Don’t get me wrong I hate housework as much as the next fashionista, but it has to get done. If you’re lucky enough, just not by you! However, cleaning out one’s closet is another story. This is not something you delegate. You have to roll up your sleeves and just jump in to it. It’s not so bad, but some planning is in order and there is a silver lining.
Honestly this is one task I don’t mind doing. It’s actually one of my favorite things to do, as tasks go. I make sure to block out a few hours to open my closet; select seasonal favorites and throw them onto the bed or better yet, a rolling rack. You may need more time if your closet is really large, and full – or if you have multiple closets, as I know most of us do.
Once they are all out, I try on the ify ones, especially if I’ve not lost those extra few winter pounds yet. If those items don’t fit I put them aside for charity. However, if I really love a particular garment that I can’t squeeze into, I put it in the ‘wishful thinking’ section of my closet. That’s the far end where I keep those precious pieces that I can’t bear to part with nor currently fit, but will wear again as soon as I lose those pesky ten pounds.
Back to the task at hand – once I have my lovelies sorted, I check them for any problems such as loose buttons or weak seams. Those items go into the ‘needs mending’ pile. I then remove the stand alone pieces like dresses and jumpsuits or rompers. Next I tackle the orphan items, you know, the ones that need pairing – for instance a blouse that wants a skirt or shorts and vice versa.
I then take a look at the stand alone and paired pieces to see if anything needs refreshing. You’d be surprised how dusty clothes may become even when stored in a ‘closed’ closet. I wash or send out for dry cleaning those pieces that need it and give a touch-up press to others. Then it’s time to organize my closet. Depending on your lifestyle, you may want to divide your wardrobe into groups, by purpose and color. Meaning – work clothes are hung together, so are casual weekend items and the same goes for dressy and evening attire. Stand alone pieces go back in the closet as they are. For everything that now has a mate, I put together on combination hangers and put them back in the closet as well.
Organizing one’s closet by purpose is helpful, but you can enhance this by arranging your wardrobe by color also. “Why is this important?”, you may ask. I think it’s important because I like to coordinate my handbag and shoes with my outfits. So, I typically choose a color that I will wear for the week. For instance, if all of my pink spring items are together I can then select the shoes and purse that I will use that same week as well.
Over the weekend I change over the contents of the handbag I’m currently using in preparation for the upcoming week. Wearing one hue all week, means I don’t have to make daily decisions about accessories and saves time because I only have to swap out my handbag once a week. These techniques make getting dressed in a hurry a lot less stressful. Below is an example of my “Pink Week” and how you can use the same handbag and shoes for the entire week.
Once done, I put the pieces for charity in one bag, the apparel orphans are placed in another bag and both bags are put in the trunk of my car. This way, the pieces I no longer want are already in my car so I can just drop them off the next time I pass my local charity’s donation center. And I won’t forget to take the orphans with me on planned shopping trips. This works especially well for impromptu purchases too, like a chance buy at a yard sale. Just pop the trunk and check the colors and patterns to make sure they work well together before doling out the duckets. This helps eliminate future apparel orphans too.
Remember the silver lining I mentioned earlier? Well, here it is! You will save money by cleaning out and reorganizing your closet, even when you subtract the cost of items you plan on donating to charity. First, think COST PER WEAR! Bola Sokunbi, founder of Clever Girl Finance has a great blog post on this subject. As she explains, the formula is simple:
“Cost per wear is equal to the cost of the item divided by the number of times you wear it.”
B.S.
While cleaning out your closet, you will inevitably find pieces that you had completely forgotten about. If you still like them then you can start wearing them again (cost per wear). The more you wear an apparel item the more value you get from it and you can save money by wearing something you already own and not buying something new. But even if you no longer want those once “I have to have this” items, you can donate them and in most cases gain a tax write-off. Just remember to ask for and retain the receipt for your tax records.
So what are you waiting for? Hop to it!
Attributions:
All Photos: Aleta Campbell
Clever Girl Finance Cost Per Wear: How it Can Help You Save Money by Bola Sokunbi