Decluttering your closet can sometimes feel overwhelming or stressful. But it doesn’t have to! Today I’m sharing 6 simple ways to start decluttering your closet. Giving you ways to start identifying what is causing clutter in your wardrobe. So you can remove it and make space for the clothes you wear and love.
Decluttering your closet can have many positive impacts on your life. It makes getting dressed easier and more enjoyable. Saves you time and money. Makes it easy to keep your closet neat and organized. And can help you feel more confident in yourself when you feel good in your clothes.
But I also know that decluttering your closet can be challenging at times. Before I highly simplified my closet, I struggled to let go of clothes I might wear. Or clothes I had spent money on. But I’ve found sometimes the best way to overcome these challenges is by having a clear focus on where to start decluttering.
And that’s what you’ll find in today’s post! I’m sharing 6 specific starting places when you’re working to declutter your closet. Places you can focus on to give you direction and help you make specific decluttering decisions.
Let’s get to it!
6 simple ways to start decluttering your closet
1. Get rid of duplicate items
An easy way to start decluttering your closet is by getting rid of duplicate items. If you have items that are the same or very similar to other items in your closet, keep your favourite, or favourite few, and get rid of the extras.
This is a great way to ease in and get started decluttering your closet. And letting go can feel easier when you focus on keeping your favourites first and letting go of the items you don’t love as much.
2. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit or feel good on
Another easy way to start decluttering your closet is by getting rid of things that don’t fit you well today. Or clothes that don’t feel good when you wear them.
Try things on and really pay attention to how they fit and feel when you’re wearing them. Aim to only keep clothes in your closet that fit you well today. That way you don’t waste mental energy every morning flipping through clothes that don’t fit and aren’t really an option to wear.
If you know your weight will change or fluctuate and want to keep clothes in different sizes, that’s ok. But I recommend keeping those clothes out of your main closet. Either in a different closet or just in a less accessible spot in your closet. That way they aren’t in your main space in your closet and you don’t have to make decisions about whether or not to wear them each day.
Also, get rid of clothes that don’t feel good when you put them on. If they are tight, don’t fit your shape, you don’t like the material, don’t lay nicely on, don’t flatter you, etc. get rid of them. Aim to keep clothes that make you look and feel your best. Even if you have fewer clothes, if you love them and feel good in them, they’ll serve you better than a bunch of clothes that you don’t love or feel great in.
3. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit in your wardrobe
Another great way to start decluttering your closet is by getting rid of clothes that don’t match or fit in with the rest of your wardrobe.
If you have a top you never or rarely wear because it doesn’t match or go with the pants you have in your closet, or vice versa, let those items go. Aim to keep things that work well with what you already have in your wardrobe.
If something doesn’t work or you feel like you need to buy something new to make it work, that’s a good sign it doesn’t deserve a spot in your wardrobe. Keep items that are versatile and easy to mix and match with the clothes you already have. This will help you get the most wear out of your clothes and make getting dressed easier.
4. Get rid of clothes for a past or future lifestyle
It’s easy to keep clothes for a past lifestyle you used to live, or a future lifestyle you hope to live, but don’t match your current lifestyle. And this can lead to a lot of clutter in your closet.
Past lifestyle clothes
For example, maybe you have a lot of business clothes from a time when you worked in a professional environment. But are now a stay-at-home mom or are retired. The clothes from your past lifestyle don’t match your current lifestyle and are causing clutter in your closet.
Get rid of the clothes from your past lifestyle and focus on keeping the clothes you currently wear. If you know you’ll need the clothes from your past lifestyle again, keep your favourite pieces. But store them out of your closet or in a less accessible spot in your closet. You don’t need to see and make decisions about these clothes on a daily basis if you don’t need them for your current lifestyle.
Future lifestyle clothes
The same situation can also happen with clothes you might wear or hope to wear in a future lifestyle. For example, maybe you hope to be someone who goes to lots of fancy events and have collected a lot of formal clothes for those events. But in the meantime, wear casual clothes the vast majority of the time.
Or maybe you hope to be someone who does a certain sport or activity and have collected clothes for that lifestyle, even though it’s not your current lifestyle.
Be really realistic about how likely that future lifestyle is for you. Will you actually wear those clothes? Do you need so many clothes for that lifestyle?
Again, aim to keep the clothes you wear now in your current lifestyle. Let go of clothes you hope to wear in some future lifestyle unless you have concrete plans of when you’ll need those clothes.
5. Get rid of clothes you think you’re “supposed” to have
Another big source of clothes clutter is when you keep clothes you think you’re “supposed” to have, but never or rarely actually wear.
Just because someone tells you a certain item of clothing is a staple “everyone should have”, doesn’t mean you need it!
For example, maybe you’ve heard every woman should have a little black dress. But don’t like wearing black or prefer wearing pants when you get dressed up. Just because it’s something “every woman should have”, doesn’t mean it’s something you need, will wear or love!
Keep what you love and wear and let go of the “must haves” someone else or you yourself are telling you you need.
6. Get rid of guilt
There are many reasons guilt can come into play when it comes to clothes. But guilt can keep you holding onto clothes you don’t love or wear and adds clutter to your closet.
You might feel guilty getting rid of something because it was a gift and you feel obligated to keep it. Or because it was expensive or it feels like you’re wasting money getting rid of clothes you paid good money for. Maybe an item is too small and that makes you feel guilty and bad about your changing size and shape.
Wherever the guilt is coming from, it doesn’t deserve a place in your closet!
Recognize when you’re keeping something because you feel guilty and let go of the item and the guilt it brings up. Instead of seeing those items in your closet every day and being reminded of the guilt, get rid of them! Don’t let guilt keep your closet full of clutter.
Start decluttering your closet today
I hope today’s post will give you some ideas of ways you can start decluttering your closet today. Remember, if the idea of decluttering your closet feels daunting or overwhelming, focus on one of these specific tasks at a time to break the work down so it feels more manageable.
I’d love to know, is decluttering your closet something you struggle with? Do the tips in today’s post give you some ideas of ways to start clearing the clutter? Leave a comment and let me know!
A good reminder at the end of the summer. In August I wore my complete actual summer wardrobe checking out which items I want to find next year still. Besides spend some time browsing on the internet sale to freshen up your wardrobe already for next year to find in your closet for a smiley price.
Wearing what you have and seeing if you love it or not is a great way to streamline your wardrobe!
Thank you! I love your straight forward yet kind way of making the"let it go" make sense and easier. I've been struggling with the clothing dilemma for awhile and now feel ready to begin the tackle.Again thank you, just what I needed!
I'm so glad it was helpful for you! Thanks for reading :)
this is very helpful for me. Clothes are my nightmare! I'm thinking of printing some of them. Rereading them while doing the process, I'm sure will help me focus. Thank you!
I'm so glad it was helpful for you! Clothes can be challenging to declutter, you're not alone! Thanks for reading :)
Great article, thank you. I put all my hanging clothes on with the hanger facing backwards. At the end of each year, I get rid of anything that is still on a backward hanger. Am always surprised at what I haven’t worn.
That's a great way to keep track of what you're wearing or not and do some decluttering. Good for you!
At the end of the day, when taking my clothes off, I think was there anything that bothered me about that item (had to keep pulling it down or just to baggy or uncomfortable) I put in a separate pile and either donate or use it to dust with the next day and toss. Win win, item gone and part of house dusted!
That's a great idea!