The Only Way To Successfully Clean Out Your Closet (So You Can Dress With More Style)
Tina, here.
January is a time for reflection, goal-setting, gym memberships and cleaning out your closet. Speaking as one who has cleaned out hundreds and hundreds of closets over the past ten years, I know the secret of a successful closet clean out so you can start dressing with style again. Because that, my dears, is the goal of a closet clean out: to be left with your dream wardrobe and a stylish, confident you.
The Only 3 Rules For A Successful Closet Clean Out
1. Enlist outside help ("free" or professional).
2. Don't start without a few very important tools (see below).
3. Touch everything. Every. Last. Thing. From your mismatched socks to your broken earrings.
My process for cleaning out closets has not changed in the 10 + years I've been doing this professionally. It's a good formula I've honed and have found works. It's a pretty intense and anxiety-provoking exercise to tackle a closet by yourself. There is so much emotion in there. Weight issues, financial issues, guilt over both, and all kinds of memories both good and bad. This is why you need some support. So let's get started.
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1. Enlist outside help ("free" or professional).
You are not impartial. You can't think clearly when it comes to the old college t-shirts and your first job interview dress. Or the comfy old pair of clodhoppers that faithfully serve you at the office to this day. Or the gobs and gobs of tangled necklaces in the jewelry drawer. You're worried you'll have nothing left if someone else helps you. You're worried you can't afford to replace what needs to be thrown out. And who wants to be reminded of the things you bought but never wore, still with the tags on them? This, my dears, is why you need support. A friend or sister can take you about half way there. And I'm being generous. She's not getting paid to tell you the cold, hard truth. It's so amusing to me when I show up to a client's home and she proudly tells me she's already taken five bags to Goodwill. I barely have the heart to tell her there may be five more after I'm finished. But the good news is that most of the stuff you need to get rid of, you know deep down you need to. You haven't worn most of it in years anyway. You don't even see that stuff in your closet anymore. The bad stuff becomes invisible. But I promise, when you finally get it all out of there, the relief will be palpable. Cathartic. Imagine having impacted sinuses for years and years, and then you have the surgery and feel... relief. You can breathe. It's like that. But not as gross. You need someone who knows what they're doing, who can say, yes, those were cute at one time, but now they make you look aged. You need someone who can say, "you can do better and here's what is better."
2. Don't start without a few very important tools.
Cleaning out a closet is a job. It's not a party. I do recommend if you have a friend helping you to offer wine. I, however will not accept it if you hire me. My clients can attest. This is serious business for me. We won't take a few minutes to sit down and drink tea when I arrive. If you've decided to take on this project, ask the right friend. When your friend arrives, go straight back to your closet and dive in. When I start a closet clean out, I've already started getting to know you through a very targeted info form I emailed you earlier. I'm reading between the lines of your answers to my questions. (My counseling degree comes in handy here). I'll start by talking about Wardrobe Rules 101, like the proper hangers for your clothes, what kind of mirror you need, even good lighting and yes, I want to see your camisoles. Keep it lighthearted, though. With a trusted voice of reason beside you, helping you, you won't have to wonder what looks the best on you and what doesn't. She (or I) will tell you. But you will feel great and encouraged and empowered to dress with your best style. We may become best friends. Three of my very best friends today started out as clients I never knew from Adam. But I digress. Now, we need some tools before we get started if this is going to be successful. You will need:
1. Quality Velvet Hangers
2. Trash Bags - Once your items have been assigned to their pile, they go into a trash bag immediately.
3. Three Index Cards, labeled, Alter, Donate, Purgatory (thank you Brookie). The items you keep will stay put in the closet. The items you are saying goodbye to go in the Donate pile. I have found it difficult to consign clothes unless they are current season and in tip-top shape. Consignment shops can afford to be super-choosy so you will often get a better tax write-off by donating, plus you'll be helping folks! If you think you have something you can sell, try Poshmark or eBay. Keep reading for the process of creating these piles.
4. Mirror, 1/4" plate, a good full-length, 1/4" thick mirror. The ones from big box stores tend to be thin and distorted. NOT HELPFUL when we are trying to get a good read on what looks good and what doesn't. Easily 9 out of 10 mirrors I see in clients' closets are distorted. No wonder you're always in a bad mood when you get dressed!
5. SPANX Spanx and a good-fitting bra. You'll see why in a minute.
6. iPhone - this will be a powerful tool, you'll see.
There's your pep talk. Here's the process for cleaning out closet.
3. Touch everything. Every. Last. Thing. From your socks to your broken earrings.
You don't need to pull everything out one by one. Just go through every piece one by one, hanger by hanger, drawer by drawer, shelf by shelf. It will take a while. Touch everything. And assign it a place: it either stays where it is (you'll reorganize later), or it goes into one of the 3 piles, Alter, Donate, Purgatory.
You'll be trying clothes on. This is why you need good SPANX and a good bra. If it doesn't look good with your good shapewear, get rid of it. If you reeeaaaallly want to keep something but your helper says no, it goes into the "?" pile, aka Purgatory, to be later moved to a closet far, far away from your bedroom. Like the attic or some other distant and dark hole. If you don't miss these items for 6 months, they move to a new Donate pile where they can be put to good use in someone else's closet who need them more than you do.
Here are the questions you'll be asking, and these are the filters I use when cleaning out a closet:
Is it tired or dated looking (nothing ages you more than tired, outdated clothes)? This is the biggest question and the one that catches most of the items you need to get rid of. This pile will consist of trends no longer trendy, classic items that need to be updated, yellowed t-shirts, denim with outdated washes, dated shoes and trendy jewelry and handbags.
Is it stained or damaged beyond repair?
Is it the wrong color for you? You may have been a "Spring" 20 years ago, but your skin tone and hair color have changed, and so have the colors that look good on you.
Is it the wrong shape for you? Just because it's in style doesn't mean it looks good on you. Case in point: skinny jeans and graphic tees aren't for everyone. Neither are A-line dresses or ankle booties.
Is it too young or old for you? This is more personal.
Related: Your Ultimate Guide: 7 Rules To Look Less Frumpy
Does it fit, and if not can it be altered if it is worth keeping? If it's too small, get rid of it. Live in the present. Goal weight clothes will taunt you and make you feel terrible about yourself. Positive reinforcement is so much more powerful. So fill your closet with clothes you look and feel great in today.
Do I like it? Would I buy it today for what I paid for it, or even half of what I paid for it? Just because you haven't worn it and it still has the tags on it, if it doesn't make you happy today, it doesn't need to take up space in your life. No need to keep paying for yesterday's or last year's mistakes.
If you're not sure about something and your friend says it needs to go, try it on with your spanx and the shoes you'd wear with it (we want a reasonable idea of how it looks). Stand in front of the mirror and take a selfie. You get a MUCH more accurate reflection of what it really looks likes on you from this picture than either of you looking at yourself in the mirror. Strange but true.
If you reeeally can't get rid of something, then stick it in the Purgatory pile to be escorted off to a faraway closet, preferably that is difficult to get to like an attic. If you don't miss it for 6 months, then it leaves your life for good.
Items you'll be tossing in spades:
dated and tired shoes - you have TONS of shoes that need to be tossed, trust me
any jewelry that was trendy 2 years ago (and isn't anymore)
broken jewelry
outdated handbags - you have LOTS of these, too, that need to go
old bras and other undergarments that have stretched out or are stained
jeans with dated washes and rinses (especially if they are whiskered and striped)
t-shirts that are too short and boxy (this happens from repeated washings, even if they never see hot water)
most of your crew neck t-shirts
anything from Harold's (I know I seem to pick on them, it's just that if you still have stuff from this great ole shop, you're probably still wearing a lot of other outdated styles too ? )
shrugs
old fleece jackets that look like dirty dogs
Once you've done this, I want you to snap some photos of some outfits you love.
This will reinforce to you that you do indeed have some great clothes! And some outfits you feel amazing in! And it will make getting dressed for your next big event or casual day running around town that much easier. If it helps, you can hang outfits together. I will typically do this for clients before leaving their home on closet clean out day, so they can see the vision of where we are going with this "fewer but better" thing. And it helps them trust me that we don't need to replace nearly as many pieces as they may think.
But wait, you're not finished.
Take the clothes from the Alter pile to your car. Do not pass go. Do not collect dust. Drop them off in the next couple days.
The Donate/Goodwill trash bags go in your car trunk immediately. No need to go through the bags again. You've made your peace. Life is short. Better outfits are ahead. Drive to Goodwill right now. Even if it's dark. The drop-off centers are usually open. But not if you've been drinking wine, mkay cupcakes? Just be sure and do it tomorrow.
Okey dokey how are you feeling? What an accomplishment! Now you just need to know how to not end up back here with too many clothes and nothing to wear. For now, you can shop this Winter Capsule Wardrobe (it was released early to Insiders, so items may be selling out!). More shopping guides coming all Spring, too. Check out all my Latest Loves, too, where you can shop all my favorites.
Best,
Tina
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