We can all relate to that feeling of guilt when you’re searching through your closet for something to wear only to find unworn clothes with tags still attached or long-forgotten pieces you swore you’d wear all the time. For some, this cycle has been going on for years, and somehow, our bedroom closets still end up filled with clothes we don’t wear.
To help overcome this challenge, we’ve combined the wisdom of Courtney Carver, creator of Be More With Less, with award-winning author Marie Kondo, to bring you a fool-proof guide on how to clean out your closet for good.
Prep Work
Set yourself up for success and book a day to clean, maybe even the whole day if possible. Put it in your calendar and make sure you won’t be disturbed. Book a sitter, turn off your phone and give yourself plenty of time. Make the experience as relaxing as possible by setting up some good music or playing your favourite feel-good show — make sure that you have plenty of water and snacks handy, too.
Step One:
Empty your closet – all of it. Get clothing out of storage and pile everything onto your bed including winter gear, scarves, shoes, jewelry and other accessories. Give your empty closet and storage bins a quick cleaning. Dust and spray some air freshener or open the windows and allow some fresh air to flow through the room. Reward yourself with a walk, a coffee or a snack. Get away from your closet for a bit.
Step Two:
1. Begin to sort items quickly into the following four piles on the floor. Don’t overthink this process — put items in the first category that comes to your mind:
- Love: Items you love, that fit and you wear often.
- Maybe: Items you want to keep, although you’re not sure why.
- Donate: Items you no longer wear and don’t fit your style.
- Recycle: Items that are in poor condition.
2. Box or bag up your items to donate and bring them to your car or garage. You may even want to take a break and bring these items to your nearest donation box. If you have items to recycle, you can look at dropping them off somewhere local that will accept them by doing a quick search online.
3. Take a second pass at your two remaining piles. Try on clothing that you aren’t sure about and ask the following questions. If you answer ‘no’ to both, remove the item.
- Would I go to the store and buy this today?
- Will I wear this in the next 3 – 6 months?
Step Three:
You’ll now be left with a (much smaller) pile of clothes you love and wear often. This is a good time to take inventory of the holes in your wardrobe. Maybe you need a good pair of boots or a plain white t-shirt. Core items allow you to make several different outfits and use items in your closet more frequently. Use capsule wardrobe inspiration on Pinterest to see where there may be gaps in your wardrobe.
Put your remaining items back in your closet. Employ Marie Kondo’s method for clothing storage and view her folding method here; this will ensure you can see all your items at once, eliminating the ‘I forgot I had this’ phenomenon. Place hanging items in order by category; jackets, blazers, t-shirts and tanks should all live together. To keep your closet even more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, buy hangers in a uniform and neutral colour and invest in organizational bins to house loose items.
Post Clean Up
A huge part of keeping your closet clean and full of items you love is organization. Take time to refold items properly before putting them back with Sophie, The Folding Lady. Keep items in categories (you may even consider labeling drawers) and ask yourself probing questions about how you’d use the items you own before making new purchases. Remember: your clothes and your closet should bring you joy and make you feel good about yourself, and a well-organized storage space is a big part of that.