Purge Your Clothes | How to Declutter Your Closet

Closet overcrowding is a real problem.

So many of us have closets that, no matter the size of the space, are filled to the brim with clothing it’s no wonder that we are searching for ways to take care of this mess!

We live in a culture that bombards us constantly with messaging at every turn telling us to buy, Buy, BUY!

And we do.

And then we end up with spaces that have been exhausted with our clutter.

And if we were honest with ourselves, the percentage of the items that we use (and CONTINUE to use) would be embarrassingly low.

I can’t help you purge your entire life of all unnecessary stuff (well, I probably could, but this is a fashion-niched blog) so we will start with your closet.

People underestimate the amazing feeling that comes with opening the closet doors to be greeted by a nicely organized, simple and non overwhelming array of favorite clothing. I believe that if they allowed themselves to experience this euphoria more often, they wouldn’t allow their closets to be cluttered ever again.

Or, there is the more realistic reason of why closet clutter is still a thing. That being because the task of purging and organizing clothing is so darn intimidating, and to make matters worse, knowing where to start is an extra challenge.

In my younger days I was quite the clothing hoarder. I’d go out shopping every weekend with my friends and come home with bags of stuff… and my purging schedule was nowhere where it is now. My closet was stuffed with clothes, a very large majority of those clothes not getting worn.

All this to say is that I’ve been there. And I’m here to help you declutter your closet and live a more minimalistic life when it comes to your wardrobe.

So, without further ado, my process for purging your clothes and decluttering your closet.

(Step-by-step format… YAY!)

1) EMPTY

Take every item of clothing from your closet and make a huge pile. And, when I say closet, I actually mean every drawer, hook and shelf. I want you to make a frightening mountain of all the garments you own.

Then, once you’ve done that, I want you to take a look at it.

Let me be the first to say that you do not need all of those clothes. It’s time to make a change.

2) DIVIDE

Now comes the part where you need to go through each item individually and decide it’s fate. Keep or not keep. To help you make this this decision I’ve created a flow chart that will guide you through the questions you should be asking about each piece. You can download it for free, here!

Also - if you didn’t jump on the trend-train a few years ago when Marie Kondo’s book* “The Magic of Tidying Up” was all the rage, I suggest you buy yourself a copy and dive in. Marie does an excellent job of walking you through what should stay and what should go… and why. (Note - she covers items of all categories, not just clothing!)

After dividing your clothing into keep and not keep piles, set the not-keep pile aside for now. We will figure out what to do with that in a bit.

3) SORT

With the clothing that you have chosen to keep, sort each piece by season. If you have a piece that works with multiple seasons, place it in the pile of the season that is closest to where you are right now. For example, If I was going through this process in January and I had a piece that fit into Spring and Summer, I’d put it in the Spring category because Spring is the closest season to January.

4) STORE

This step is often overlooked, but I can’t stress its importance enough.

It is absolutely critical that you store any and all off-season clothing away. The reason being is that when it comes time to switch your closet into a new season, breaking into your stored clothing is almost like shopping again. It’s so refreshing to give your wardrobe a totally new makeover at the start of every season, before spending a dime on upgrades!

I love giving this example. I live in Michigan where the summers are amazing and the winters are long and sad. I store my winter sweaters in the warmer seasons because the last thing I want to look at in my closet on a sunny, warm July morning is my collection of chunky sweaters. Winter becomes much more enjoyable when I can get exciting about wearing pieces that I own, but haven’t seen in months.

I recommend purchasing a couple large plastic storage tubs (like these) and adding some fun labels to help you stay organized. Then, pack up the clothing and stow away the bins!

5) RETURN TO CLOSET

You’ll notice that the pile of clothing that was in your closet has now shrunk significantly from when you first started. I can guarantee it will be much easier, and more enjoyable to return your clothing to your closet.

Because I am not physically standing in front of your closet, I can’t tell you exactly how to store your clothing.

But, I can give you a list of 10 of my favorite closet-organizing tools (from Amazon!) You can find that list here.

BONUS STEPS

CREATE A CAPSULE

A great way to stay organized and minimal with your clothing is to create a capsule wardrobe. I highly recommend doing this. If you are unsure about how to create a capsule, I have a free guide to help! You can download it here.

SELL YOUR CLOTHES

Remember that not-keep pile from earlier? Instead of driving it to you local Goodwill, why not try selling your pieces for some extra cash?

*Note - Affiliate links are included in this post. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a commission on qualifying products.