I recently had to move apartments, and although the new apartment is totally worth it, moving is ALWAYS a hassle. No matter how you look at it, it’s a pain, but it does provide an opportunity to purge the items that inevitably build up when you’ve lived in one place for a long(ish) period of time. For this blog post, I wanted to share how to clean out your closet and how I handled this treacherous task, but I also wanted to give you a little insight into my life and why I haven’t been as active online lately.
When I was in college, I moved about every 6 months for all 4 years. Needless to say, I am not a fan of moving. Fast forward to now, I have been out of college and living in Southern California with my boyfriend for almost 3 years, and we suddenly had to move units very quickly. When I say quickly, I mean that we found out Thursday afternoon and started moving Friday morning. We only had to move units within the same complex, but a move is still a move, and still a lot of work. This is the first time I have lived in the same home for so long since I was 15 years old, so I haven’t had to deal with the accumulation of stuff in this volume for a long time.
At first, I was very set on the fact that we should just move everything from one unit to the other, but you never really think about the little things in closets and drawers. Those are the big areas of accumulation. Once I did start going through the apartment, the less I wanted to physically move and the more I wanted to get rid of. I had garbage bags piled around the house in areas for “give away,” “throw away,” and “donate.” We still have A LOT of stuff, but it did feel good to purge away what I really haven’t been using.
But enough about all of that; what I really want to focus on is how to clean out your closet and how I handled this treacherous task. Let me explain that I REALLY dislike getting rid of clothes. I know that it is good to do, but I always feel like if I get rid of something, I’ll want it back someday. Fashion is cyclical, so it always seems silly to get rid of stuff I may want again. However, my closet cannot hold everything, so I need to be realistic. When cleaning out my closet, I always ask myself these 7 questions:
- Does this fit?
- Do I actually like this piece of clothing?
- How often do I wear it?
- If it magically disappeared or fell down behind the other clothes, would I notice or care?
- What can I wear this with?
- What will I wear this with?
- Is it worth the clutter?
Number one is probably one of the most important. I understand wanting to give yourself a goal, but the reality is that you need to dress for your body NOW and feel good in order to get to a better place. If your items are a little snug after the holidays, that’s one thing, but keeping a dress that’s 2 sizes too small that you wore in high school is just silly. You’re not going to wear it, so get rid of it.
The rest of the questions are really just to make you think. Think about what you like and what you will actually wear. I can honestly say that I have nothing in my closet that I don’t like and don’t wear. I absolutely wear some items more than others, but I do wear everything. (My drawers on the other hand need to be sorted and purged) Your closet should make you feel good and excited to get dressed, so ensure that your clothes make you feel that way too!
There’s no point in having a cluttered closet if you don’t like the stuff in it. Go through everything, donate or sell what you don’t want, and let your clothes breath. They will actually last much longer if they have some wiggle room than if they are squished and scrunched up all the time. This process does take some time, but I promise it will make you feel much better about you clothes, your life, and about your home. A decluttered home helps to declutter your mind, so do yourself a favor and clean out your closet. It is a very personal thing, but I hope this article gives you a little insight as to how to clean out your closet and how I handled this treacherous task.