How to Painlessly Purge Your Closet
Is your closet packed full to the brim? It’s pretty likely that you own more clothes than you actually wear.
In fact, in a recent study of over 12 countries, people thought they didn’t wear 26 percent of the clothes in their closet. In reality, they didn’t wear 88 percent of what they owned! That left them with a “delusion level” of 62 percent.
Americans came in second in this study, with 82% of closet items never seeing the light of day, and a “delusion level” of 39 percent.
So how much of your closet is just sitting there, never getting worn? That’s clutter.
“According to a recent study, Americans don’t wear 82% of what’s in their closets.”
How to Take Control of Your Closet
Regardless of your situation, it’s very highly likely that you own things you don’t wear. These items just end up cluttering your closet, taking up valuable space you could be using to showcase your favorite pieces you actually love and making your closet look messy.
Here are a few ways to purge your closet of these items without feeling like you’re making big sacrifices.
1 - The KonMari Method
If you haven’t watched the Netflix show or read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, you should! The show’s star, Marie Kondo, is a professional organizer who has taken the world by storm. She offers many great tips on how to get and stay organized.
The main mantra of Marie Kondo is “Does it spark joy?” This is the question you need to ask yourself as you go through your belongings.
Start by taking everything out of your closet. Yes, everything!
Once you’ve taken it all out, you need to go through each piece, one by one.
If this feels too overwhelming, try doing it in categories. For example, first go through your skirts, then tops, then pants, etc.
Then set up three piles: keep, donate/sell, and throw away.
“A lot of people hit a roadblock because they feel they have to throw something away, but that’s not the point. It’s about understanding what needs to go versus what’s important to you.”
As you go through your clothing, try everything on. Hold each item in your hands and really think about how it makes you feel. If it sparks joy and you really love wearing it, put it in your “KEEP” pile.
If it doesn’t spark joy, thank it for everything it’s done for you. Then move it to the “DONATE” or “THROW AWAY” pile.
If it’s still wearable, put it in the “DONATE” pile. This pile can also be used for items you’d like to resell on Poshmark or at Plato’s Closet. If it’s not wearable - it’s damaged, torn, or permanently stained - put it in the “THROW AWAY” pile.
What does it mean to spark joy?
Hold the item in your hands. Does it spark joy? If it does, that feeling is usually immediate.
Pick up something you KNOW you love and see how it feels. This is the feeling you want all your clothing to spark.
If everything around you sparks joy, looking around your closet is likely to make you feel happier!
By using joy as your deciding factor, purging your closet becomes a positive experience (identifying which items make you happy) instead of a negative one (being forced to get rid of things).
What Do I Do With Clothes That Don’t Fit Me Anymore, But I Might Fit Into Later?
This category can be really sensitive. I get it - you keep clothes you don’t fit into anymore because you’re hoping that you will fit into them again someday. But let’s be honest - you don’t fit into them RIGHT NOW.
Yes, when you reach your goal weight, then you can wear them and enjoy them again, but that day is not today! Focus on the here and now. These old clothes cannot serve you today and are preventing you from accepting your beautiful body as it is right this moment.
So, instead of getting rid of them altogether, put them in a storage box in another part of your house, so they aren’t adding clutter to your closet.
2 - Shop Your Closet
Who doesn’t love going shopping? Well, you can apply the same strategy to purging your closet.
Start by taking everything out, just like in the KonMari Method. Go through each item one by one as if you’re shopping in a store.
Take a moment to look at the item and try it on. Then ask yourself, “If I was shopping, would I buy this right now?”
If the answer is yes, keep it and put it back in your closet. If the answer is no, donate it, sell it, or throw it away.
3 - The Maybe Closet
This is my favorite way to purge, and it’s especially great for people who have trouble letting go of things. If you need some time making decisions, this strategy is perfect for you.
First, take everything out of your closet. Again, go through each item one by one. Anything you absolutely love and wear often stays in your closet.
If there’s anything you hesitate on, put that in a “MAYBE” pile. These items will go in another closet in the home or in a storage box marked “MAYBE CLOSET.”
Keep the “MAYBE” items out of your main closet for at least 6 months. As time goes on, you’ll likely see you’re not looking for what’s in the Maybe Closet, and you can live without it!
Once you feel comfortable, donate or sell those items!
4 - One In, One Out Policy
If you have high acquisitiveness - you like to go shopping a lot - this is a good strategy for you!
Here’s how it works:
Every time you go shopping and buy a new piece of clothing, one piece of clothing that’s already in your closet must be removed from your closet and be donated, sold, or thrown out.
One item goes in, and one item automatically goes out.
This can also help you save money; if you really love everything in your closet, you’ll be less tempted to buy new stuff.
If you’re not really thrilled with your wardrobe, this can be a fabulous way to slowly build a wardrobe that you really love without feeling like you’re starting from scratch.
“Fewer choices means less stress.”
5 - The Hanger Flip Trick
If you’re having trouble deciding whether you actually wear something or not, this is a great strategy.
Take all your clothes in your closet and flip the hangers so they face you, like this:
Once you wear an item and wash it, hang it back up with the hanger facing the other way (see below):
Do this for an entire year (so that you can go through all the seasons).
At the end of the year, take a look at your hangers. Which ones are still facing the wrong way? Those are the items you need to get rid of.
At the end of the day, your closet is YOURS. You have control over what you keep and what you don’t, so don’t feel pressured to get rid of anything you absolutely adore.
Sometimes purging comes with difficult choices. Hopefully this list helps you get your closet organized so you can have a wardrobe you love with way less clutter!
