Closet Purge
>> 01 November 2010 –
minimalism,
Style
The dreaded IHNTWBACFOC syndrome (I have nothing to wear but a closet full of clothes) can strike at any moment. I usually decide that it means it is time for a good, old fashioned closet purge, Luinae style!
As a side note, when I do a closet purge, I donate my old clothing, give them to my friends, or pass them on to my younger sisters. Do not throw out your clothing- reduce, reuse, recycle.
Closet Purge
♥ Step 1: Take everything out. Seriously. Everything. Remember this? Start with an empty closet. All of your shoes, jackets, accessories, clothes. Everything. Lay it all out on your floor, or on the bed. Feel worried at the complete mess you've made.
♥ Step 2: Go through the boring, non fun clothing and check that you have a reasonable amount of everything (hint: you don't need ten pairs of pajamas) and make sure it is all in good working order. So no wholes in underwear, runs in tights, half sets of pajamas. Put all of the necessary clothing back into your closet.
♥ Step 3: Choose your limits. This depends largely on your climate and lifestyle, so I can only share what I do. I take the three seasons I experience living in Canada (winter, summer, autumn/spring) and pretend I am going on a two week trip in all of them. For example, I pretend I will be going on a two week trip in winter and think I'll need
♥ 1 winter coat
♥ 4 pairs of gloves
♥ 2 hats
♥ 6 pairs of tights, 6 pairs of trousers
♥ 5 skirts
♥ 4 dresses
♥ 7 shirts
And so on, and so on, whatever you wear on a regular basis. This step forces me to decide what clothes are really my favourite, and what are the most versatile. Do I really need sixteen sweaters? Choose what works for you and stick with it.
If you are in a less, ahem, volatile climate then me, you may only need clothes for summer and autumn. This is my personal system.
♥ Step 4: Look at what's left. Is it stuff that you only use for formal occasions? Are they clothes you honestly don't wear a lot? Be honest with yourself during this step.
♥ Step 5: Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I do this once in Autumn/Winter (I'm doing mine today! Can't wait!) and once in Spring/Summer. This is just the right amount for me. I've also found that ever since I started doing this I have had less and less to get rid of when I do it the next time. I guess I've just started buying less stuff I don't need. I still purge to get rid of too small clothes, as I'm still growing (most of my readers won't have this problem! :p) and to get rid of worn out clothing, if I have any.
♥ Step 6: Apply this same system of logic (the two week trip) to other areas. I recently did it on my makeup drawer. I wrote down the makeup I wore for two weeks, and I got rid of the stuff I wasn't wearing. The smaller stash is much nicer.
Contrary to popular belief, the less clothing I have, the easier it is to get dressed. I don't know how. But it works.
How do you perform a closet purge?
♥ Luinae
Posts
i move from place to place that's why i think twice before buying something. It really helps to avoid waste of money and trifling for closet purge ;) when you have
its definitely easier to make choice between two than among five ;)
I follow similar steps to what you described, but a major hurdle for me is organisation. If my closet isn't organised 'just so,' I end up wearing the same things over and over! I still haven't found the perfect closet organisation system...!
♥ Leia
you're so brave! i really want to throw everything out and start anew. then if i find something i really can't throw away, i know it's worth keeping.
maybe i should do this.. coming into summer seems the perfect time too :)
Hi Luinae,
This is really helpful. I've been meaning to do this for sometime. My closest is tiny and overflowing. Thanks for the great tips!
Take care, Dandy
Your way sounds like it would get the desired result much faster than mine. Perhaps because I'm a bit of a pack rat too, it makes it a little harder for me. But I've been doing the "flip the hanger the opposite way and if it's not turned around in 3 months, it means I don't wear it" method. It usually does the trick when I need to weed things out. :)
3 months probably seems like a long time, but I wear pajamas/sweats probably 4 days out of the week. That might seem a bit lazy, but sweats/pajamas are much cheaper than regular clothes, and I'm not going to rumple my nice things if I'm just sitting around doing homework. ;)
Thanks for this! I am terrible at cleaning out my closet :/
This is exactly what I needed right now--I was just staring at my closet in exhaustion!
You should write a how-to on organizing bedrooms..! Mine needs a major overhaul.
xoxo
Yes, I definitely need to do a closet purge. I have like, 3 closets full of clothing. I love your idea of taking everything out of the closet to strip it bare. I usually browse and decide what I want to giveaway, but your way forces you to think more carefully about each piece. Love it, and doing it next time I go through a closet purge!
I did this last weekend! My home office, my closet, and my bed are all in the same room right now, so having an organised, peaceful environment has made me SO much happier! Plus, it's the perfect time of year to purge and donate unused stuff.
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