never hang your knitwear on the hangers because they easily lose shape and adapt to the hanger. Instead, fold them nicely and keep them on a shelf or in a drawer.
5. Tend to your clothes
Take care of your clothes and they will last you a long time.
First, wash everything that needs to be washed. Be careful when dealing with sensitive materials and hand-wash them.
Take the clothes from the repair pile and fix them if you can. If you need someone else to do it then bring your items to them as soon as you can. The sooner you get them repaired the bigger the chance is that you will wear them.
Tend to your shoes as well, clean them, apply shoe cream on them to keep their color shine longer, and use shoe deodorant if they smell bad.
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Natural Shoe Deodorizer Foot Odor Eliminator
Pro tip: Did you know that you can wash your sneakers in the washing machine? Yes, this won’t destroy your sneakers and after the wash, they will look as good as new ones.
For keeping the knitwear nice looking I use a fabric shaver. After every winter season, I go through all of my sweaters and store them for the next season. This way, each time I take them out in the fall they look amazing!
The final step is to iron the blouses and shirts that need ironing.
You want to make sure that after the closet purge all your clothes are clean, nice looking, and ready to be worn immediately!
6. Store off-season clothes
Since I am limited with my closet space, I like to take the seasonal approach when it comes to storing my clothes. I keep everything that is in season in my closet, and that includes clothes, jackets, shoes, and bags.
Everything that is off-season I store in a storage space underneath my bed in vacuum storage bags.
I never store my off-season clothes before I go through all the five steps before this one.
That way I know that the next time I take them out I can instantly wear them and put them in my closet. They wait for me fresh, clean and taken care of.
Vacuum Storage Bags have proven to be a really effective way to store clothes. They minimize the space they occupy and they are the perfect solution for small apartments and small closets.
I keep the shoes and bags I don’t need in the boxes also underneath my bed.
My advice is to find those extra storage spaces underneath the bed, couch, or on top of a wardrobe to store off-season clothes if they don’t fit in your closet.
7. Buy what you lack
Congratulations! You have completed your closet purge 🙂
Keep inventory during this process and note what you lack in your wardrobe. Then go shopping for the items you need to complete your closet revamp.
When you buy new clothes make sure that you know your style and create a kind of capsule wardrobe in your closet where each piece matches the rest of your clothes.
That way you will regularly wear each item in your closet and won’t have odd pieces that don’t match anything and you never wear.
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Revamp Your Closet Like a Minimalist
I know that this guide might seem too long or some steps redundant, but I can guarantee you that if you follow each step in this exact order you will successfully complete a closet purge, organize your closet, and have a system in place for each closet clean-out in the future.
Your clothes will be well taken care of, last longer, and you will have items in your closet you truly love and wear.
The more you appreciate your belongings, the longer they will serve you.
To get you motivated to start a closet purge I leave you with this inspirational video:
When was the last time you cleaned out your closet?
