Many of us are probably guilty of having an abundance of clothes in our closet, yet still feeling like we have nothing to wear. This is a major struggle when trying to have an organized space for your clothes and trying to shop for new items. With the new decade upon us, it’s time to make 2020 a fresh start with your style and how you organize everything! In this article I’m going to share five easy steps on how to get your wardrobe ready for the new decade, and even make you feel like a brand new person with how you skillfully declutter, shop and execute your style. If this is something you’ve always wanted to do, then keep reading!
- Deep Cleaning Everything
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For whatever reason, I brought my entire closet with me while packing for first year of university, which was not necessary. I know as a university student, I have a hard time of letting go of clothes. Partly because I think there might come an occasion where I’ll actually need to wear it, or I’ve had a lot of good times and fun memories with the article of clothing, making it way too sentimental to give it up. However, if I have not worn it in a year or more, there’s no dire need to genuinely keep it, and I think this is a decent rule everyone can follow. Of course there are some exceptions, like fancy occasion dresses or other fairly expensive items you might have that aren’t worn a lot in your rotation that are still acceptable to keep. The best suggestion for deep cleaning would be to try the Marie Kondo technique of picking up an item and asking yourself if it sparks joy or not. It’s a fairly simple and quick concept that works with so much more than just clothes. Deep cleaning out a closet takes a couple of hours or so depending on how much there is to sort through, so make sure you give yourself enough time to thoroughly go through every item, drawer and dresser!
- Throw Away, Donate or Resell
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When sorting through your closet, make three piles. The first pile should be a garbage pile for the clothes with holes, rips, really bad stains or malfunctioning parts that definitely can’t be donated. Then make a pile for gently used items for donation, either to places like Goodwill, Value Village or any other local donation centers near you. Lastly, for your never worn, tags still on, expensive or more high quality name brand items, feel free to sell them at a discounted rate, either through the Poshmark app or to friends and family through social media. It’s important to make sure you actually get rid of all the clothes you don’t need, because keeping them in a bag in your garage or in the corner of your room technically means you’re still holding on to them, and the whole purpose is to start fresh! Whether you make some extra cash or give back to society, just think about how someone else could be putting that clothing item into much better use than hanging in the back of your closet. If you’ve ever watched Confessions of a Shopaholic you’ll know exactly what I mean by “putting it in a bag in the closet doesn’t mean you got rid of it.”
- Reorganizing & Staying Organized
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Sadly, we can’t all have the huge Hannah Montana rotating dream closet or all the shoe space in the world like Jenna Rink in 13 Going on 30, but a girl can dream. This is one of the most difficult parts of closet cleaning! There’s an opportunity to rearrange the whole closet and how you lay out your items, but the mistake most people make is hanging and folding everything the exact same way, which ends up leading to a big old mess again. Try different hacks, organizers, separators and even just properly folding and hanging things up will make all the difference. Having a designated place for everything in your closet will help so much! I personally have adopted a mix of the Marie Kondo folding technique while also using dividers in my drawers to keep everything tidy, and it’s amazing. You can find tons of stuff for organization from places like Walmart, IKEA, or even online stores like Amazon which have tons of variety and price points. I know in a dorm room there is not a ton of closet space or a big dresser, but organization will make it so much easier to navigate around that tiny room and not create a tornado of clothes from trying to find the perfect outfit for a party.
- Shop With Purpose
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This is a key component to making your closet stay clean! When you know what you already have, you can resist buying the same or similar items repeatedly. A big part of why our closet gets too full and crowded is because we continue to overshop by purchasing things we think are really cheap or a good deal but not actually loving it or sometimes even wearing it. Don’t get me wrong, I too love a good deal and I totally get why we gravitate towards the best deals and the cheap clothes. However, it’s much more sustainable to invest your money into higher quality items and brands that will last you longer and be more meaningful in your closet! A super helpful tip I’ve learned over the years is to browse the clothing stores online before I go shopping, so I have an idea of how much I’m going to spend, what I’m looking for, and ultimately making me more efficient with the time I spend out shopping. This is also something that allows me to feel more motivated to try on an item I don’t have yet but really want, or try a new trend without talking myself out of it. If you have a bad habit for spending hours at the mall and are an avid window shopper, this can help save a lot of time and money if you only need to get a few things and save your money. Your closet space and wallet will thank you later! The new decade and a new closet is the perfect chance to upgrade your style, try new things and make space.
- Balance Your Wardrobe Variety
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Even though I just talked about the importance of buying new things you don’t have or have something similar to, I totally get feeling comfortable and having a favorite style of something that has never done you wrong. What I’m trying to focus on is more about not buying the exact same thing over and over again. We all gravitate towards the items we love, and that’s okay too. But it’s important to avoid aimless shopping. It’s not sustainable for the environment or your wallet, and eventually creates more clutter in the closet. The new decade and a new closet is the perfect chance to upgrade your style, try new things, but also still make space for your favorite, comfortable and classic items. Just don’t let it stop you from adding things that could make you more confident and your style a game changer, whether you like to keep it casual or classy!
I hope this article inspired you to take the time to finally clean out your closet and get rid of the things that are collecting dust, never been worn, or are too old to be seeing the light of day anymore. It’s time to seriously invest in some brand new items for the upcoming decade! Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to save up some money and take yourself on a well-deserved shopping spree. It can definitely be hard to let go of our favorite sweater from high school, or the most comfy pair of jeans we’ve ever owned, but change can be good. A perfectly organized closet can change your life, and I think that once you take the time to clean it out, you’ll be wondering how you lived so cluttered for so long in the first place!