This 3-Step Method Will Finally Tame Your Closet (For Good!)

From deciding what to keep, toss, donate, or sell, the decisions are many when it comes to decluttering clothes, and the process can sometimes feel overwhelming. The trick is to start with a strategy you can stick to. To help see your project through from start to finish, follow this three-part plan that makes decluttering clothes more doable.

1. Come Up with a Game Plan

Getting started might be hard, but staying motivated throughout the clothes cleanout process has its own challenges. The trick is to start by building a game plan and schedule that’s doable for you.

The amount of time you have to work with will greatly impact what your strategy looks like. If both your schedule and mindset allow a full day to devote to decluttering clothing, you might decide to dedicate the morning to your closet while the afternoon is spent tackling your dresser drawers. On the other hand, you might want to focus on shoes one week, outerwear another, and so on.

For those who swap out their closets seasonally, consider tackling each season’s clothing before storing it away for the year ahead. This can make your project more manageable as well as ensure you don’t hang on to items you haven’t used.

No matter what strategy you choose, find a path that works for you to ensure success in the long run.

2. Take Inventory

After strategizing, the next step is simply to get moving. Create yes, maybe, and no piles in an area where you have plenty of room to stretch out. To help determine what to put in the no pile, consider using the 90/90 decluttering rule. This mental checklist consists of asking yourself if you’ve used the item in the past 90 days and, if not, if you will use it in the coming 90 days. If the answer is a double no, it should go in a pile to donate or toss.

Items that you don’t feel good in, unnecessary multiples, items that are damaged and can’t be repaired, or simply items that you want to replace can also go in the no pile. Place items that you can’t decide on in a maybe pile that you can revisit a few hours or even a few weeks later.

3. Make Sense of What Stays and What Goes

We often lose steam right in the midst of decluttering chaos, when the floor is a sea of clothes, hangers cover the bed, and you’ve somehow lost track of which pile should be kept and which is intended to be tossed.

When you feel this moment creeping up, take a deep breath and know you’re almost done. It’s time to put those organization skills to use, placing all of your clothing back in closets and drawers in a neat and tidy manner. Think about how you use your storage spaces, the best organizational tools to make them more functional, and how you can ensure everything is visible so you can do a constant inventory of clothing from here on out.

Finally, take account of the items you’re eliminating from your wardrobe and what you want to do with them. Choose which items to donate, toss, and sell, then make sure you actually do it. Just say no to donation piles sitting in the closet for months. Take them out of the house right away and start selling the others immediately so you can close the chapter on this project without any lingering to-dos.