Today I want to share with you all one of the most common questions I get from my friends and family now that I’m dishing out fashion advice: Maddy, can you help me clean out my closet?
Trust me, ladies, if I didn’t have a full-time job, the answer would be yes! I love to organize things and I [clearly] love to give my opinion on style dilemmas. Perhaps Style Me Thrifty can bring this service to life in the future, but for now, think of this blog post as your virtual closet cleaning assistant!
I’m preparing for a move this Saturday, so all these tips have recently been tested by yours truly. I know it can be a daunting task, especially if your closet is as jam-packed as mine (see photo, geez!), but I have faith that we can get through this together.
Tips for Cleaning Out Your Closet
1) To get started, let’s begin with an easy tip: the first thing to do is focus on quality. Are any of your shirts piling? Have armpit stains? Faded? If so, it’s time to upgrade. Don’t hang on to poor quality items that are past their prime.
2) Next tip is all about quantity. Say you’re moving in with your boyfriend (ahem) and closet space is going to be a little tight. Do you really need 10 spring skirts? I admit, this was a hard lesson for me — especially if they’re all cute! — but if you only wear a skirt once or twice a year, it’s time to narrow down the field and pick a few favorites.
3) On a related note, don’t keep something if you have nothing to wear with it! A hard-to-match skirt is a totally useless. Either chuck it or move it to a “maybe” section of your closet — if you can’t find a matching top within one month, consider purging it.
4) Are you getting nostalgic for a certain article of clothing and having a hard time purging it even if it’s totally outdated? Take a moment to remember that fun place you wore it — and then move on. A killer new outfit is already in your closet so don’t hang on to outdated stuff just for sentimental reasons.
5) Cleaning out your closet can be a little like a break up — it’s easy to remember the good times you had and forget the bad. I have a pair of ruffled wedges (swoon) that are SO cute that I’m blinded by their beauty and consistently forget how incredibly painful they are on my feet! So here’s a tip: try on your shoes while cleaning. Do your feet hurt after standing for 5-10 min? If the answer is a screaming yes, then it’s time for them to stop taking up space in your closet.
6) I’m a big proponent of trying clothing on while going through a cleaning. You may see something on a hanger that looks great, but without trying it on with a fresh perspective, it can be easy to forget how terrible it fits. Maybe a shirt is too short or digs into your armpits. Or a pair of “goal” pants are still a size too small. Trying it on will help you remember why you never wore it in the first place.
7) Keep a notepad handy as you go through your wardrobe. Make a wish list of new pieces of clothing or accessories that might breathe new life back into an outfit. A skinny belt, long necklace, or nude pumps might be just want you need to tie a couple outfits together.
8) When all else fails and you’re stumped on a certain piece of clothing, ask yourself: have I worn this in the past year? If the answer is NO, that’s a red flag that you won’t be wearing it in the next year either. Purge, purge, purge!
When you’re all done, take your old items to your local Goodwill or organize a clothing swap with friends. One person’s trash (err, clothing) is another person’s treasure!
Tags: cleaning closet, closet, closet cleaning, clothing, organizing closet, reader question, wardrobe
Style Me Thrifty 