Spring Cleaning – Clearing Out The Clutter in Your Closet  |
Cleaning out your closet is just that--cleaning it out. It is not organizing your closet although a great deal of that will occur as a happy coincidence. Most likely you will experience a lot of happy coincidences--everything from insights about your personal style to found garments. But the major focus is simply clearing your closet of everything and anything you are not wearing now--cutting through the clutter.
Before You Begin
Arm yourself with three large plastic bags: one labeled "donate," one labeled "dump," and one labeled "fix." All the “keep” items will go back into your closet. Every item should wind up in one of these bags or back in the closet. Now, pull all your clothes out of the closet, place them on a flat surface like your bed, crank up your favorite CD and let’s get to work
Keep
When deciding to keep an article of clothing, ask yourself some tough questions -- be brutally honest as you inspect each item. When did you wear it last? When will you wear it again? How do you feel when you wear it? What is the worst thing that would happen if you got rid of it? If it looks great on you, feels comfortable and makes you smile when you wear it, keep it and put it back in your closet. Basics, like tailored jackets, straight skirts, lined trousers, and slim sweaters should fall into this category – everything else goes into one of the three plastic bags
Donate
Anything that's in good condition -- free of moth holes, tears, stains, and pilling -- but doesn't fit right, is out of style, or is impractical for your life right now should be donated. Pre-weight-loss clothing, last season's trendy pieces, and items that itch, pull or pinch when you wear them are good examples of donation pieces.
It can be difficult to part with items that you paid a lot of money for or were once in love with. However, by donating these items, you help someone in need and get a tax deduction to boot!
Dump
Toss clothes that aren't fit to donate – items with stains, rips, worn out knees or held together with safety pins. Keep a few things for dirty jobs like dying your hair, gardening, painting, and store them in a separate drawer or box.
Throwing away old and battered clothes can also be a difficult task – they are like old friends. But remember, every minute you spend sifting through nylons with runs or socks with holes is wasted time. Get rid of them!
Fix
Any classic piece, such as a blazer, skirt, pants, or that little black dress, which needs a hem repaired, a button replaced, or a waist tightened or loosened goes into the this bag. Immediately take these pieces to the tailor to have them repaired. Don’t let them in your closet, unusable and taking up space.
Once you've completed these steps, look over your keepers again and see how they coordinate with one another. If one piece stands out and doesn't fit with anything else, donate it. Chances are you won’t wear it if it doesn’t go with anything.
Now that your closet has been cleaned out, it is a perfect time to take inventory of your wardrobe. Are there key pieces that you need in order to get more use out of the items you already have? If so, make a list and take your time restocking your closet with clothes that you will wear.
The ultimate goal for this process is to gain the ability to wake up in the morning, grab anything from your closet and have it fit, look good and make you happy.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2005 issue of Budget Savvy
