Clutter Crush: Day 2

Now that your car is *squeaky clean* it is time to continue celebrating Simplify Your Life Week by tackling another cluttered area!

Let's Talk About Clothes

I do want to preface this article by saying: I am not a "typical girl" in that, my closet has like 5 things in it. While the theater geek inside me weeps at the thought, I usually have to force myself to hold onto clothing I haven't worn in a while.

Part of my reasoning stems from struggling with my weight. I have a hard time holding on to clothing that doesn't fit, and buying clothes as "goal pieces" is just not something that works for me. Since the size of my body is changing as I continue to adopt a healthier lifestyle, I've been incredibly hesitant to add more than necessary to my wardrobe. Because of this, my closet is more bare than most.

Personal Pet Peeves

My #1 pet peeve when it comes to clothing storage is having to look through dozens of hangers to find what I'm looking for. It wastes my time, contributes to my anxiety, and doubles my frustration.

A close #2 is overstuffed closets, where you can barely move the hanger at all, and half of your clothing is wrinkled when you manage to pull it out.

#3, leaving clothing in the closet that is not usable in the current season. At time of writing it is August and 90 degrees in Ohio, so why is your light-up Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas sweater hanging in your closet? It's just in the way!

Solutions to All Your Closet Problems

Okay, maybe just solutions to my own pet peeves:

Solution 1: Only keep what you will actually wear.

Solution 2: Only hang clothing appropriate to the current season; store the rest.

Solution 3: Pick a method of organizing your clothing so you don't waste time searching for a specific article.

First things first, take literally everything out of your closet and put it on a neutral surface, like your bed. Admire the empty closet! Take a deep breath and drink in the endless possibilities!

Now carefully go through your clothing. If you haven't Marie Kondo'd your closet yet, now would be a good chance. You can read her book, or since you've already emptied your closet, binge her Netflix show while you sort through your things.

Before we go further, I highly suggest finding a system of organization that works best for you. Personally, I organize my closet by color, because rainbows are magical happiness, and I know exactly where everything is. (My only exceptions are coats and dresses, which I put on either end of my closet space to sort of frame it. This helps because I share closet space with my husband.) There are tons of ways to organize your closet. I recommend hitting up Pinterest for inspiration if you are colorblind or hate rainbows.

Pull out the clothing you wear the most and hang them back up. The key here is be completely honest with yourself. Seriously, only hang up the clothes you wear most often.

Next, de-hanger anything that is unwearable in the current season. Anything out of season goes into a tote for storage until the appropriate weather comes along. Unless you are in a 200 square-foot apartment, you should have enough storage space for a tote or two that you can use to rotate out your clothes based on the seasons. This not only cuts down on the closet clutter, but also keeps your wardrobe fresh because chances are, you'll forget about those 27 fall colored tops you own, and swapping them out in September will feel like you just went on a huge shopping spree!

So take out your winter coats and Christmas hoodies and put them in storage for a few months. You won't miss pushing them aside to find the tank tops smothered between your puffy jacket and your pea coat.

(Note: if you are storing your clothing anywhere other than your bedroom, I recommend getting plastic storage bins to keep out moisture. They are easy to label, easy to carry, and you can get them clear so you can see the contents.)

Anything you have not worn in over a year or you've never worn at all goes in a third pile, also stripped of hangers. I'm not going to tell you that you MUST donate or sell them but I will ask, if you aren't going to wear them, what exactly are they doing in your closet?

Your closet should feel much lighter now! The clothes hanging in your closet should reflect the current season, and the ones that don't are safely tucked away in the basement. Your bed still holds a pile of clothing you aren't sure what to do with.

If you have clothing in this pile that doesn't fit: donate or sell anything that is too big because we ain't going backwards, love. Create another storage tote for clothing that is too small, but you are working to fit into soon. You don't need to keep all of your "goal weight pieces" in your closet; if you want to use one piece as visual motivation to keep working, hang it up somewhere you will see it every single day. If it's tucked away in your closet, then it's not helping you!

If you have clothing in this pile that you aren't comfortable wearing: take some time to go through them and honestly ask yourself why you aren't wearing it. Here's my advice: if it fits and it's comfortable, you shouldn't be afraid to wear it! I know your brain can tell you lies about your body, but the truth is, no one else really cares what you're wearing. Chances are they are too worried about looking good themselves to give you a second glance. Maybe wearing that outfit you feel slightly self-conscious about will actually inspire someone else to feel better about themselves and their body!

But if you just can't see yourself wearing any of these items, don't keep them. They are just a hub for negative energy and we don't have room for that in this closet, babe!

The pile should be gone by now, and if there's still some stuff left, then honestly why do you own those items? If they hold sentimental value, then consider storing them in a memory box or re-purposing them into a keepsake. If they are special occasion items, sort them by season or create a new tote category for them, because chances are, they still don't need to be cluttering up your closet if you only wear them once a year or less.

You don't need to splurge on expensive closet setups or buy special hangers. If you feel like treating yourself to a closet glow-up, go for it! But some baskets from the Dollar Store will work just as well to keep your things organized. I'd recommend keeping things stored by season first, then by style. You should store away your winter scarves in a storage tote in the basement, not with your spring accent scarves in the closet.

If you have shelves in your closet, you can store your accessories in their own bins by type of item: bandannas, scarves, handkerchiefs, hats, etc. If you don't have a dresser, I recommend folding your pants and placing them on a shelf like this one. Keep separate bins or drawers for your pajamas, intimates, and socks. Folding is really key to being able to quickly identify the piece you're looking for. Fold everything (even your underwear)!

Finally, if you have an open face closet (no doors), being able to see into the closet may contribute to the feeling of clutter. Grabbing a cheap tension rod or even a curtain rod can help create some separation of spaces, and you can tap into your interior decorator side by picking a curtain that compliments the rest of your decor. (Life hack: check thrift stores for old curtains or even cloth shower curtains for this! You don't have to spend big bucks to create a calm space. Just make sure you pick something washable.)

Again, this article isn't groundbreaking. Just my point of view! I hope it helps you feel more peaceful. Maybe you even have space to pick up that shirt you've been eyeing!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite piece in your closet? Let me know in a comment below!