Do you often feel like you have nothing to wear even though your closet is full of clothes?
Clean up your wardrobe and stay organized by cleaning out your closet every three months (or seasonally).
The first step is easy. Set aside the clothes that you wear regularly. These are clothes that are you are obviously keeping.
Then separate the rest into the following piles.
The Money Pile
This is designer clothing in perfect condition, but you just don't wear them for one reason or another. They don't fit quite right or simply not your color. They are taking up space yet they are still worth something. Therefore, you can bring them to Salon Chateau's Boutique Consignments. Use the money you make to buy something new that you will wear!
The Donate Pile
Goodwill or St. Vincent dePaul or more specifically a local Womens Shelter involved in Vocational Rehab where women need the clothing to re-enter the workforce. You can get a receipt for tax purposes.
The Rescue Pile
These are clothes that are a little damaged but worth saving. A hem in need of repair or a stuck zipper on that designer dress. Bag them up for a visit with the tailor.
The Rag Pile
This pile is self explanatory, isn't it? Fill a garbage bag and don't look back... just toss it! Or go one step further... first create some disposable cleaning rags by cutting large square panels out of the cotton apparel such as white t-shirts, and then toss the remnants.
The Storage Pile
They are out of season, but not out of style and you just can't let go yet even though you haven't worn these items in over a year. Separate them by season and move the items to clearly marked storage bins. Just don't forget to put a reminder on your calendar so that you'll be ready to go through the bins prior to the appropriate season. In any case they will have been out the way and ready to sort again with a fresh new outlook. Some items will make it back into rotation, and now that it has become routine, the Money Pile is sent off to consignment so that you can reclaim your space!
Finally....The Organized Closet
Once you have gotten rid of everything you don't want or need, organize the clothes you do wear by category, length and color. A great tip is to hang everything with the hook facing outward and once you wear them and rehang, put those hangers back normally and soon you will see what you haven't worn and it will be easier to purge in the future.
Remember to repeat this routine every three months. Mark it on the calendar or just remember that every time the season changes, you need to clean out your closet!
Editors Note:
While these ideas are of course the ideal and something to strive for... it's just that.... a goal to strive for and hopefully get inspired by when thinking of the outcome. If there are things we can do to make life more enjoyable on a daily basis and even stress-free, why not?
This reminds me of a friend who decorates nearly every inch (and high shelf) in her home for holidays starting with Mardi Gras, then Easter & the 4th (on a smaller scale), then the Fall decor comes out which covers Halloween through Thanksgiving and finally of course Christmas (with several elaborately decorated trees).
While this isn't something I really care to do on such a grand scale, what really impressed me was when she admitted that she liked having the decorations out to see and share but it was also an opportunity to sweep away the dust bunnies several times a year, to clean and declutter while she rearranged. And that is what really tipped the scales and made her roll up her sleeves. I love that! Now I'm off to go clean my closet... it needs it! :)