Creating Closet Calm, Part I: The Purge

Is your closet a little too stuffed or unorganized, so that getting ready is more of a challenge than it needs to be? Perhaps you don’t wear all your clothes and accessories because it’s hard to reach or find them, or there are so many you lose track of what you have? If the answer is yes, it’s time to carve out a little time for some closet work. This is the first in a two-part series on making your primary closet work well for you. This week we’re focusing on the purge.

Do an honest evaluation of your clothes and accessories:

·      Remove anything you don’t love or wear, or that doesn’t fit. (Yes, that includes the jeans you haven’t been able to get into for years, even if you think your fantasy self will be able to at some point in the future.) Try things on as you go. Have a shirt that feels ok but you only wear it with one pair of pants? Maybe it’s time to go. Love that dress you bought years ago but find you just don’t pull it out anymore? Be grateful that it served you well for a time and admit that it’s not right in this season of your life; let someone else enjoy it now.

·      Be discerning in your decisions. In my recent closet purge, I found a top I love, but knew that I hardly ever wear it; when I put it on, I realized it makes me look really wide around the middle…into the donate pile it went. Have more plaid shirts than you need (like my husband did)? Maybe it’s time to pare down.

·      Let go of items you think you’d like to wear, or you “should” wear, but you haven’t. Was it a free hand-me-down that someone thought would look good on you? Did you score it for a deal? Sometimes a deal really isn’t worth it. My husband just let go of a suit that was a little too small; he said, “I bought it because it was a good price, but I actually wasted money because it didn’t really fit.” I had a long sleeveless sweater with a hood that someone gave me more than a year ago; it looked cool and I thought it should be a nice extra layer, but I have never worn it. Again, into the donate pile!

·      Pull out anything that needs attention – zipper to fix, hem to repair, etc. – and take care of it. There’s no sense in having clothes in your closet that you can’t wear.

·      Do you have more clothes than you need? Last year my Colorado client realized she had clothes she liked and that fit well, but she really didn’t need them all; she pared down and found that her selection was easier to manage. When I left my corporate job in 2021, I donated a lot of my professional clothes but kept (what I thought was) a small selection. This year I donated even more of them, keeping just a select few; I really don’t have to dress professionally very much anymore!

·      Don’t forget to go through other stuff as appropriate: seasonal items in a spare closet, dresser drawers, handbags, shoes items stored under your bed…you get the point. (I recently forgot to purge shoes from a second rack in a guest closet.)

What to do with the items you no longer want? Throw out things that are stained, ripped, or otherwise not in good shape for someone else to use. Donate clothes to a local nonprofit or drop them off at Goodwill (also a nonprofit doing good work in the world). If you’re up for it, you could try to sell recent fashions online. Or go to The Container Store to get a bag (or mailing label) for thredUP, an online thrift store; mail your items for free and get credit at TCS for items that sell through the site – save things from the landfill, freshen your closet, and make some cash at the same time. Next week: how to use your space well.