Cleaning out your closet? Check out this cleaning out closet checklist to help you make thoughtful decisions while decluttering.
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I recently read that on average, people in the United States get rid of nearly 100 lbs of textiles a year.
You’re probably thinking, “There’s no way I get rid of that much stuff every year.” I thought the same thing. And you may be right. You may not be contributing much to this statistic, but on average as a population, we are getting rid of this much stuff.
We purchase around 68 items per year, and on average, only wear each item of clothing 7 times.
I know – when I first heard these statistics, it was shocking to me too. It completely altered the way I think about the fashion industry and the way I want to be involved in it. We live in a world that pushes us to get rid of old styles and clothes we may not have worn recently without a second thought about where they go after. In this post, I will be sharing the things I like to consider before jumping into getting rid of an item.
Start cleaning out your closet by…
When cleaning out my closet, the first step I like to take is to pull out all the pieces that stand out to me as pieces I am considering getting rid of. I’m pulling out the pieces I know I am not wearing enough or didn’t love the last time I wore them – not trying to find new pieces to get rid of.
If I don’t love it, I pull it out. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to get rid of it, but this does mean that I need to spend some time with this piece. Figuring out what it is I don’t like about the item, and what I can do about it.
While identifying the pieces in your closet that you are not sure you want to keep anymore, use this cleaning-out closet checklist to help discover if you should keep the item, or let it go (and how to do so responsibly).
P.S. This post is for those of us that feel the need to purge our wardrobe completely, not people who struggle to let go and continue to hold on to pieces they’ll never use. Being thoughtful about how you get rid of things is important, but so is having a functional, organized closet.
Cleaning Out Closet Checklist:
1. Ask yourself why you’re not wearing the item
Are you having trouble styling it in a way that feels like you? Or maybe it doesn’t fit anymore? Or is damaged? Determine why the piece isn’t working for you, and see if there is anything you can do to fix it.
2. Is there anything you could change about this item that would make you like it?
Is it as simple as a fit issue a local tailor can fix? Or maybe you don’t love the item’s color and can re-dye it to be something you love.?
3. Did you ever love this item?
If you really loved the item at some point, but don’t seem to be gravitating towards it now, hold onto it. You may just be favoring a slightly different style at the moment or haven’t realized how to style the piece for your current style, but that doesn’t mean you won’t come back to it. If it was something you truly loved, it may be worth holding onto. It could become a rediscovered favorite in the future.
4. Stop with the “one in, one out” rule
It’s understandable to want to get rid of things to make physical room for new things, but if your closet is already filled with clothes, try to avoid purchasing new items and focus on getting more wear out of what you already own rather than using the “one in, one out” rule as justification for your new purchase. It may lead to you getting rid of perfectly good items that you could still be getting wear out of just because you feel like you have to.
I know that new purchases are bound to happen, and I’m not saying to not make new purchases, I’m just saying to not get rid of things you could be wearing. If you want to be more intentional with your shopping and ensure that you are buying pieces you will love for years to come, check out this post: Mindful Shopping Tips | How to Shop Intentionally.
5. Stop asking yourself if the item “sparks joy”
Listen, I’ve been there. I’ve tried the sparks joy method for getting rid of clothes, but I’ve come to realize that I’m not a fan of this method because every piece in your wardrobe isn’t going to spark joy for you at the same time, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t in the future or that you won’t get wear out of the piece if it remains in your wardrobe. When styled correctly, the piece could help create an outfit that matches your personal style and makes you feel confident.
6. Stop living and dying by the “if you haven’t worn it in a year, it’s time to let it go” rule
If you haven’t worn the item in a year, I do think that you need to pull it out of your closet and figure out why you’re not wearing it or if you can style it in a way that you will get more wear out of it, but don’t jump to letting something go because just it’s been tucked away in your wardrobe. Deciding when to get rid of should be just as thoughtful of a decision as deciding when to purchase something. Don’t keep something you’re never going to wear again, but be thoughtful when making the decision to let something go.
I am someone who gets hooked on certain pieces and continues to wear them over and over again for weeks on end. And naturally, that leads to neglecting other items in my closet. But just because I haven’t worn something in a while, it doesn’t mean that I won’t wear it again or that it won’t be my next obsession piece – it just means that it’s not my current obsession piece.
7. Stop telling yourself you have to get rid of something because you “wear it too much”
Wearing something “too much” is a GOOD “problem” to have. It means that the piece works well with your lifestyle and personal style, making it a great piece to keep in your wardrobe.
In fact, many people make it a goal to wear pieces in their wardrobe as many times as possible while on a mission to lower the cost per wear of the item, or the cost divided by how many times you have worn the item.
We don’t shame outfit repeaters in 2023.
8. Challenge yourself to style the item one more time
If the item still fits, I would challenge you to style the piece one more time before getting rid of it. In the past, you may have styled it differently than you would now, which may be causing you to feel disconnected from the item and not able to see the piece in a new light.
For example, I have a turtleneck with pearls that I thought I’d only ever wear again in an office. I thought that the piece was too preppy and polished to ever truly feel like me and that I would only get use out of it if I had nothing else to turn to, but then I styled it with my current style. Instead of pairing it with skinny black jeans or a tweed mini skirt, as I would have done at one point, I styled it with a pair of baggy denim cargo pants that I’ve been loving recently. By styling it this way, I added an undone, casual and utility element to the look, which balanced out the polished look of the pearls and made the piece feel more like me.
Now, whenever I realize I haven’t been wearing a piece enough or am considering letting something go, I challenge myself to style it one more time. Being able to continue to restyle and re-wear pieces is what makes you truly love them, and that can’t happen if you avoid styling the piece.
9. Take a minute to consider the items you are thinking of getting rid of.
If you find yourself struggling to put together an outfit and come to the conclusion that all the pieces you have tried need to be removed from your wardrobe, take a minute before making that decision. If it feels like nothing looks good that day, you may just be having a tough day. Hold onto the items and challenge yourself to style them again in the future before deciding to get rid of them.
10. Try to imagine a scenario in which you can see yourself wearing the item again.
Would you wear the item if you have an interview? If you returned to the office? On a beach trip? To a wedding? As part of a Halloween costume? To a country concert? Or to a winery?
Once you’ve determined the scenario in which you can see yourself getting use out of this piece, make a point to wear it for this occasion the next time it arises. If you find yourself never wearing it in this situations, it may be time to let it go.
11. Can you ever see yourself wearing this item in the future?
Taking items to a thrift store or consignment shop is better than throwing them straight into the trash, but unfortunately, if the item doesn’t sell there, it may still end up in a landfill, so I like to start by asking myself if I could ever see myself wearing the items in the future, and if I can, I try to hold onto them because by keeping them in my closet, I will end up getting more wear out of the pieces, which will prevent me from buying new items and while also keeping clothing out of the landfill.
12. Know when to let go
After attempting to style something again, if it still doesn’t feel right, it’s probably time to let it go.
13. Ask yourself why you bought the item
After you’ve attempted to wear the item again, if it still just doesn’t feel right or work for you, ask yourself why you bought the item in the first place.
Was it an impulse purchase? Did you buy it for an event? Did you buy it because it was on sale? Was it a wishlist item? Figure out where you went wrong with this purchase to avoid making the same mistake in the future.
14. See if there are any overlapping elements in the pieces you have decided you will never wear again.
Is there something about these items that doesn’t align with your personal style? If so, this should act as an indicator of what not to buy in the future. For example, I don’t tend to be a graphic tee gal. I have to have a strong connection to the graphic and its design to want to wear it.
15. Consider what you are doing with the clothes you no longer want.
Once you’ve decided which items you’re going to get rid of, consider what you’re doing with the clothing. How are you preventing that clothing from ending up in the landfill? Are you passing it on to friends? Reselling it yourself? Donating items to charities based on their needs? Sending items to a textile recycling/reselling facility? Now that you know you no longer want the item, how are you making sure it’s disposed of properly and that its lifecycle doesn’t end with you?
I like to start by trying to sell items on Poshmark or Curtsy, but sometimes I am too busy to keep up with the hassle of shipping the items or the time it takes to accurately upload something, so I also like to utilize recycling companies and donate things to local charities that are in need of specific items, such as work clothes. A lot of these charities will list exactly what they need on their websites or Instagram.