Today, we are back to the Clear the Clutter Challenge! We are tackling one space per month for the entire year! Last month we worked on bathroom organization. This month we worked on clothes. I focused on my own clothing organization for this challenge!
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All year long I am co-hosting the Clear the Clutter challenge with three other wonderful bloggers! Be sure to check out their spaces as well!!
In case you are new here, the last challenge we left off on was bathrooms. I shared strategies for keeping kids bathrooms organized.
Each month of the Clear the Clutter challenge, we feature one of our favorite blogger link ups! This month, we loved the tips and ideas from Sarah at Foxy Domestic Side! She shared 3 easy ideas for getting a bathroom organized! I love the dramatic before and after pictures!
Clear the Clutter: Clothing Organization
Today I’m sharing a lot of ideas for clearing the clutter from your closet! You’ll notice that I have a small closet, which forces me to stay on top of my clothing organization! In addition to my master closet, I have a small closet in the guest room for out of season items.
I find that decluttering clothing is one of the hardest and most emotionally attached areas of the home to tackle. Getting rid of clothes can have both a sentimental factor and a guilt factor. We might think of the time we wore the outfit or we might have been given the item(s) as a gift. Also, we might have a little guilt about going through our clothes as we remember how much we spent on an item. We might feel bad if there are still price tags on something that we’ve bought a long time ago!
In order to be successful at de-cluttering our closet, we have to remove the feelings surrounding the process. Keep the end goal in mind. Less stuff=Less cluttered life!
I have made it a habit to go through my clothes regularly. However, since I was doing this as part of a challenge, I REALLY took this task seriously.
I took EVERYTHING out of the closet. First, this allowed me to vacuum and wipe down my closet (which almost never happens). Then, it forced me to inspect every article of clothing and decide whether it would make it back into my closet.
I tried to remove my emotions about of the process and get rid of stuff I knew I’d never wear!
One thing that really helps me with decluttering my clothes is to get rid of the clothes immediately. I put the donation items in the trunk of my car and I head to the donation center later in the day. I find that out of site is out of mind.
It’s been a few weeks since I cleaned out my closet and I can honestly say there is nothing I am kicking myself for getting rid of. I can barely remember what I cleared out!
Small Closet Organization
While I wouldn’t mind a bigger closet, I find that smaller closets force me to declutter and keep my space organized. I’ve had bigger closets and honestly, I kept them less organized than I do with my current closet! More space can often mean excuses to buy more things!
So, I embrace the closet I have to work with and make the best use of the space! I have converted most of my hangers to the velvet kind that are supposed to increase closet space. Clothes stay MUCH better on these hangers than plastic hangers.
My other favorite, organization tool in my closet is these plastic shoe box containers! I wish I hadn’t waited so long to get these for my shoes! I store shoes I wear less frequently in the containers. My goal (soon) is to label each of the boxes! I used these same containers for my kitchen and pantry organization and have found a lot of uses for them around the house since then!
It doesn’t matter how exciting your closet is, you still have to love what’s inside of it! Take the time to get your closet to a point that you love looking inside of it and picking out your clothes!
25 Techniques for De-cluttering Your Wardrobe
Do you still need motivation to get your closet organized? Here are are a few more ideas!
- Try a capsule wardrobe.
- Turn your hangers all in one direction and if the hanger hasn’t moved by next season, get rid of it.
- Every time you buy something new, get rid of one item.
- Have a clothing swap with friends.
- Use Rent the Runway instead of buying a dress for one time use.
- Get rid of all clothing that does not fit.
- Remove all clothing that is stained or needs repairs.
- Limit purchasing current trends and stick to timeless pieces.
- Keep track of what you wear for a month to assess what type of clothing you wear most often.
- Make a list of your favorite clothing items and which ones make you feel good and remove items that do not make you feel good when wearing them.
- Get rid of duplicate items and keep the one item you like better.
- If you are hesitate to throw away something, keep it out of your closet for a month to determine if you really needed the item.
- Invite a friend or family member over to help give you a honest assessment of your closet.
- When cleaning out your closet, have four piles: keep, donate, garbage and store. Store the items in a separate place that have extreme sentimental value (wedding dresses, prom dresses, etc.)
- Keep a bag in your closet for items you don’t want and at the end of the month, assess if you will keep, donate or toss the items in the bag.
- Read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up for extra motivation.
- Once a month, set a timer for 30 minutes and do an intake of your closet. Consider what you like, what you haven’t worn, what you want to wear and assess any clothing needs.
- Set a clothing budget for each season and stick to it!
- Look for well made items that will work well in different outfit combinations.
- Avoid shopping for a specific occasion and shop your closet first!
- Take your clothes to a local consignment shop to earn some cash!
- Try online consignment sites like ebay and Poshmark to sell your items.
- Hire a personal stylist.
- Avoid shopping at the stores and try a clothing subscription box like Trendsend (referral code) or Stitch Fix. You will get items that you are styled into outfits!
- Give yourself the 24 hour rule when shopping for clothes. Don’t buy the item until you’ve thought about if for a day and decide if you really want it.
What methods have you used for minimizing the amount of clothes you own yet maximizing the options in your wardrobe?
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Next month we will focus on GARAGE ORGANIZATION! I will need all month to work on this project! Feel free to link your clothes organization post below! Be sure to check out the other host’s posts on this topic!
Holly
Morgan
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You are so inspiring me! I totally need to de-clutter my closet and yours looks sooo neat!!
Aww glad to hear you felt inspired! Let me know if you do it!!
I need to go through my closet again. I did it last year and now I know what I don’t ever wear that I didn’t get rid of then!
It is an ongoing process! Good idea to go back and do another assessment!
Your #1 is my favorite, having a Capsule Wardrobe has been such a good choice for me. 🙂
I’m moving closer and closer to a capsule wardrobe–love the idea of it!
Great tips here! I have been on an organizing kick lately so this is perfect! Thank you!
So motivating to do this!! Can’t wait to start
I love this! I’m an organizing queen!
Everything looks great! I’m on a mission to get our kitchen pantry organized because its a hot mess!
Good luck! We did our pantry back in January and it is still holding strong. It’s so much easier to work on areas in stages and chunks of time!