How To Do a Closet Cleanout
Hi! I’m Jenn—you’ve seen my closet transformation (above), which I hope makes us close friends now. I mean, did you see all those clothes in the before pic? After working at a capsule-wardrobe-focused company for almost seven months, I decided it was time for a proper clean-out. (And by “I decided”, I mean Levi said “Jenn, how do you feel about us filming another video in your bedroom?”, and I said “pretty dang good”). My closet is now so beautiful and my mind so much less cluttered each morning, that I feel a need to share with the world!
Let’s walk through the steps shown in the video:
Step 1: Remove everything from your closet.
This seems like a serious hassle, but it really does help to visualize a clean slate and then re-fill your closet with only things you choose. It’s also helpful to take everything off the hanger, feel it with your own hands, and decide if it’s worth hanging back up in your closet. Seriously, it helps!
Step 2: Make two piles—(“things you wear all the time” and “everything else”)
*Including a fun beverage (and snacks) to entice your trusty pal is encouraged*
This is where your friend becomes SO HELPFUL! I kept holding up items and saying I “love” them, but if my friend had literally never seen me wear it, that means one of two things: I don’t like how I feel wearing it, or I’m holding onto it for sentimental reasons. Loving something means wearing it, reaching for it, and rocking it. I can easily love how pieces look on hangers, but really dislike how they feel on me. I can also hold onto something because “that’s from so-and-so, and that one time I remember doing blah-blah-blah in that shirt.” Neither of these result in me actually wearing the items, so they’d be better off outside of my closet. But! That doesn’t mean I need to get rid of the dress I wore to my 21st birthday dinner… it just means I need to store it for a little bit.
Which brings me to this: the second pile does not mean you HAVE to donate it. I recommend putting only love-love-love items in your “yes” pile. Then it’ll be really clear to see what you love about certain clothes. What a segue to Step 3!!!
Step 3: Write down themes from both piles. This helps you only buy things you love.
Physically writing down (or making a note on your phone, as I so frequently do) is so very important for understanding your personal style. For example, I found that anything embroidered was in my “love” list, in addition to thicker materials, crew neck tops, and stripes. My “meh” pile included v-neck tops, “cheaper” material items, or items I haven’t worn in months (or even years—yikes).
This is so helpful for me as I go shopping now! I don’t have to worry about “completing my closet” with a style I KNOW I won’t wear. Investing in pieces I’m *comfortable* in is what makes my closet complete.
Step 4: Move pile 2 into storage.
This is the most “ahhh, thank goodness” step in a closet clean-out for me. I don’t have to donate all my clothes I don’t “love”, but I just store them in a bin, right under my bed. Then, if I need to grab something, there’s nothing stopping me! But I also don’t see all the items I’m not thinking about. They don’t crowd my closet space or my brain space.
“Purging” regret is REAL. I’ve given multiple pieces of clothing to my sister, only to take them back soon after I saw her wearing some things I wish I wouldn’t have given away. Storing instead of giving-right-away is really helpful in preventing regret (and sister fights about clothes).
Step 5: Put the rest back in your closet.
Wooden hangers are a game changer. I invested (I think) 8 dollars in some wooden hangers from IKEA and they completely transformed my closet! No joke, I feel like I’m shopping some mornings when I pull a shirt off of a wooden hanger to put on. Maybe I’m just easily pleased, maybe I have a serious hatred of plastic hangers (this is true, actually), or maybe I’m right. Try it out and see if your closet becomes a mini boutique too!
(Alternate ending) Step 6: Use the Cladwell app to naturally clean your closet!
Log the outfit you're wearing every day.
Over the next 30-60 days, check your closet to see what percentage of your total closet you’re wearing (luckily the app does that math for ya—what a relief<3)
Check your outfit history in the upper right-hand corner of the home screen to see what items you love.
Then, go to your closet page of the app and view which items you never wore.
Move the unworn items to the donation box or store them away (move them to Storage in the app as well!).
Follow these steps to maintain a steady closet clean-out mindset all year long, rather than having a few overwhelming purges each season. Get cleaning!!!