This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
My closet was overflowing. With nothing to wear.
I’m talking borderline-hoarder full. Definitely discount-shopper-with-a-problem full.
Clothes, shoes, scarves, hats, and bags. Oh, the bags…
A closet installer once told me it’s not uncommon to see shelves holding upwards of 250 pounds of clothes.
He told me this as he was repairing a shelf that had collapsed in my closet, due to excessive weight.
250lbs…of clothes?! We have a national closet obesity problem, people!
What’s in your closet? Here’s what mine had:
Expensive stuff.
Cheap stuff (Usually multiples. Hey, it was on sale!)
Stuff I don’t wear.
Stuff I don’t want.
Stuff I used to love, and don’t wear.
Stuff I used to hate, and still don’t wear.
Stuff I never wore.
Stuff with the tags still on.
If your closet is anything like mine, you know how much of a struggle it is to organize, purge, declutter, and clean.
It’s easier just to close the door.
I’ve tried every organizing trick Lifehacker, Martha Stewart, and Real Simple threw at me.
Nothing worked.
Until now. A few months ago, I finished a new book by Japanese organizing star, Marie Kondo, about how to achieve a clean and tidy life, for the rest of your life.
In less than 6 months.
It worked. Decluttering, for good, is like ripping off a Band-Aid. Painful, but only for a second.
So, want to get rid of 90% of your closet, like I did, and feel like you actually have more to wear?
I’ve condensed it for you with The Closet Cleanse, though the book’s still worth reading!
The 7-Step Closet Cleanse
Step 1. Create A Clothing Nest
Put every single item clothing you own in one spot. Jump in! (Kidding, though your kids would enjoy it!)
Gather every coat, shirt, shoe, dirty piece of underwear, glove shoved in the back of the hall closet, and put it all in one big pile.
Now, step back, and be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fabric you own…
Step 2. Bring Out The Big Guns
Get trash bags. The heavy-duty landscaping kind, that you can’t see through, and can’t tear open.
Start with 3 bags: Donation, Trash, Consignment.
Step 3. Divide and Conquer
If your nest is overwhelming, separate your clothes into more manageable piles. Shirts, pants, dresses, etc.
Start with whatever group will be the least painful, because you’re going to be getting rid of most of it. (Sorry.)
Step 4. Time To Vogue
Try every piece on. Seriously, now’s the time to be unflinchingly honest with yourself.
When you put it on, you should have warm, fuzzy feelings of happiness shooting through your body. It should be like putting on your favorite sweatshirt, or taking that first sip of your favorite wine. Perfection, personified.
If you feel instant joy, put it back in your closet.
But if there’s any hesitation, even a twinge, keep going:
Step 5. Why, Oh Why?
Figure out the real reason you still own the item in your hands.
Is it the warm, fuzzy feeling or perfection and love?
Probably not, or you wouldn’t still be reading.
Is it guilt, because you spent money you didn’t have to buy it, and don’t want to admit you just don’t like it/doesn’t fit right/isn’t flattering?
Is it hope (aka guilt), that one day you’ll fit into it again, and it would be a shame to have to spend money on the same thing?
Get the picture? It’s usually guilt. Guilt you bought something expensive, guilt over your current weight/shape, guilt that it was a gift and you should love it.
Identify the feeling, and keep going.
Step 6. Have A Quick Chat
Let go of your guilt, by saying “Thank You.”
I know, I know, I laughed, too. This is imporant, though. Acknowledge the real reason you’ve hung on to it.
Examples: “Thank you, shirt that hugs all the wrong curves. Thank you for teaching me to avoid rayon,” and, “Thank you, brand-new dress that was marked down so much I couldn’t not buy you. You made me realize that not all sales are good sales.”
There, don’t you feel better? Deep breaths, now.
Moving on…
Step 7. Eliminate
Get it out of the house. Immediately.
Don’t delay. Pack it up, and get it out. You’ll have doubts. You’ll waver. You’ll try to convince yourself that you really should keep that shirt you never, ever wore.
This is where the heavy duty trash bags come into play. They’re harder to rip open.
We’re in this together. I promise this is for the best!
The Aftermath
The immediate results you can expect to see?
I’ve eliminated 90% of my wardrobe.
I’ve added 30-45 minutes of time to my day, time that used to be spent glaring at my closet, waiting for the Clothing Fairy to magically produce some awesome, trendy outfit.
I actually feel like I have more to wear, not less.
The key to The Closet Cleanse is to accept each item served a purpose, even if you never wore it. If it taught you not to wear a certain color, cut, or style, then that was its purpose.
Now, go pour yourself a drink. Your skin’s still red, but don’t worry, the wound will heal faster than you think.
Pin It For Later
Ashley Trexler loves honest talk about parenting and life choices. She blogs about the good, the bad, and the funny at Lies About Parenting. She is known for debunking popular parenting advice that just doesn’t work, and is a passionate believer that clean homes create clean minds. She’ll consider herself a parenting success if she can, somehow, manage to raise kind and compassionate kids.
Don’t Miss This…
Want more inspiration and ideas to clean out your closet, check out our post How to Lose Weight by Cleaning Out Your Closet
Ann says
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for this post.
I plan on cleaning the 3 closets this summer. It’s insane I shop for summer clothes in winter and winter clothes in summer. I haven’t bought an outfit in 4 months- though I have a coupon I plan on spending this weekend.
It’s just overwhelming to own many clothes.
I’m seriously sorting out clothes this summer.
Angela says
Ashely, thanks for breaking this down into simple–and funny–steps that people can actually take. I used to own a home organizing business and “letting go” is the hardest thing for people. So many of our emotions are tied up in our belongings. Your approach just gave a lot of people the courage they need to rip off the Band-Aid. 🙂
Kiersten Bell says
So, can I hire you to come and speak to my clothes for me? I am deathly afraid of the Vogue portion since I still don’t recognize my body from the babies. However, I think this is great! All of my non-maternity clothes are still in the attic and this purging is a priority for me. If you saw the size of my closet you would have a moment of silence. Then you would hug me and let me know that it will be ok…while reiterating that size isn’t everything. My closet is the perfect for only seasonal outfits so maybe this will allow me to cheat just enough to only purge the spring and summer clothes that now post-babies and deflate-gate, society will no longer allow me to wear.
Ashley says
Kiersten,
Just keep what you reach for! And more importantly, what you love reaching for! Let go of the guilt, and the extra clothes 😉
I promise you’ll feel like you have more to wear. At the very least, getting dressed will be that much less of a headache in the morning.
You can do it. We believe in ya!
Kim says
Lynn, this is such a great method and so true. I did something similar last year with my suits. I had an ungodly number of suits. Felt like I needed them for work which required a ton of public speaking. I changed careers and don’t need all of those suits now, but could not get rid of them since “you never know.” So I said I would consign them and tried on every single suit. It was love it or don’t love it. I was surprised at how many suits I didn’t love. They were “eh, that’s okay.” It took a week and a half to try them all on, but in the end I got rid of almost all of them. Great article!
Kim says
I meant Ashley – so sorry! When I was scrolling down to get to the comments I saw the name “Lynn,” and that stuck with me. Too early for me to be commenting , maybe. 🙂
Ashley Trexler says
Kim,
It’s amazing how few of your clothes (in your case, suits) you truly love, isn’t it?! I was shocked, as the discard pile just kept growing. It’s tough saying goodbye, but so worth it in the long run! Thanks for reading.
Elle says
I need to print this out and hang it in my closet to remind me Ashley. I’m pretty useless at organizing things like closets so these tips are just what I need to grit my teeth and get on with it. Great summary and I for one appreciate it…as will my husband, when my closet stops bulging at the seams! 🙂
Ashley says
Glad to be of service, both to you ladies, and your wallets! 😉
Lynn says
Ashley, I also love the idea of talking to my clothes! And now you’ve inspired me to talk to them as they tempt me in the stores 😀
Helen McCarthy says
Great tips Ashley. Thanks for giving me permission to talk to my clothes! That made me laugh. 😄