10 Tips for Purging Your Closet

You may be just like me. You have no problem purging and getting rid of all kinds of junk around the house, but when it comes to your closet and your clothes, that’s where the trouble begins. You may have even said some of the same things I have:

• “I just need to lose like 10 lbs and this will fit again.”

• “If I could just find the right shoes to go with this outfit, I would wear it all the time.”

• “These jeans will come back in style”

• “I need to learn to sew. I just can’t part with that because it just needs a couple stitches.”

Let me tell you a little secret; You are lying to yourself and cluttering up your closet with stuff you don’t need. This means you can’t bring in stuff you want or need.

10 Tips For Purging Your Closet

1. Decide you will make a consorted effort this time. You will take your time, all day if need be, to get the mess and clutter under control. Go in with a positive attitude and no more excuses.

2. Get the right tools together. I suggest several boxes or bags. One will be for stuff you will be donating. A second one will be for garbage. A third one will be for stuff you are selling. Keep plenty of bins available for things you are keeping, too.

3. Start by making piles. Try a “keep” pile, a “donate” pile, a “toss” pile and a “sell” pile. You should also have a pile for things you are undecided on. Try to work somewhat quickly so you don’t have too much time to think about it.

4. Go with your gut. Don’t take too much time second guessing yourself. If you really don’t have a gut response to something right away, throw it in the “undecided” pile and come back to it.

5. Anything that is too stained, doesn’t fit now, torn in unrepairable places and not worth much anyway and stretched out should go in the toss pile. No one wants your garbage even if it’s free.

6. To decide if something should be donated or sold, ask yourself, “Is this a designer piece? Did I pay a lot for it and is it in like new shape still? Is it still in style? Would I buy it in this shape?” If the answer is yes, sell it. To sell, go to consignment stores or you can do it privately online on sites like eBay or Craigslist. Just be sure you have the time and patience to sell on your own if that is what you decide to do. You will probably fetch more money selling privately, however.

7. If you have expensive jeans like I do that are torn in certain areas (for me, it’s the inner thighs..something that always plagues me), and you really can’t part with them, make an appointment right away with a tailor to have those jeans repaired. Don’t hang onto them and tell yourself you will do it later. You won’t. You will forget. Make sure to shop around for a tailor as well. It shouldn’t cost you more than $5-$10 per pair, depending on where it is torn and how bad it is.

8. If the idea of just adding to landfill waste bothers you, offer up your toss bag for free on a site like Freecycle.com. State in the ad that the person who picks it up must take all. What they do with it is on them, but many crafters and quilters look for clothing like this for projects, so don’t be surprised if you favorite shirt ends up as a piece of someone’s bedspread.

9. Go back to your undecided pile and make final choices. Be completely honest with yourself. Then, go back and re-hang and re-organize what you decided to keep.

10. Reward your efforts with a new top or pair of shoes. You deserve it!