There’s only one large spring-cleaning duty left once you’ve swept your rugs and scrubbed your bathroom floors. It’s the mother of all duties, the pinnacle of tidiness: cleansing your closet. It is, in my opinion, the worst chore imaginable. It’s time-consuming, involves a significant amount of effort, and there are no shortcuts—but the payoff is well worth it.

Sure, our wardrobes are out of commission for the time being, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use our newfound free time at home to clean them out. We’ll be fired up and ready to take on this new year if we take the time now to tidy the closet of our dreams. It’s time to put down the remote and open the closet door, it’s time to get organised and refreshed. 

Get Into The Zone

Take the time to prepare yourself for success before you begin. Get a playlist of songs you enjoy singing along to, burn a candle, and prepare yourself a cup of coffee. Also, have something available and properly labeled to put your “to be donated” and “to be discarded” clothes in, whether it’s a trash bag or cardboard box. Also, keep storage on hand so you can store seasonal clothing you won’t be using for a while.

Begin The Cleansing Process 

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to this because everything will be eliminated eventually, most people prefer to start at the top of their closet and work their way down. Begin by doing an initial cut-down by getting rid of the items that you know you need to get rid of.

Takedown the stacks of clothes and start trying them on and sorting them out. You know those pants you haven’t worn since 2016? Donate. The top with the red wine stain you promised you’d get rid of but never did? Toss.

It’s critical to try things on during this stage of cleaning, especially if you’re unsure about something. You already know which jeans fit you like a glove and which ones remain untouched at the bottom of the pile, so a try-on may help you to make your final decision. The same is true for items you haven’t touched in a long time. You may have every intention of wearing that clothing from two summers ago that still has the tags on, but upon trying it on, you may discover that it no longer fits you.

It’s also crucial to get rid of some sentiment in this area. I have a number of crop tops that bring back fond memories from college, but will I ever wear them again? No. Donating items (many of which have been passed down to my sister) might help relieve the grief of parting with them, but constantly asking yourself, “Does this piece make me feel my best?” If it doesn’t, it won’t fit in your closet.

Put Away Seasonal Clothing

Packing up the things that won’t see the sunlight for a few months if you live somewhere with seasons is half the battle. Set aside your down jackets and pom-pom hats.

While you’re decluttering, it’s vital to keep your seasonal outfits in perspective. You are undoubtedly weary of all of your jumpers and jeans right now, but the ones you are debating could feel thrilling and new when you put them on again in the fall. Similarly, keep your head on straight and consider what you’ll actually be able to wear with your summer dresses; everything likely looks exciting and wearable now because it’s been so long since we’ve seen them, so hold your head on straight and think about what you’ll be able to wear. It’s time to say goodbye to that skirt or top that you simply adore but have never been able to make work.

Wait until the very last minute to put your seasonal clothes away, no matter how you choose to keep them—you never know what you’ll decide to add or delete from the pile until you’ve finished sorting through everything.

Take Into Account The One-Year Rule

Many of the goods in our wardrobe hold high hopes and dreams that, regrettably, never materialise. It’s difficult to let go of items that don’t feel like they’ve lived up to their potential, but the truth is that if you haven’t worn something in a year or more, you probably won’t. This obviously doesn’t include special occasion wear, as you may want to hold on to these a little longer. They naturally get less wear than your everyday clothing. 

Figure out which pieces are for you—the ones you’ve outgrown or that have just stopped working for you. Put them aside if they’re in good shape so we can donate them when we’re able.

A decent rule of thumb for the future is to start the year with all of your clothing on a hanger leading away from you.  Flip the hanger around in every use.  Since some hangers will be in their initial position, it will be evident which garments you handled over the year and which you didn’t.

Organise The Keepers

Decide which approach would be ideal for organising them once you’ve decided which parts will stay and which will leave. It’s fine if you need to order some organisation items to put them in later. Fold all your clothing neatly and hang everything in a logical sequence for now. new You’ll feel like you have a completely new wardrobe now that you have less to deal with. Organising everything in a way that’s accessible and easy to view will make you feel like you have a brand new wardrobe.

Add What’s Missing

Once you have organised and decluttered your wardrobe you can easily see what is missing. From new-season staples such as Men’s OFF-WHITE or a summer bikini through to the storage boxes or drawers that you have. A good spring clean will get you where you need to be to sort this point out. 

These tips should help you to get organised and start your wardrobe spring clean. Do you have any other tips that may help? Please add them in the comments below.  

Nb. Collaborative post.