If there’s one spot in my house that gives me the most grief and/or anxiety, it’s my bedroom closet. It always seems like it’s teetering on the edge of becoming a complete disaster zone!
But I take some solace in the fact that I’m far from the only one who feels this way about their closet. Closet organization is a challenge for everyone, but I’m hoping that today’s post will help us all free up a bit more space there!
As a follow-up to posts I’ve written recently about clearing out your pantry and bathroom, today’ll we’ll be focusing on clearing out our closets! So if your closet could use an overhaul like mine, here are 9 things to consider getting rid of.
9 Things You Should Get Rid Of In Your Closet
1. The “Fix It” Section
Many of us have good intentions when it comes to our worn or damaged clothing. We swear we’re going to get that too-long dress hemmed, or take those shoes in to get resoled!
But more often than not, those items end up simply taking up space in our closets. So this week, I challenge you to gather up the items in your “fix-it” section and either take them in to get repaired or altered, or else let them go!
2. Free Tote Bags
It’s hard to say no to a free tote bag, but how many does one person need, really? If you have a stash of tote bags taking up space in your closet, keep as many as you’ll actually use for grocery shopping and donate the rest.
3. Shoes That Hurt
Even after suffering through a never-ending evening of agony in them, it can be hard to let go of shoes that hurt to wear. Whether you spent a lot of money on them, or you just love the way they look, neither of these things are worth the blood, sweat, and tears those shoes can cause!
Gather up all your shoes that hurt too much to wear and put them in a pile. Take a moment to mourn the loss of what could have been, then place them in your donation box.
4. Dresses You Wore Once
Wedding and bridesmaid dresses can be particularly hard to let go of. Even if it has hung in the closet every day since the one time you wore it, it represents a meaningful event, making it harder to let go of than other unworn clothes in your closet.
And when it comes to your own wedding dress, parting with it can be ten times harder! (If you need a bit of inspiration, check out this post of creative things you can do with your wedding dress!)
But if you know in your gut you won’t wear those once-worn dresses again, consider donating or selling them so that someone else can!
5. Clothing Clones
There’s nothing wrong with having a clearly defined personal style, but it can eventually result in a closet packed full of “clothing clones” (or multiple pieces of clothing that look more or less identical.) It’s one thing to have multiple pairs of the same color and style of underwear, but having multiple floral dresses with the same cut is quite another!
I’m personally guilty of this when it comes to my collection of colorful cardigans. I’m fond of pink, but how many cardigans in slightly different shades of pink do I really need?
So let’s both go through out closets and clear out those clones that are taking up space!
6. Free T-Shirts
T-shirts are a common freebie given out on college campuses, corporate offices, and at banks, which is why so many of us have a huge stack of them! Those free t-shirts can be great for yard work or for lounging around the house, but you don’t need to keep every single one!
If your pile of free t-shirts is taking up too much space, keep the best ones and donate the rest.
7. Old Costumes
Halloween costumes, even the particularly great ones, aren’t usually worn more than once. So if you have a few bulky costumes in the back of your closet on the off-chance you might want to wear them again, you’re much better off reclaiming that space by getting rid of them!
8. “Other You” Clothes
We all have clothes that we hold onto for a different version of ourselves. The skinner version, the heavier version, the one who’s a little edgier, or the one who can confidently pull off leopard print.
But if that different version of you doesn’t line up with the real you, as in the person you are right now, those clothes are just taking up space. Make peace with the real you, and let those other versions go.
9. Bad Hangers
One of the easiest things you can do to make your closet feel more put together (or, dare I say, “grown up”) is to upgrade to wood or velvet hangers. This one simple swap will make your closet feel far more luxurious!
Investing in nicer hangers can also serve as a volume checkpoint. When you run out of your nice wood or velvet hangers, treat it as a signal that it’s time to purge a few things from your closet.
Can’t Let Go? Make A “Maybe Box!”
Having a hard time letting go of things you don’t wear? Make a “maybe box!” Put the clothes in question into the box, seal it up, then mark it with a date two or three months from now. When that date arrives, pull the items out and evaluate how much you actually missed them while they were packed away. The “maybe box” system is a good trial run for getting rid of clothes. If you missed the item, keep it; if you didn’t really notice, you’ll feel better about getting rid of it.
What’s one thing you could stand to get rid of in your closet?
#BedroomOrganization #ClearingClutter #Homekeeping #ClosetOrganization #BedroomClosetOrganization
