Figuring out how to declutter your closet is probably one of the more daunting household tasks you’ll come across. You purchase clothing here and there throughout the year and, before you know it, your dresser drawers are overflowing and you don’t have enough hanger space in your closet. This is a sign you either need more storage space or it’s time for a closet declutter. We’ll walk you through the 8 steps on how to declutter your closet (and keep it that way).
How to Declutter Your Closet
1. ScheDule a Full day
Schedule a day on your calendar as your closet declutter day. Set aside a full day regardless of how much time you think it will take. An hour, two hours, half a day–however long you estimate, it will take longer. And if you end up finishing early, treat yourself to takeout or a few extra episodes of your current TV show.
2. Pull Everything Out
Next, take everything out of your closet and lay it out on your bed. (This includes the clothing in your dressers too.) Sort your clothes into like piles from there. Shirts, skirts, trousers, dresses, etc. It will be easier to admit you have too many t-shirts if you see them in one large pile rather than spread out across the bed.
3. Ask Yourself These 6 Questions
After you separate everything into like piles, choose one to start with. Pick up each piece and ask yourself the following closet decluttering questions:
- Do I love this?
- How often do I wear this?
- Is it comfortable?
- Is it stained?
- Does it need repair?
- Do I need multiples of this?
If you’re want to know more about why you should ask these questions, be sure to check out our post where we discuss each of them in depth.
4. Sort into Keep, Donate, or Toss Piles
The answers to the above questions will help you decide the fate of the piece in question. Use the answers to sort everything into keep, donate, or toss piles. If some of your answers are preventing you from putting something in one pile, you’ll have to give it some extra thought. Do you have 12 pairs of jeans that all fit comfortably but are impossible rotate through during one month? Is it a piece you love but it’s torn or stained beyond repair?
Some pieces will be easier to sort than others, like your favorite pair of worn in jeans or that dress you bought for a wedding 3 years ago and haven’t thought about since. Don’t be afraid to try on clothing if you need a little push in one direction or the other. You might think that sweater is really cute, but since you haven’t worn it in a long time, you forgot just how itchy it is.
Still Stuck?
5. Use the “Backwards Hanger” Technique
If you’re still undecided about a piece of clothing even after answering all of these questions, there is a month(s) long method you can try. When you hang your keep and undecided clothing back up, hang them backwards so the open part of the hanger head is facing you. Once you wear a piece of clothing, hang it back up the correct way. At the end of a month or two, evaluate what you haven’t worn. If you haven’t reached for something in a few months, what are the chances you’ll ever wear the piece again? Actually seeing that you’re not wearing the piece might be the push you need to donate an article of clothing.
How to Keep your Closet Decluttered
6. Designate a Donate Bin
To keep your closet decluttered in-between deep decluttering sessions, designate a donate bin in or near your closet. Seeing this bin frequently will encourage you to donate what you haven’t been wearing and shorten the time spent on bigger declutters.
7. Swap Clothing with Friends
To get rid of old clothing you have no interest in while simultaneously acquiring new pieces, set up a clothing swap with your friends. This could be monthly, seasonally, or annually. Everyone brings clothing they no longer want or wear, and they’ll get to pick up “new” pieces from their friends unwanted piles. Items you’re not wearing will go to a new home, and you’ll get a few new pieces in the process. You can satisfy the urge to shop without spending any money.
8. Maximize Your Storage Space
If the problem isn’t the amount of clothing you have but the closet space allotted, look into unique storage solutions. Storage spaces in a rental home or apartment are often limited, and there’s nothing you can do but figure out a way around it. Add some shoe racks to neatly organize your shoes. Invest in a few hangers that hold multiple pieces of clothing. Use an over the door hanger for belts, scarves, or jewelry. Or purchase a few bins to store bulky out of season sweaters. The options are limitless if you look hard enough.
Now you know how to declutter your closet. And once you or you and your entire family have decluttered, you may have a whole lot of things that need to be taken to a donation center or thrown out altogether. If you’re looking to save some time, give Moving U & Junk U a call. Our junk removal crews provide friendly, professional removal services. We’ll get your items where they need to go whether that’s to a local charity or a recycling facility. We’ll take care of all the heavy lifting for you and make your unwanted items disappear.
3 Steps For Quick And Easy Junk Removal
- Get Your Price
Our all inclusive pricing is volume based. We’ll give you an estimate for your removal ahead of time so you know what to expect on the day of your pick up. - Schedule Your Junk Removal
We know you probably want this junk 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 junk removal so you don’t have to worry about it. - Say Goodbye To Your Old Junk
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 they can safely remove the junk from your home. Wherever it is–basement, living room, loft–we’ll remove it from there. You won’t have to lift a finger (except maybe to show us where the junk is located).
Bonus Step:
While we’re there, if you have anything else you need removed like a sofa, mattress, TV, old paint, appliance, weight bench, treadmill, or piano, we can haul that away with the junk as well.
