Hey, friends! Welcome to the first edition of the ‘Let’s Look’ series for 2024, hosted by Erika and Shay. Today we are diving into the world of closets and looking at how we keep them clean and tidy. I’ll be sharing five closet cleanout tips that I find incredibly useful – let’s get started!
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Five Closet Cleanout Tips
We are in the middle of the summer school holiday break and I am enjoying every single minute of freedom from my usual work routine. Apart from having an amazing time doing relaxing things like binge-watching TV shows, shopping, eating out and catching up with friends and family. I also have a mental list of a few things that I want to do around the house before I go back to work. Of course, at the top of my list was a closet cleanout, and I managed to tackle this task just the other day. To begin, I started by…
SORTING MY WARDROBE
The first thing I do when I start my big closet cleanout is to sort my clothes. As I separate them into piles, I take a little time to think about each piece as I sort. This helps me to maintain a useful wardrobe that suits my lifestyle and tastes. I choose what I really like and I let go of what I don’t need anymore. This way I make sure that my closet is made up of pieces that I enjoy wearing and work for me every day.
I create three distinct piles to help me with the whole decision-making process:
- KEEP: These are the items that I absolutely love and wear on repeat. No doubt about it!
- UNSURE: The clothes that go into this pile are the ones that make me go “Hmmm, I’m not quite sure.” It’s usually a piece of clothing that I haven’t worn in ages. Or something that I don’t feel one hundred per cent attached to.
- DONATE: The clothes that go into this pile are the ones that I know for sure that I want to say goodbye to and they are still in good enough condition to donate, pass on to family or even sell.
After sorting into ‘Keep’, ‘Unsure’, and ‘Donate’, I focus on the unsure items and then if I don’t see myself wearing any of those items any time soon I pass them on to the donate pile.
SEASONAL CLOSET REFRESH
Giving my closet a seasonal refresh is a practical move. Whenever the weather starts to shift, I take a good look at my clothes and I separate the ones that are suitable for the current weather. Then I set aside the items for another season. But I don’t rush because, in the past, I have made the mistake of doing a complete seasonal wardrobe change. Only to then have to fish out clothes from storage because the weather hadn’t made a full commitment to the change of season. So annoying! Now I make sure that I keep a few transitional pieces where I can easily find them.
I have found a few great options that help me optimise the space that I have in my closet. Vacuum-sealed storage bags are amazing for reducing the space the clothes take up, especially those warm but bulky jumpers. I also use the high shelving above my closet rods to store the clothes that I won’t need for the time being. In addition, I store my coats in garment bags and keep them in a closet in my office/garage. You need to get creative when you don’t have a ton of space! I know that you can use under-bed storage containers and these are a great option. But I don’t as I prefer not to keep anything under my bed (except dust hehe).
ONE-IN-ONE OUT RULE
I try super hard to stick to the one-in-one-out rule. This means that every time I add a new piece to my wardrobe then I need to say goodbye to an existing item. This principle is always in the back of my mind whenever I try something on at the shops. It really helps me to keep a balanced, clutter-free collection. This matches my love for keeping my closet neat with a minimalist touch!
KEEP IT NEAT DAILY
I try to make sure to keep my closet tidy every day and that way I don’t have to tackle a big closet cleanout very often. I have developed a habit that 15-year-old me would find astonishing. My closets were anything but tidy back during my teenage years! Now I fold my clothes and keep things in their designated spots. This simple habit prevents a big overwhelming mess and it just makes life a whole lot easier in the long run.
To keep everything tidy I also use black velvet hangers and these are wonderful because they prevent my clothes from sliding off and ending up on my closet floor. In addition, they are also great for maintaining the shape of my clothes and they don’t leave those dents on the shoulders of my tops the way the wire hangers do.
I also use the hangers with clips specifically for skirts and pants, these keep them secured in place and (almost) wrinkle-free.
ARRANGE CLOTHES BY COLOUR AND TYPE
I have found a practical way to keep my closet tidy and it makes choosing an outfit easy. I organise my clothes by both colour and type. It’s a simple method that begins with grouping similar such as jeans, skirts and shorts etc. Then within each of these groups, I take it a step further and organise them by colour.
This way things look visually pleasing and it also serves a very important sanity-saving purpose. When I’m in a hurry or trying to piece an outfit together. I can find what I need in next to no time without rummaging through a pile of clothes. It’s a straightforward system that saves me time and frustration when I’m trying to find a particular item of clothing.
There we have it- Five closet cleanout tips! These tips are my go-to for maintaining a tidy closet. From sorting clothes and managing seasonal updates to using smart storage solutions and arranging by both colour and type. These tips are great for keeping my closet organisation on track. I also have a post detailing how I organise my closet that you might find helpful; you can check it out here.
Thank you for joining me and I hope you have an amazing day!
I’ve made the mistake of switching out my season clothing too soon before too and have been learning to take my time with it as well.
I have just been doing the laundry, sorting, folding it and putting it away and realised that I have hardly any space in my wardrobe. I blame some of the new clothes that I got for Christmas. I need to have a sort out. Fantastic tips. x
I am dreading going through my closet because nothing fits me but I keep hoping I’ll lose weight and then it will…so I’m thinking I need to put things into containers by size or something?
Some great tips. I like that you make an unsure pile and then go back to it. I think that would help me get through things.
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