Your closet can be a helpful storage space in your home, or it can be such an embarrassing mess you’re just thankful it has a door so visitors never see inside. With a few simple steps, however, you can clean out your closet, leaving only the things you’ll actually use, and you can keep it that way! Read on below to find out how.
Take everything out
The first step to cleaning out your closet is just to remove everything. You’ll be much more selective when the closet is already empty and you’re deciding what to put back in than if you’re pulling items out one by one. You’ll be surprised how many things are tucked back or hidden where you haven’t even been able to see them!
As a rule, when emptying the closet, immediately get rid of anything you’ve completely forgotten you had. If you didn’t even know it was in your closet, it probably doesn’t need to be in there.
Sort everything into piles
Once you’ve pulled everything out of your closet, sort everything into piles. If you have only clothes in your closet, divide everything into piles of pants, tops, jackets, etc. Anything that’s not clothing or shouldn’t be in the closet anyway can go elsewhere.
Sorting items by type helps you have a better idea of what you have when you’re decluttering. If you have multiple items that are very similar but you only wear one of them, it might be time to get rid of the others.
Make a box to donate
Dedicate a box or trash bag for anything you want to donate, and take it to a thrift shop or homeless shelter when you’ve finished cleaning out your closet. You can try to sell shoes in good condition or anything you think could be worth decent money, but it’s easier to simply donate everything so you don’t have to keep things lying around.
Get rid of things you don’t wear
When cleaning out your closet, it’s easy to rationalize keeping items you don’t wear. That mentality can end with you filling your closet with all the same unused stuff that made you want to clean it out in the first place.
Immediately get rid of items that don’t fit you anymore, items that are excessively damaged, and items you simply don’t wear. One helpful strategy can be to hang all your clothes on hangers facing the same direction. When you wear something for the first time, turn the hanger around. At the end of a few months or some predetermined period of time, get rid of all the items with hangers that haven’t been turned around.
Keep it that way!
Try implementing the “one-touch rule,” and challenge yourself to never set an item down unless it’s in its correct place. Little things like this throughout the day will help keep your closet and the rest of your apartment organized; you might never have to deep clean again! Whether you’re decluttering before a move or just trying to make your closet feel tidier, committing to keeping it that way is the most important step.
