Closet and Wardrobe Organization

I'm hosting a clothing swap this weekend, so in preparation for that, I started cleaning out my closet. I like to put away summer and winter clothes during off seasons for two reasons:

1. I hate clutter and it makes things look a lot better while taking up less space.

2. It's way easier to pick your outfits when they're all weather appropriate.

Now, I'm not the type of person that has a problem getting rid of things. I'm always looking around the house for things to get rid of and take a minimalistic approach to things. I understand that most people aren't like that! So, while organizing all of my clothes the other day, I started thinking of ways to make the process easier. I totally plan on using this concept for my husband, because he's a t-shirt hoarder and it drives me crazy. :)

I start with three categories: Keep, store, donate. I go through my closet first because that typically takes the least amount of time. Then I make my way through my dresser. I take all the clothes I haven't worn in the last 6 months and put them on the bed. If you have anything you aren't sure about, put it in the pile as well. Things that don't fit go, too. Why save those old shorts for "next summer when I lose weight" and create that burden for yourself? If you do lose weight, buy yourself a new pair next year! If I feel like I want to keep a certain item, I try it on to be sure I still like it. If you like to hold on to things, be strict with yourself about this step. I like to take whatever item I'm thinking about keeping and put different outfits together with it. This will give you more inspiration and motivate you to wear it more often.

Next, divide the clothes. Do you want to store it for next season? Is it better off going to donation? Remember that your closet isn't any better for how many pieces of clothing you have. What makes your closet great is having quality pieces that make you feel good about yourself. Things that you love to wear. Things that make you happy to get dressed for the day. It's way better to have 20 amazing things in your closet that can be remixed a variety of ways than 50 things that you never wear, or things that don't even fit!

Pictured above is my final result. In the back row, I have a bag of trashed clothes like old socks and underwear. I put summer clothes in the box for next year. The bottom left stack is for my clothing swap this weekend. The middle stack is for donation. The bottom right stack is what I decided to keep.

Keep in mind when you start this process that the point is to get rid of things that you won't wear! So even though I do like some of the things I'm sending off, they're not doing me any good by hanging in my closet. Your "keep" stack shouldn't be bigger than your "go" stack. 

Have any extra tips or ideas for organizing your wardrobe? Let me know in the comments!