Cleaning out, organizing, and editing your closet can be hard. There are so many decisions to make about which clothes to keep and which ones to donate. As a Professional Organizer, it’s my job to not only make spaces look good and function well, but also help my clients work through the items that need to be edited.
In this blog, I’ll share some questions that are helpful to ask yourself when purging your clothes to help you decide which items to keep and which items to donate. Plus, stick around to the end to get our best product recommendations for closet organization.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Organizing Your Closet
Does it Fit?
It is common for us to fluctuate in weight and size so it can certainly be a challenge to decide what pieces to keep. My recommendation when editing your closet is to keep what fits you right now. If there are certain pieces that you really, really love but don’t currently fit into them, pack those items away and store them elsewhere in the house.
Your closet should be a fun place to go get ready for the day. The last thing I want is for you to go into your closet each day and see a bunch of items that you no longer fit into. Many of us end up feeling bad about ourselves and that’s no way to start or end your day. Remove the clothes that aren’t fitting and keep the items that do.
Are the Tags Still on It?
Sometimes it’s hard to pass up a good sale. I so often see clients buy clothing because it was on sale at the time and they didn’t want to pass up the savings. But if the clothing never gets worn, did you actually save any money? If any items have tags ask yourself, “would I buy this at full price?”. If the answer is no, you can add it to the donation pile.
Is it in Good Shape?
Take any items that are ripped or stained and keep them together. Then start going through each one and decide if it’s even worth repairing. If it wasn’t ripped or stained would you wear it? These are all things to consider before deciding if you should keep or toss it.
If you want to repair them put the items in your car and schedule time in your calendar to drop them off at a tailor or cleaner. If the items never leave your closet, the chances of them getting repaired are slim.
Do you feel good in it?
Is the item comfortable to wear & more importantly do you love the way you look and feel in it? You deserve to feel good in your clothing and if some of the clothes don’t give you that feeling then it’s time to part ways. I’d rather you have 12 pieces that you really love and feel amazing in, over 40 pieces that are just ok.
Don’t forget your shoes as well. Any shoes that pinch your toes, rub the back of your heel, or hurt your feet are ones that should be donated.
Are you Keeping it Because it Was a Gift?
Just because it was a gift, doesn’t mean you have to keep it. If you are feeling guilty about getting rid of something just because someone bought it for you, wear it in front of them once or take a picture of you wearing it and thank them. After that, release yourself of the guilt and let it go. I promise you they won’t even know about it.
Our Product Recommendations for an Organized Closet
After editing your closet, turn your closet into a boutique with these products we love and use in our client’s spaces.
Matching Hangers: Perfect for creating a cohesive look, plus slim hangers allow for more room and less bulk.
Containers: These are so versatile. Use them to store shoes and protect them from dust or put bulky items like sweaters inside and stack and store them.
Decorative Bins: We love using these for open shelving; they look great and these are super functional for storing hard-to-fold items like underwear, socks, or belts.
Jewelry Stackers: There is nothing worse than getting necklaces tangled and earrings stuck together. With these stackers, everything has one convenient place making it easy to see and access.
Garment Bags: While we definitely want you to love and wear the things in your closet, sometimes there are certain things that may be worn only for special occasions. In that case, we recommend storing those items in garment bags to keep them looking brand new.
Shelf Dividers: Great for keeping items like sweaters, jeans, or bags in place and preventing them from falling over into other areas of your closet.
