TIme for a Good Clear Out

I decided it's time to have a clear out of my closet and dresser.  On Sunday I was trying to find my black leggings to wear under my dress for church, and while rummaging through my dresser, I found clothes I didn't even remember having!  This is a problem, especially since I just moved a few months ago and redid my whole dresser organization.

That and the fact a lot of clothes no longer fit mean I need to weed down my closet.

So how does one do that?

I'm on the hunt for tips.  I've done it before, but I feel a little extra guidance wouldn't hurt.

This is what I've found:

10 Steps

1. Enlist a friend or sister to help. Even a teenage daughter could help.

2. Put on some energizing music.

3. Have a few boxes or garbage bags handy.

4. Make sure the rest of your room is relatively neat, and make your bed. (it will just make it easier!)

5. Take EVERYTHING out of your closet.

6. Lay it all on your bed.

7. Pull your shoes all out as well and put in a pile over to the side.

NOTE: With everything out of the closet, it is a great time to vacuum REALLY well!

8. Start picking up one item at a time, trying on if needed, and ask yourself these questions:

• Have I worn this in the past month?          
• Do I like it? Do I feel good in it? Does it fit me well?
• Do I have to tug or pull at it the whole time I am wearing it?
• Is it a seasonal item that needs to be stored elsewhere?
• If I love it, do I have anything I can wear with it? If not, make a note that you need something to go with your_______________.
• If you don’t love and you haven’t worn it, get rid of it!

9. Continue ruthlessly through the pile of clothes, asking for your friend’s help as you go. Allow her to be brutally honest about how something looks.

Do the same process with your shoes, and with belts and scarves.

10. After you have weeded down the pile to keep, start hanging items back in your closet (you could do this as you are sorting).

Source: http://thestressedmom.com/2012/01/the-best-way-to-clean-out-your-closet/

Think about the items you have and if they represent who you are now (as well as fit and appropriateness for work/play, etc.) ... Source: http://www.fox11online.com/dpps/entertainment/fashion/wardrobe-march-27-nt12-tvw_4118575

Wardrobe Rehab

Step 1| Cull - Go through all your clothes and sell/swap/throw out/DIY anything that doesn't fit well, make you feel good or suit you.

Step 2| Define Your Style - Look at what you have left over - what styles look good on you and what would you like to change?

Step 3| Gather Essentials - Make a list of essential wardrobe items to be the foundation of your closet, and a (long term) strategy for how you will get these in your wardrobe. These are my essentials.

Step 4| Organise Your Closet - Sort and organise your closet so it's easy to find the things you need.

Step 5| Choose Colour Palette - Decide what colours suit you and stick with neutral colours for basics and essentials - navy, black, white, camel (and if you're like me, red!).

Step 6| Focus Your Shopping - Stick to the list of your required essentials, focusing on quality over quantity.

Source: http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.com/p/wardrobe-rehab.html (The blog links to the specific step details, too.)

Right size but wrong style?  Toss it.  Source: http://penelopesoasis.com/2011/clean-out-closet-how-to-organize-closet.html

These are all great ideas.  So let's get started.

Here is my half of the closet.  It doesn't look like much, but you'd be surprised how much I have actually have crammed in there.

I made the bed to give a clean work space.  

I put out two laundry baskets, one for clothes to keep and one for clothes to donate.

Clothes to toss out ended up on the floor.

I pulled out all of my clothes from the closet and laid them on my bed.  Clothes that I've worn the last few weeks went pretty much directly into the keep pile.  Clothes I hadn't worn in a while, especially since losing weight, I tried on to see how they fit now.

Look at these enormous pants with all that extra fabric.  

They fit perfectly last year.

They do not fit at all anymore. 

They're still in decent shape, so they went straight into the donate pile.

Speaking of the donate pile, this is what I ended up with.  A whole laundry 

basket that toppled over a bit.  It ended up being three bagfuls.

I had also gone through all my dresser drawers checking everything and trying 

on several things.  I ended up with almost 1.5 empty drawers!

My closet looks much neater now (sorry it's sideways), 

and it's organized by clothing type.  

Dresses, skirts, blazers, sweaters, nice shirts, t-shirts, and sleeveless shirts will 

all be much more accessible.

Life is much better with it simplified.  I know I have a long way to go in so many areas, but this was a good start.  And the clothes can be better used by people who need it, so it won't all sit in my closet and dresser with no use.

I'll probably do this again come spring when I've lost more weight and have another bout of wanting to prune everything.

Until then, I'll just enjoy having a bit more space to find what I already own in my wardrobe.