Tips for Spring Cleaning -- Your Closet
Monday, March 23, 2009 
It's a ritual of mine for every major change in season to take a good luck at my closet and assess my clothes --what should stay and what should go. This helps me find things I forgot I had and toss the things out that have hit their last note. I introduced this idea to my hub and now we help each other out to de-clutter our closet. So how exactly do your spring clean your closet...
1) Go through every single item of clothing and say to yourself in all honesty "when was the last time I wore this?" If the answer is more than a year ago -- toss!
2) Try on anything that you feel is questionable. If you're saving those jeans because you spent a lot of money on them OR you're trying to loose a few pounds to squeeze into them -- be honest with yourself... Does this fit me appropriately? Do these REALLY look good on me? If you are not going to walk out the door tomorrow wearing something and feeling confident in it, then it's safe to say it's time for it to go.
3) Out with the drab. We often find ourselves falling in love with the perfect cardigan or tank top, wear it time and time again because it makes us feel good and comfortable -- but in actuality it's faded and worn out. If your black clothes are now gray, if your shirts are stretched out of shape, if you have those little annoying fabric "balls" all down the sides, if your jeans have one to many holes -- then it's time to go. Unless your painting your house -- wearing old clothes make your wardrobe look drab. Clothing is not meant to last forever so it's time to depart with your favorite tee and send it on it's way.
4) Organize your closet by color or item. I prefer by item because that's how I think when I'm getting dressed. I have my tank tops and short sleeve shirts, then long sleeve shirts, followed by sweaters, and finally outerwear...you get the point. It's like anything -- it takes a little self-discipline at first, then one day you can't live without it. This really helps you see everything you have so you're wearing all your clothing instead of just a few items.
5) Lastly, invest in the help of a friend and a trusty full length mirror. When trying on items to decide whether to keep or toss, it's so much easier to have a second opinion from a friend and a third opinion (the mirror) to help you see for yourself :)
ps. this goes for shoes and handbags too!
pss. be sure to take all of your unwanted duds to your local goodwill/thrift store
shopping/fashion 
Reader Comments (16)
I am fairly anal in my closet organization. I organize by color, but also by sleeve length... i.e. white tanks, then white short-sleeves, then white long-sleeves... on to cream, and so on. People that have seen it think I'm totally weird!
i, too, am nuts about my closet organization...and my closet is tiny. i hang items beginning with tanks, then t's, then sweaters, and each section is in color order (lightest to darkest). i keep one of those nice reusable shopping bags in the bottom of my closet and toss the questionable items in there. it's a bag i will one day take to my girlfriend get together when we have our own little clothing/accessory exchange. that way even if i still do like the item, but don't wear it, i know it'll be worn well on one of the girls. the bag helps me part with items but also allows me a chance to see if an item comes to mind when planning an outfit. i can reach in, pull it back out and reconsider.
i need to do this.
thanks for inspiring!
You've inspired me! I'm finally going to clean it out this season! Especially helpful since I'm in South Florida and we don't really have seasons :) Sad thing is I have so many cute silk shirts that have shrunken lengthwise and are otherwise rendered useless.
This is very helpful, I need to do this myself :)
Awesome, thanks for the tips! I think I'm going to try and do this this weekend.
thanks for this!
I was hanging on to a a pair jeans I paid I ton of money last year and never wore. So a whole year went by and I realized I've never wore them. It felt SO good to get rid of them and make room for things I'll actually wear.
I was Spring Cleaning too! I organize by types of items, and then those by color. :-) I like your one year rule, will make sure I'm following it!
Thanks for the tips! I have been trying to do this for the past few days and I can't wait to be finished. I'm planning to do a clothing swap with friends to clear out all the stuff I don't want anymore. :)
wonderful! i love this and i love your blog! keep up the good work. :)
I'm seriously going to try this...and then go shopping for a new wardrobe! :)
Ok this is some good motivation. my husband and i both have been talking about doing this. I need to get cracking and cleaning. I love how a closet looks when everythings in its place and organized.
but im going to be stubborn and hang on to that pair of jeans-im determined that they'll fit {denial}
One thing I found really helpful when going through my closet was taking pictures of myself wearing different clothing - just like your daily wear series - and then cropping my head out. It sounds a bit odd but somehow when it's just a body it's much easier to objectively evaluate how flattering a piece really is.
I soooo need to do this - thank you for the inspiration!
Great post! Great blog!
I agree that anything you don't feel fabulous in should go.
I disagree on the worn tees and jeans, however. I almost ebayed an old pair of sevens b/c they were a hair too big, and now I'm rocking the boyfriend look all over the place. And nothing is better under a sparkly sweater than a paper-thin vintage t-shirt. The more worn the better!