If you’ve already started your spring cleaning, chances are, you’re ready to move on to clearing out your closet. Figuring out how to clean out your closet (or dresser or wherever else you keep your clothes) can be intimidating. Not only is it full of items you wear all the time but pieces you wear sometimes and some you don’t remember wearing or acquiring at all. It’s an emotionally taxing process. There’s guilt that comes with getting rid of things you spent money on and just the general fear of letting go. But if the amount of things you have in your closet is causing you overwhelming frustration, it’s time to go through it. Not sure where to start? Here are the 4 simple steps on how to clean out your closet.
How to Clean Out Your Closet in 4 Simple Steps
Pull your clothes out of your closet and dressers.
Take everything out and place it on your bed. (Maybe not your shoes. You can sort through those on the floor.) Don’t try to sort everything while it’s still hanging or in drawers; it won’t let you take a good look at everything individually. Just get everything on the bed first.
While your closet and dresser drawers are empty, give it a good vacuum/sweep and wipe down. Take advantage of this time and clean it while you have access.
Sort into piles.
If you have no more space on your bed, sort your clothes into piles on the floor. Lay out a bed sheet you can easily wash once you’re finished.
Sort your clothes into 5 piles:
1. Love: These are the items you know you love, fit well, and wear frequently.
2. Maybe: I like this. I’m not sure if I need it or want to keep it.
3. Repair: I used to wear this all the time, but it needs repair or has a stain.
4. Donate: Clothing you don’t wear or doesn’t fit, but will work for someone else.
5. Trash: Items with un-fixable wear and tear.
Once you’ve sorted everything into piles, celebrate! You’ve gotten through the hardest part.
Move Everything Where It Needs to Go
Hang up and put away everything in your “Love It” pile. Place the donate items into boxes or bags you will later haul away to donate. Move the repair pile to where it needs to go: next to the sewing machine, in your “to-work-on” basket next to the couch, in the laundry room to take care of stains etc.
*Side Note: Here’s a good place to start with stain removing tips and tricks.*
If you cannot re-purpose the unwearable items (i.e. cut them up to use as rags), throw them away.
Now go back to that “Maybe” pile and try everything on. Come up with a system for keep or donate that will work for you.
Some example guidelines to choose from:
-If you like it in theory but it doesn’t fit well, donate it.
-If you’re not sure you’ll ever wear it but wouldn’t purchase it if you saw it in the store today, donate it.
-If you have a good memory attached to it but haven’t worn it in 5+ years, donate it. (Or, cut out a bit of the fabric and put it in a frame as a keepsake.)
-If you have duplicates already in your love pile (i.e. multiple button down shirts or jeans), donate it.
-If you’re hoping this item will come back in style but won’t wear it until then, donate it.
-If you don’t feel good while wearing it, donate it.
Once you’ve finished, you’ve probably acquired more items to donate. Put them in another bag to haul away, and hang up everything going back in your closet.
Call Moving U & Junk U to Haul It Away
Once you’ve completed your sorting and have your items that need to go to a donation center, one of the best ways to take care of that during your busy schedule is to hire a local junk removal company, like Moving U & Junk U. While it does fall into under our junk removal service, we try to donate everything possible before recycling or completely tossing in the dump. Furniture can be hit or miss, as donation centers can fill up and not have any space for it. But clothing is usually always accepted as it tends to sell much faster in locations like Goodwill or Salvation Army.
This service is especially useful if you have a larger item you need donated or recycled as well. Anything else you need removed like a mattress, TV, old paint, old appliance, piano, or treadmill, we can haul that away with the clothing as well.
3 Steps For Quick & Easy Clothing Donation Removal:
Get Your Price
Our all inclusive pricing is volume based. We’ll give you an estimate for your clothing donation removal ahead of time so you know what to expect on the day of your pick up.
Schedule Your Clothing Donation Removal
We know you probably want this clothing removed as soon as possible, so we’ll always try to accommodate with same or next day service. But even if you’re planning removal for a month from now, give us a call, text, or email. We’ll schedule your clothing donation removal so you don’t have to worry about it.
Say Goodbye To Your Old Clothing
Our friendly Junk Removal crew will give you a call half an hour before your arrival window to let you know what time you should expect them. They’re also trained movers, so wherever it is–basement, living room, loft–they’ll remove it from there. You won’t have to lift a finger (except maybe to show us where the clothing is located.)
