Thursday, February 27, 2014

Spring Cleaning Out Your Closet


It is that time of the year when you need to clean out closets & wardrobes. You know, take out all of the old clothes that either: don't fit, are worn out, or you just don't like anymore -- making room for fun new clothes.

I'm going to be sharing with y'all my tips on how I like to clean out my closet EVERY season. Yep, I said every season. You need to clean your closet out after every new season comes around, but when you love shopping as much as I do, I think it is a great tip. Otherwise, you will start drowning in clothes and won't know what you own anymore. Also, I'll be sharing tips on how to organize your clothes.
What to Toss
  • Anything that doesn't fit you any more. If it doesn't fit, don't let it take up precious space in your closet.
  • If you haven't worn it within the past two years, toss it out.
  • Does it have a stain? If you can't get the stain out, either toss it or refashion it [but only if you will do it within 3 months].
  • Broken shoe strap? Belt falling apart? If things are starting to fall apart, that might be a good sign that it is time to say goodbye. If you can't fix it, or have been meaning to repair it for the past year, get rid of it.
  • Toss out your junkie flip-flops/sandals from last summer & replace them with fresh new ones. Unless of course, they are now your junkie shoes for house/yard work. But please, don't wear them out in public -- they just ruin an outfit. 
  • Return anything that you have borrowed from your friends & family. 
  •  If you are keeping something just for the memories, put that item into storage or take a picture of it and get rid of it.
Helpful Cleaning & Storing Tips
  • Try organizing your closet by category, like: dresses in one section, skirts in another, etc...
  • You can also take this to the next level: by colour. Within each section have them sub-orginized by colour, for example: White, Cream, Pink, Red, Peach, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, Grey, and finally Black [this is how mine are categorized]. 
  • Another sub-category is to organize by length. For example: All your sleeveless tops at one end, next short sleeves, half-sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, and finally long sleeves. You can also do this for your dresses/tunics & skirts, except then you are doing it by how long the garment is to your height. [I do this too.]  
  • If possible, fold your sweaters/jumpers when storing them [either in a drawer, or on a shelf], as this will give them a longer life & help prevent stretched shoulders. 
  • When cleaning out your closet & wardrobe take EVERYTHING OUT! This will force you to focus & get the job done [and to not stop half-way through and never finish the job]. 
  • If you need motivation while working, try listening to some up-beat music to keep it fun! 
  • While all your clothes are out and you are cleaning out your closet, take this time to also try on EVERYTHING. This will you know what to keep, donate, or toss. You can invite your mom, sisters, or some friends to help you decided what looks best on you if you want. Otherwise, a full-length mirror is always nice to have on hand.
  • Wear a neutral outfit while cleaning out your closet: Jeans + White tee shirt or a Jean Skirt + White tee shirt are both great options. This makes it easier to try on all your clothes, if you can layer some of them on an outfit it will look good with.
  • Put on either a little makeup, or a fun lip colour. Do your hair in cute & easy style. If you look nice & feel great you will get a lot more work done. 
  • Work on one category at time. Don't try do everything at once, you will get overwhelmed.
Questions to Ask Yourself Whilst Cleaning & Trying On Items
  • Does it fit me right now?
  • Is it flattering to my body shape/coloring/etc...?
  • Do I really love this item? 
  • Would I buy it right now in a store?
  • Will I actually wear this item? 
  • Does it fit my current lifestyle?
What to do with your Old Clothes
  • Donate your old stuff to your friends who love getting free clothes. [If you think they will like the styles you are giving them, that is.] I for one love free clothes, and never say no to anyone who wants to give me some. 
  • If you are a blogger & have a following, do a blog sale.
  • Post & sell your nicer items on ebay.
  • Sell them to thredUP.
  • You could sell vintage stuff on etsy.
  • Take them to your local thrift shop!
  • Take them to a shelter, be sure to check before hand if they accept clothes.  
I hope y'all found this helpful. I don't know about you, but I love cleaning out & reorganizing my closet. Hopefully, this list of tips & ideas will help you love doing it too. 

~Ashley 

12 comments:

  1. Great tips! I am actually excited to clean out my closet again! :) I also love to categorize my clothes by color and type... though they tend to get mixed up on busy days.. Plus I loved LC's tip in her book 'Style' of getting velvet slim hangers which while pricey are super helpful! Especially when I lived in 1930's student housing... teeny closets! Thanks for the tips! -Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  2. Thanks for the tips! I'm going to definitely have to plan on doing these when I clean out my closet!

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  3. I really needed these tips! I'm fairly close to cleaning out my closet (if spring ever comes!) and I've been looking for a few extra tips. :) thanks for sharing!

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  4. Great ideas!
    keepcalmandsparkle1099.blogspot.com

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  5. I don't think that I have tons of clothes but I do occasionally weed out what I don't want/wear (I have sold some stuff to our local Clothes Mentor), and right now I have a broken shoe problem because several need to be repaired. I usually pass on clothes to my younger sisters. I think I want to reorganize the color scheme to such as warmer colors on one side and cooler on the other (that works with my winter clothes, but I am not sure it will work with summer), so that I can pull outfits that I will wear together.

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  6. Thanks for the tips!
    ~Sarah~
    http://allthingsvintage-sc.blogspot.com/

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  7. I wish I could say I enjoy it!
    Alas, I do not. I'm horrible at keeping stuff and not getting rid of it!
    Need to do that soon though, thanks for the reminder, Ashley!
    Natasha
    A modest fashion blog: www.natashaatkerson.blogspot.com

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  8. Thanks for all these super tips! I have my closet organized by type of clothing and color and it makes it so easy to find what I'm looking for. Now I feel like I need to go to said closet and root some stuff out... ;)
    ~Paige
    Sunday Best and All the Rest

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  9. I just cleaned out my closet but I'm afraid I didn't do as good of a job as you've described here :) I folded and hung everything neatly, of course, but didn't really consider what I wanted to keep. I'm now looking forward to weeding out what I don't want anymore (and filling up the empty spaces with new lovelies, maybe?)

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  10. Great post and ideas for spring cleaning!

    ariarhapsody.blogspot.com

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  11. The post is really informative. I have read other posts of this blog.
    They all are awesome. I will definitely like it. fashion Clothing

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  12. Nice Post and great ideas for cleaning.Thanks for sharing these ideas

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