It’s that time of year – to get your closet in order! The amount of clothes and household items I have accumulated could easily be described as ridiculous. After working two stints at J. Crew and having a slight shopping obsession for years, I have so many items in my closet that need to go…and that doesn’t necessarily mean to make way for new stuff. Shea and I are currently browsing around for a new house, and I don’t want to get to moving time and move around items we don’t need. (I literally found a dress I have moved like 6 times since my sophomore year of college and haven’t actually worn it since then!)
On a sidenote, I chose this outfit to pair with this post, because I really took one of my tips below and shopped my closet. I needed a skirt for this top, and I had already given up shopping for Lent. So, I went into my closet and found this denim skirt from J. Crew circa 2010, and voila – a new outfit was born! (I did the same thing with this outfit.) This was the motivation I needed to tackle the rest of my closets!
When it comes to cleaning out your closet, you need to have a plan of attack. This is not just one single item on your to-do list. As you tackle the years of clothes and accessories you have accumulated, here are some spring cleaning tips for your closet.
CONCENTRATE ON ONE THING AT A TIME. This way you don’t feel overwhelmed with massive amounts of clothes from your sorority days plus formals and everything else in between staring at you at once. Once you finish one task, you will feel more accomplished instead of feeling like you are behind because you didn’t clean out your entire closet in one evening…seriously, who has time for that?!
TRY THINGS ON. Before deciding to get rid of something or keep it, try it on. Think how you would wear the item in the future and if you feel comfortable in it. I went through a phase where I bought everything a size too big and now keep thinking, ‘maybe I will wear that when I’m pregnant.’ I’m not pregnant, and these items will probably be way out of style by the time I am.
MAKE PILES. As you go through your closet, dived items into three piles – items to giveaway (I give all of my used items to St. Vincent de Paul or the Boys and Girls Club), items to sell (your gently used, more namebrand pieces), and the items that you can let your family pick through before putting into piles one and two.
BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR CLOTHES. I am the last of five kids and nothing was wasted in our house. When I give away perfectly good clothes, sometimes I feel very wasteful. However, many of these pieces I haven’t worn in years or they still even have tags on them, and I know they can find a much better home where they will be loved.
SHOP YOUR CLOSET. This is the most fun part about getting your closet in order! Like I said before, this skirt is a J. Crew special from 2010 that I found while cleaning out my closet. Once you sort through the items that can find homes elsewhere, you will discover all of the the stuff in your closet that you really love. Now, put together some new outfits and don’t feel like you always have to buy everything new.
Ok, so those are my tips of how to approach your spring cleaning, so now let’s get down to business. I know everyone has a different way of organizing their clothes and closets, so this is just a guideline on how you can break up your closet into one task at a time.
CLOSET
Jeans | Dresses | Long Sleeve Shirts | Short Sleeve Shirts | Sleeveless Shirts | Casual Tees | T-Shirts | Pants | Jumpsuits/Rompers | Blazers | Jackets | Coats | Loungewear
DRESSER DRAWERS
Bras | Panties | Socks | Undershirts | Pajamas | Shorts | Workout Clothes | LSU Clothes (I know this is probably just me!)
SHOES
Tennis Shoes | Sneakers | Heels | Flats | Sandals | Boots | Booties
JEWELRY
Necklaces | Bracelets | Earrings | Rings
OTHER / ACCESSORIES
Swimsuits | Coverups | Belts | Bags + Purses | Scarves | Sunglasses
CONGRATULATIONS! Once you follow this guide, your closet and clothes will be fresh and ready for the upcoming seasons. I envision coming back to this specific list and updating as I see other things pop up while I finish up my own spring cleaning. Please, let me know if you think of something I am missing!
But, we aren’t done yet! Be on the lookout for additional spring clean guides that cover your makeup/beauty items, decluttering your house and some tech tips to get your virtual life in order!
