Is it time to purge your closet or dresser? According to the Pareto Principle, we wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. By sorting, decluttering, and organizing the clothing you do wear, it will make it much simpler to choose an outfit to wear each day. Here are suggestions on the types of items to purge when sorting and organizing clothing closets and dressers.
Clothes that no longer fit- Whether it is too large or too small, you will probably want to purchase new clothing when you reach your ideal size. If you feel you must keep these items, store them in bins apart from your everyday clothing, and you can later mix them into your wardrobe when they do fit.
Clothes that are out of style- Any clothing that is out of style that you won’t wear again can be removed, unless you’re saving it for a Halloween costume. It is unlikely they will come back in style, and even if they do, is it worth the space they take up in your closet for decades while you wait for the style to return?
Uncomfortable clothes- If it is not comfortable for you to wear, you probably don’t pick it out of your closet or dresser often when choosing your daily wardrobe.
Clothes that you don’t enjoy wearing- If you do not like wearing a piece of clothing, it is time to let it go. Fill your closet with clothes that bring you happiness.
Unseasonable clothes- Perhaps you recently moved from Maine to Florida. You can discard most of your heavy winter clothes to make space for items that work well in your new climate.
Stained or torn clothes- Unless you have a plan to clean or sew these clothes right away, or you work in a job or hobby where these clothes are acceptable, it is time to part with these.
After removing clothing from the categories above, it is time to sort and further pare down the remaining items.
Sort first by type of clothing- Sort into categories such as shorts, pants, sweaters, swimwear, etc. This allows you to see how much of each clothing type you own. You may find that you own too much of certain types of clothing.
Sort next by color- Most people have one or two favorite colors they often wear. Sorting by type and color may alert you to the fact that you own 30 blue sweaters. With all similar items together, it will be easier to pare down to a smaller number of just your favorite blue sweaters.
Great post, Nancy! The closet is a fun place to organize for me. Over the last few years, I removed anything I didn’t love and haven’t replaced them. Yay! Whenever I go into my closet now, I only see items I love and want to wear. The other day, I went out to look for a replacement pair of pants that were ruined and I made it a point to try it on at the store that way I wouldn’t bring it home and never wear it. This really helped me keep my closet organized. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Sabrina. Yes, being very selective before you buy clothing at the store is a great way to keep your closet organized!
I recommend going through this process with another person who will give their honest opinion. I was told that some of the items I loved to wear were not flattering to me at all. :O
That’s great advice, Janet! I usually ask for another person’s opinion when I go through this process.
Yes, clothes you don’t like wearing… for any reason! If you wouldn’t buy it again, and you don’t wear it, let it go… no matter how much (or how little!) it cost:)
Thanks for the comment, Seana. I’m glad you agree with my tips!
These are great ways to make decisions on what’s in your closet. Thanks for sharing all these ideas.
Thanks for the comment, Ellen. I’m glad you enjoyed reading my closet purging tips.
Great tips Nancy. I have never tried to organize my clothes by color but I think I just may do it now. I am also switching to the space saving flat, velvet hangars too. I’m trying to get my clothing down to 30 or less items per category too.
Thanks, Autumn. Those hangers really to save so much space! Good luck purging down your clothing collection.
What was the name of the hangers you recommended to increase storage capacity? You recommended these during the talk at Apex library? Thanks for your help. Ginny
I recommend any type of slimline hanger. These Amazon Basics Slim Hangers or The Container Store’s Huggable Hangers both work well to increase storage capacity.