Clever Closet Decluttering Tips

10 Sep 2014

In our last post about decluttering closets and clothing, we suggested six questions you can use to help you decide what should stay and what should go when it comes to weeding out your closet:

1. 1. Do I need it, do I wear it, do I love it?
   2. Do I have more than I need?
   3. Have I worn it in the past year?
   4. Do I have something better or could I get something better?
   5. Does it have a hole or stain?
   6. Does it fit me now?
   7. Could I do something positive with it?

But what if you’re still having trouble letting go of clothes, even though your answers to these questions would suggest you give ‘em up? Sometimes you just need a clever little trick to help you with an honest wardrobe review. Here are a few clever clothing decluttering tricks to help you let go of the clothing you no longer need, use or love.

• The “Backwards Hanger” Trick – Hang all of the clothes in your closet the “wrong” way, so that you are hooking the hangers from the back of the rod. If you wear it, hang the item back up the right way. Anything still left on a backwards hanger at the end of the season should be donated or consigned.
• Assign an Expiration Date – If you’re having trouble deciding whether to let something go, give it an expiration date (anywhere from a month to 6 months) – literally write the expiration date on a colored dot sticker, stick it to the clothing item and move on. If you haven’t worn the item by the expiration date, let it go.
• Stow the “Maybes” – Similar to the expiration date trick, pack all your maybe clothing in a box and put an expiration date on the box. If you haven’t been tempted to get any of the clothes out by the expiration date, go ahead and donate the whole box.
• Give the Underdogs a Chance – We all know that we tend to wear a few favorite articles of clothing all the time. Give your other clothes some love and make a game out of trying to wear your underdogs instead of just your favorites. You will find some new favorites or some major “oh, that’s why I never wear this” clothing that you’ve been holding on to – you won’t know until you try. This trick pairs really well with the backwards hanger trick.
• Pack Your Bags – Another great trick is to pretend pack for a week or two long trip. What would you take with you? This gives you a chance to put together your best and most versatile outfits and pieces of clothing. Now take a look at what’s left behind – if you didn’t want to pack it, why? And why are you holding onto it if it didn’t make the travel cut? This will help you get rid of clothing you may be holding onto for no reason.

You can try some or all of these clever clothing decluttering tricks and see which ones work best for you. You’ll free up space in your closet for the clothes you really wear and love!