Fashion Blog Mom Cardigans Organizing Closet

Learn all about decluttering clothes using the KonMari Method. If you have a hard time getting rid of clothes, here's your inspiration. Declutter your closet and organize your clothes with these simple tips!

Updated: 5/1/21 | Originally Published: 4/14/xix

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I recently decluttered my entire cupboard and, spoiler alert: I purged More THAN 50% of my wardrobe! Say what?! I discarded 8 garbage numberless of clothing!

Today we're talking near tactical tips for decluttering wearing apparel. Larn the exact steps to follow to declutter your closet, how to declutter your cupboard using the KonMari Method, and questions to ask yourself if you're having problem getting rid of wearing apparel.

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Decluttering My Cupboard (Finally!)

I am not a big clothes person only I still manage to accumulate plenty. The concluding time I did a big closet declutter was when we were moving to this house which was almost 18 months ago.

I was very pregnant when nosotros moved and I held onto far too many clothes that I thought I'd vesture once more "someday". Granted, I couldn't fit into annihilation to try them on simply I yet should have known better than to keep so many items I hadn't worn in a year or two.

Fast forward 18 months and I was at my wit'southward finish with my dress. I was only wearing a tiny percentage of the things in my closet, my dresser drawers were overflowing, and getting dressed in the mornings was something I dreaded.

I finally turned my frustration into action and completely decluttered my cupboard post-obit the KonMari method. And it feel ah-mazing! Why did I wait so long?!

Related: KonMari Method Basics & A Gratuitous KonMari Checklist

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Organizing Clothes – The KonMari Method

Sentinel this video to see me declutter my cupboard and get rid of fifty% of my clothes!

Ready to jump into KonMari-ing your abode? Be sure to download the free checklist!

Download Your Complimentary KonMari Checklist!

Review the rules, check off your progress, and meet which category is next with this complimentary KonMari checklist! Subscribe to accept the gratis guide sent straight to your inbox. By downloading this guide, y'all will likewise receive weekly emails from me filled with organizing tips!

Hooray! Your free checklist is on its way to your inbox.

Why Do We Proceed Wear We Don't Wear?

Before we dive into the step-by-step decluttering process, let's first pause and recognize why we are holding onto clothing that we never e'er article of clothing.

It's commonly said that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. That means 80% of our clothes simply sit in our closets collecting dust and taking up space!

Here are some common reasons we go along dress we don't wear:

Nosotros want to look dissimilar.

Body issues are such a big culprit of cluttered closets. Our bodies change over the years yet we hold onto clothes hoping they'll fit again "someday".

Keeping wearing apparel that are too small-scale for you post-kids or don't fit you quite right today is pointless. You lot should love how you wait in all of your wearing apparel, then get rid of anything that makes you feel bad almost yourself!

We feel guilty.

Maybe it's that expensive clothes that you lot concluded up not liking but forgot to render. Or it might be that ugly sweater your crazy aunt gifted you for your altogether. Or maybe information technology'south the pencil skirt you experience like you should article of clothing to the function merely in reality, you've never worn it.

Don't permit guilt have over your closet! These items brand you feel bad every time you see them so do yourself a favor and admit you'll never wear them, then get them out of the house.

Nosotros don't not like information technology.

I feel like this happens to me with shirts I purchase during a actually good auction. They're too good of a deal to reject and they look okay in the shop, so I bring them habitation even though I'chiliad non totally in love with them. And so they hang in my closet never worn.

Dress that you lot call up expect okay tin can be catchy. You similar them enough to think you'll get around to wearing them all the same yous always choose something else instead. These items are great things to sell or give away.

Nosotros're keeping it for "anytime".

If yous haven't worn information technology in the by year (or two years if you're pregnant), information technology's very unlikely y'all will wear it again. Be honest with yourself.

Your way changes, trends change, and your lifestyle changes, besides, so there'south actually no reason to hold onto unworn clothes that long. If you don't accept a reason to wear information technology now and then there'due south no sense in keeping information technology.

We're trying to be someone we're not.

Sometimes we buy items for a life we wish we lived or to be like someone else. Be honest with yourself near what dress fit your current lifestyle. Certain, that backless sequin clothes may be cute but if you're a new mom who lives in leggings and goes to bed at 8:30 on Saturday nights then you might not need it.

How To Declutter Your Closet

Beginning of all, at that place's no right or wrong way to declutter clothes! You'll feel lighter and less stressed afterwards taking the time to sort through your closet and drawers, discarding some items, and tidying everything.

I'yard sharing the procedure I like to follow when decluttering and organizing my cupboard. Feel gratuitous to follow it to a T, alter it if you wish, or completely ignore it and become nigh it your own way. Nonetheless you lot determine to declutter your closet, the end goal is to have a tidy wardrobe that makes yous look and experience proficient!

Alright, now for the expert stuff! Here are the steps I took to declutter my closet and get rid of Half OF MY WARDROBE (distressing, I just tin't stop shouting that in all caps considering I'1000 all the same in disbelief!).

Here's what my closet looked like before I started decluttering:

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FYI I don't follow the KonMari Method completely, only these steps are generally in line with what Marie Kondo teaches. Be sure to snag my complimentary KonMari checklist to use every bit a decluttering guide to konmari your own closet!

Note: This entire process took me 4 hours. Obviously the time it takes yous will depend on your speed and the number of clothes y'all take to declutter. But my advice is to set aside a full day to work on this project so you can terminate it in 1 sitting.

1. Create A Zone For Donate & Sell Items

Accept a few minutes to prep earlier yous dig into a decluttering projection. You will be accumulating piles of wearing apparel to donate or sell so it's a good idea to ready a designated spot for those to go.

Collect donate and sell items in large trash bags, boxes, or bins. You'll also want a roll of large trash bags to collect worn out or broken items that can't be given away.

Ready a donation/sell zone near your closet and so information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to toss items in the boxes or bags as you're decluttering. Optional: Add a fix of these cute sorting signs to your boxes! Keeping these items contained from the beginning of your project will help you stay organized equally you declutter.

Note: Have an exit strategy for all of your trash, donate, and sell items. They need to be out of your firm asap so exist honest with yourself – if you will never actually get effectually to selling items, then donate those items instead.

Related: Decluttering With Gratis Printable Sorting Signs

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ii. Gather Upwardly Every Piece Of Wear

This pace can exist a little overwhelming but it's very necessary! Gather upwards every single wear item you own. Piling them on the bed works well.

Have everything out of your closet, everything out of your drawers, and so do a sweep of the business firm and collect other items. Don't forget coats, shoes, seasonal items, etc. And make certain you grab whatever of your clothes that are in the laundry, besides!

It's a lot to see that huge mountain of clothing, but it'southward actually of import that you become everything in ane identify then you can get a true motion picture of what you own.

3. Sort Through The Pile & Purge!

At present it'south time to sort through that pile of clothes and decide what to exercise with each and every detail. This tin can be very overwhelming but just take information technology 1 item at a time.

One tip from Marie Kondo's book that I love is to choose what to keep, not what to discard. This simple mindset shift actually helped me but go along the dress I truly loved. If I loved it, I kept it. Everything else went straight in i of the discard piles.

This step tin can be tiring only go along pushing forward and make quick decisions. If y'all don't immediately dear it, at that place'due south no reason to proceed it. If you're considering keeping something you haven't worn recently, try it on to make sure information technology actually fits.

Questions To Ask Yourself While Decluttering Wearing apparel

If you lot're struggling with deciding to keep or discard clothing items, inquire yourself these questions:

Does information technology fit me right now?
Does it make me feel good?
Is it in good condition?
Do I already have multiples of information technology?
Would I buy information technology if I saw it in a store today?
Do I accept places to wear it?

Watch for duplicate items and be honest with yourself near how many yous really need. I kept three pairs of yoga pants and discarded the other three. I kept the nicest white T-shirt and discarded the others.

Be ruthless with bras, socks, and underwear. If they are stretched out or worn out, they demand to be tossed. That bra you never wearable? Get rid of it. Those socks yous've had since college? Information technology'southward time to replace them.

I hate spending money on these items, but it's really worth it to replace your worn-out collection of socks with a new set that's all the same style. And if you haven't bought new underwear in a while, it might be time to toss the older pairs and buy yourself some new ones.

girl-standing-next-to-pile-of-8-full-trash-bags-of-clothes — I filled 8 garbage numberless with items to donate and trash! I employ painter's tape and a Sharpie to label the donation bags and so I could tell them apart from the garbage.

4. Put Everything Away Neatly

Put your keep items away neatly in your closet and dresser as y'all sort instead of piling them up to deal with later. Fold items neatly into drawers or hang them in your cupboard.

Tips for organizing drawers:

Categorize items into different drawers. Designate ane drawer for shirts, another for pants, and another for socks and underwear. The goal is to go along all of i category together so you can see everything in one place.
Fold items in drawers using the filing method (aka the KonMari folding style). To do this, you fold items into small rectangles and file them front to back in your drawer rather than stacking them. Information technology really does keep everything more organized! Click here to learn how to fold dress using the KonMari Method.
The exception I made to the filing method are my everyday socks. Instead of folding them upward all tiny, I simply stack them. This works well since they're still style and I tin easily just catch the pinnacle two from the stack.
Utilise drawer dividers to contain pocket-size items and carve up large drawers. I use a couple of old shoe boxes in my sock and underwear drawer to continue all of those pocket-sized items compartmentalized. I made DIY drawer dividers out of paper-thin to organize baby clothes in Chloe'south dresser. You can purchase drawer dividers or use cardboard boxes, plastic or fabric bins, or strips of cardboard cut to fit the depth of your drawer.
Fold sweaters into drawers. Don't hang sweaters or yous'll end upwardly with hanger indents and stretched-out sweaters. Sweaters are best folded inside a drawer.

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Tips for organizing hanging wearing apparel:

Color code hanging items. This makes your cupboard look organized and it'south easy to find specific items. I hang up all of my shirts with the exception of conditioning shirts, and colour-coding them is so helpful!
Use uniform hangers. Your closet will instantly expect neater if all of your hangers lucifer. You lot can splurge for those fancy slim velvet hangers or just use all of the same colour of the cheap plastic ones similar I did.
Have advantage of any floor space underneath your hanging wearing apparel. I had plenty room in my closet for a small shoe rack which helps me go along my shoes organized in my closet.

Tips for organizing seasonal items:

Option one: Store seasonal clothing loftier up in your closet. If you have upper cupboard shelves that are hard to achieve, those are a great place to store bins of seasonal habiliment.
Selection two: Carve out storage space in another surface area of your house. If there's no room in your closet, some common storage spaces are nether the bed, in a invitee room closet, or in the basement.
Selection iii: Keep all of your clothes together. Between my cupboard and dresser, I have enough space to shop all of my wearing apparel in i identify. I don't pack away seasonal items which means one less thing to do as the seasons change!

v. Become Rid Of Your Donate & Sell Piles Chop-chop

This step is key! Don't let your bags and boxes of discard items sit around in your chamber for weeks. It's important to get rid of clothes right away and get that clutter out of your house!

Carry them straight out to the trash, load the donate items into your trunk and driblet them off this week, and schedule a time to deal with annihilation y'all desire to sell.

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6. Gloat!

Whew, decluttering your cupboard is a lot of work! Treat yourself to something for a difficult task well done. You might even want to decide on a reward before y'all begin decluttering if it will motivate y'all!

Hither's how my cupboard looks after taking the time to go rid of old, ill-fitting apparel. The Konmari method of only keeping what I love and getting rid of the rest really makes a large difference!

7. Maintain Your Decluttered Closets & Dressers

After working and then hard to declutter and organize your clothes into your cupboard and drawers, the last thing y'all want to do is go backwards.

I try to be very conscious about maintaining my neatly folded drawers of wearing apparel and keeping my closet color-coded. These things make me happy every time I become dressed then it's worth a little attempt to maintain them!

I'm also mindful of the new clothes I bring into our house. If I don't absolutely love it, I don't buy it. I only purchase new clothes that I love and know I will wear often.

Some other smashing affair to keep in mind is the i in, one out rule. If you purchase a new habiliment item, choose something from your closet or dresser to discard. That fashion you lot're constantly getting rid of clothes every bit you lot upgrade and add together new items.

Wow, that was a lot of information! I hope these steps will help you declutter your wearing apparel and experience the joy of a cupboard filled with items y'all love and nada else.

I cannot tell yous how amazing information technology feels to accept less than half of the apparel I used to! I no longer feel stress or guilt when I open my closet. Choosing outfits is much easier when every item fits and is something I love. My drawers are no longer overflowing, I now have room to spare!

If your cupboard needs decluttering, go alee and choose a day in the side by side week or two to make it happen. Crank up the music or turn on a good podcast and commit to post-obit this decluttering process pace by stride. A few hours after and you'll have an organized closet that makes you feel light and happy, non stressed and guilty.

Ready to leap into KonMari-ing your home? Exist sure to download the free checklist!

Download Your Costless KonMari Checklist!

Review the rules, bank check off your progress, and see which category is next with this gratuitous KonMari checklist! Subscribe to take the gratuitous guide sent straight to your inbox. By downloading this guide, you volition also receive weekly emails from me filled with organizing tips!