How to declutter and organize clothes

Before you get started, be sure you have at least 4 hours of time to get things going in the right direction.

Having another person with you can be helpful. They can simply keep you accountable and on track by being there with you while you go through the process or they can be hands on to help make the decisions with you.

Let’s get started to help make more space in your home for living without the stress and anxiety of not having what you need at hand and easy to find when needed.

Start with doing all of the laundry so that all of the clothes can be included in the process. Once the laundry is all clean and dry, bring all of the clothing into one room from all areas of the home for one person at a time.

Designate a container for trash which includes anything ripped, stained, or no longer usable. Designate another container for items that you no longer want or need for donate. Another container can be used for any items that you wish to sell or take to a consignment store.

Start with a quick sort. This should be a 5 to 10 second decision per item. Decide whether the item is keep, trash, donate, or sell if applicable.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1.       How does it fit?

2.     When will I wear it?

3.     How long has it been since I wore it?

Aside from special occasions/events, if it hasn’t been worn in 1 year, it is time to pass on. Exceptions should be limited. If any item is giving you second thoughts, sort it into the category it belongs to before making a final decision.

As each item is decided upon, the keep items can be further sorted into categories. Some of the suggested categories are:

Short sleeve tops

Long sleeve tops

Tank tops

Shorts

Pants

Skirts

Dresses

Outerwear like coats, sweaters, etc.

Exercise clothes

Pajamas

Undergarments

Once all clothes are sorted into the initial categories, the next step is to evaluate each category further to determine what is to be kept or not.

If you have gotten this far and need to take a break from the decision fatigue, come back to the categories when ready.

When you are ready to continue, each category can be broken down further. The subcategories that can be used for each main category are:

Plain/solid color

Casual

Dressy

Graphic or printed designs

Once a category is sorted into subcategories, determine if you have duplicates or too many of something so that you can further reduce the amount to keep.

Continue this process with each category so that it is easier to determine the space needed to put the items away.

If this process of how to declutter and organize clothes is too much for you and help is needed, I am just a call, text, or email away. Feel free to reach out with the contact us form on the bottom of the page as well.