DIY Closet Clean Out

Here are my best 11 tips to help you effectively clean out your closet, stay organized, & decide what’s worth keeping!

In case you too are in the mood to do a little Spring cleaning, I wanted to share my best tips for organizing & cleaning out your closet! Every year, usually around this time, I cannot wait to go through my closet & give it a good purge! I don’t know about you, but it’s so easy to accumulate clothing, shoes, & accessories that we longer need or wear, which is why devoting time to regularly or seasonly cleaning out your closet is such a great use of time!

Effective Ways to Clean Out Your Closet

When I was younger, I seriously re-organized my closet on a monthly basis & loved every second of it. While I don’t have time to do it monthly, I try to at least do a good closet clean out 1-2 times a year! Especially due to on-going shifts in my personal style, reassessing what I’ve purchased, what I haven’t worn, what I’ve forgot I’ve owned, is really fun when I do make the time to do it! It’s the perfect opportunity to free up space for things I do wear & reach for consistently by letting go of items that no longer align with my current tastes.

11 Tips for Cleaning Out Your Closet

I’m no professional organizer, but these are my best tips for effectively cleaning out your closet!

If you haven’t worn it in the past year…toss it!

I know we all are guilty of this!! We think, well maybe I’ll wear it next summer, or next month…Truth is, if it’s been sitting in your closet for over a year & you haven’t worn it…it’s time to part ways! A cluttered closet full of items we just aren’t wearing leads to decision fatigue when it comes time to get dressed in the mornings.

Donate & Sell

I literally have an obsession with selling my clothes on an app called Poshmark, but there are a handful of items that just don’t make the cut to be sold, which I then donate. Both are great options. I can’t say enough good things about Poshmark though, it’s my favorite! I try to avoid throwing clothes away as much as I possibly can, so if something is still in good shape, I try my best to either donate or sell.

Take on a section at a time

Trying to re-organize everything you own at once can be extremely overwhelming & time consuming. My best advice is to take on one section at a time. I remember a few years ago, I literally spent a day going through my sock drawer. After years & years of playing basketball, I had SO many socks & it took me a while to sort & purge through the ones I didn’t need anymore.

Have everything in sight

When you’re going through your closet, section by section, lay everything out so it’s in plain sight. For example, say you’re going through your swim suits…lay all of your swim suits out so you can see exactly what you have. This will also help remind you of items you may have forgotten about! Once you have everything laid out, sort through & separate items based on what you want to keep, sell, donate, or just simply toss!

Try things on

Another huge mistake we all often make is keeping things that just don’t fit! I know I’m certainly guilty of this! Maybe you bought the wrong size & can’t return it, maybe you grew out of it, or maybe you are just hoping to one day fit into it!

Keep things that fit right now, not 2 years ago! Clothes that don’t fit properly can not only be extremely restrictive & uncomfortable but they can be just down right unflattering. We deserve to feel good in our clothes with the body we have right now.

If it’s too small/big, poor condition/stained/missing buttons/heavily worn/holes…get rid of it!

Be ruthless when it comes to getting rid of these type of items. Don’t donate or try to sell items that aren’t still wearable. If an item has been over worn, has a hole, or stain, or just isn’t the best condition, it’s okay to just toss it in the garbage. Or if you know of an option to recycle used clothes, that’d be an even better idea! If you know of a place that recycles clothes, let me know in the comments!

Sort through similar items

Group similar items together so you can take inventory of what you have. How many denim jackets, white t-shirts, or plain black turtle necks do we really need? This will not only help you cut down on space but will help you wear your favorite items more than you do now!

Hang garments in the same direction

Hanging garments in the same direction will not only look extremely organized, but it will help you find things easier since you are able to see your items better. There’s nothing worse than having some items hanging onto the hangers by a thread, falling to the ground, or just messy hangers in general.

Another good tip for maintaining closet organization that I learned from one of my favorite bloggers Sivan Ayla, & now apply, is to only buy a certain amount of hangers. Hang everything up…add hangers accordingly based on what you already have, but if you want to buy something new, something old has to go. No new hangers means no room for more clothes.

I try to follow this to the best of my ability. If I buy something new, I donate or list an item to be sold on Poshmark.

Color code

As I mentioned, I used to clean out my closet on a literal monthly basis when I was younger but I think I was even more obsessed with color coding everything. I don’t color code at the moment because I just don’t have the space to hang everything I own, but I think color coding is an extremely effective way to organize your closet.

Color coding is the best because it saves on time since you can easily locate something you’re looking for & you also can better put together an outfit by looking at the colors in your wardrobe.

Does it still match your personal style?

This is a big one, because personal style is always evolving, I know for me it is! If you wouldn’t still wear an item or if it doesn’t align with your current personal style, just get rid of it! We all go through phases in life where we really like something or dressing a certain way that we no longer can identify with. I remember cleaning out my closet a few years after graduating college & not wanting to keep one piece of clothing that I used to wear to parties haha.

Keep things that make you feel good, fit well, in good condition, holds sentimental value, & things you’ll wear again

If you’re cleaning out your closet & you come across something that you really love or something that holds sentimental value, just keep it. And if you don’t or can’t wear it for whatever reason, find a nice spot to store it so that it doesn’t take up too much space or get ruined. I have a few dresses that I really love but don’t wear anymore that I just keep in a garment bag. It’s okay to hold onto some things, just not everything!! Like Marie Kondo says, if it doesn’t spark joy, let it go!

I don’t know about you, but I’m craving a good closet clean out myself & will definitely be applying some of these tips! Do you look forward to a yearly closet clean out or are you guilty of holding onto things for far too long?!

Let me know some of your best organization tips in the comments!