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January 5, 2016

Closet Cleaning 101

Published in: cleaning out, cleaning out your closet, getting organized, how to pare down your wardrobe, organizing your closet
Where do I begin? (Shutterstock.com)
Where do I begin?
(Shutterstock.com)

Lately I find myself wanting to rid myself of a lot of clothing in my closet.

Maybe it’s because it’s a new year. Or maybe because by this time, I’ve finally embraced the whole quality over quantity thing. Besides, it is altogether true that there is truth to that 80/20 rule – you wear 20 percent of your clothing 80 percent of the time – so who needs all those shirts/pants/dresses/shoes/boots/sandals/sneakers anyway??

Yet each time I attempt to edit my closet I end up frustrated and feeling like a failure. “I need that,” I tell myself when I consider ditching the black sweater (another black sweater?) I never wear. “I can’t get rid of this,” I insist, when I run my hands over the smooth velvet of the green embellished jacket I fell in lust with ten years ago.

But that ‘someday’ never seems to come and my closet remains a storehouse for many unworn, unloved items, silently jeering at me each time I dare to enter.

I recently met image consultant Carol Davidson.  Every time I meet someone like Carol, I want to kidnap them and lock them in my house for a couple of weeks, so they can help me get over my closet conundrum once and for all. People like Carol have a special knowledge and knack for simplifying their lives by knowing just the right thing to keep in their closets, and always seem to have the perfect thing to wear no matter what the occasion. They embrace fashion and love to spread the word.

But rather than kidnap her and end up in jail in an orange jumpsuit not having to worry about my wardrobe at all, I decided to enlist her help via a phone conversation and subsequent follow-up.

“The less you own, the more you wear what you have,” Carol explained,  “and the lower each item’s cost-per-wear.”

I totally get that, and am a fan of Carol’s advice on what she calls “Fashion Mathematics” – what to add and what to subtract from your closet so you can streamline and simplify your wardrobe.  Once you’ve done a bit of editing (meaning clearing out those things you no longer like or have use for), she said, you’ll be able to see, at a quick glance, how many essentials are already in your closet – plus, you’ll have a clearer picture of what you need to add.
1. Set aside a few hours and try to eliminate interruptions (no emails, phone calls, little ones or furry friends).
2. Set the mood. Have a playlist of your favorite tunes to keep you motivated and energized.
3. Separate clothing and shoes for one season (either Spring-Summer or Fall-Winter), plus anything that can be worn year-round.
4. Make sure items are in one place to eliminate unnecessary back and forth.

Still with me? Now the tough part begins (Sorry, that wasn’t the tough part). “Just looking at an item is not enough – you’ve got to look at the item on you,” insists Carol.

That means trying things on.

After all, stuff happens: Clothing shrink, bodies change. Plus, it’s easier to spot things like stains, open seams, holes, etc. when the items are actually on you than on the hanger.

Cut!

This is the part where I usually get overwhelmed and stand there looking and feeling utterly and completely paralyzed and then abandon the whole idea. My closet, once again, has taken over my life, rendering me helpless.

Enter New Year’s Resolution: Don’t be a quitter!
Now it’s time to get honest with yourself, asking the tough questions:

1. Color: Does it flatter your personal coloring – your skin, hair, eyes?
2. Fit: Does it fit you now? If not, what’s the likelihood of it fitting in the near future? (Hint: Maybe it’s time to lose those favorite-pair-of-jeans from your college days).
3. Style: Does it represent the real you and the image you want to project? Does it look dated?
4. Relevancy: Does it reflect your current lifestyle and who you are today?
5. Condition: Has it seen better days or is it worn out and beyond repair?
6. Last date of wear: Here’s where the rubber hits the road. If it was longer than two years since you last put it on, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll never wear it again.

You’ve hopefully gotten this far, and by doing so, have pared down your closet so that it’s no longer threatening and terrifying (like mine). What happens next is the fun part: making sure you have all of the key items to make up a complete wardrobe.

Next up: I’ll let you in on all the basics Carol says you need to take the stress out of getting dressed and keep you looking good so you’ll never whine, “I have nothing to wear!” to a closet full of clothing. And I guarantee that if I myself follow this advice, my closet won’t become a cluttered, confusing mess.

But first I have to practice what I preach, and do the hard work of cleaning out. And once I do, only then will I deserve to tell you – and myself –  what to keep in your closet so you can do more – with less.

If you have the itch to organize, here are some pretty clever closet systems to consider (hey, we can use all the help we can get, right?):

http://amzn.to/1VMl3BI 

http://amzn.to/1VMlCvv

http://amzn.to/1n62EUK

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Comments

  1. Cathy Sikorski says

    January 7, 2016 at 3:34 pm

    I love this post…I’m excited and encouraged. I never thought to try things on…great idea I won’t kid you, it’s a bit daunting, but I think I will just keep it sectioned off to one section a day or a weekend and then I won’t feel like I’m a prisoner in my bedroom for a whole weekend. Thanks, Sheryl!

    • SherylK says

      January 8, 2016 at 12:36 am

      Yes, it is daunting, but think of how great you’ll feel after it’s done!

  2. CAROL CASSARA says

    January 7, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    I can’t bear to let some things go and part of it is that I float 3 sizes in any given few years. I know, I know. But…I’m going to get into that closet soon and try on!

    • SherylK says

      January 8, 2016 at 12:35 am

      I think trying on is the key to figuring out what works and what truly doesn’t.

  3. Helene Cohen Bludman says

    January 7, 2016 at 11:10 pm

    I did this very thing a couple of years ago and it was so freeing. Good point about trying things on, since our bodies are not what they used to be

    • SherylK says

      January 8, 2016 at 12:35 am

      Freeing is the word – it feels like a big load is off your shoulders, doesn’t it?

  4. Lisa at Grandma's Briefs says

    January 7, 2016 at 11:38 pm

    I *just* at the end of the year eliminated more than half my wardrobe. I did hold on to JUST A FEW I shouldn’t have, ones I love and hope to get back into one day. I know, I know…

    • SherylK says

      January 8, 2016 at 12:34 am

      Lisa, I’d say eliminating more than half your wardrobe is a win-win, even though you held onto just a FEW things…those might be just what you need for encouragement. Nothing wrong with that!

  5. Lois Alter Mark says

    January 8, 2016 at 12:11 am

    I did a huge purge a couple of years ago and got rid of tons of clothes. It was so freeing and my closet is a much happier place to walk into now.

    • SherylK says

      January 8, 2016 at 12:33 am

      Well, it sounds like so many of you are ahead of me – I, myself, need to go on a closet-purge soon!

  6. Doreen McGettigan says

    January 8, 2016 at 1:48 am

    Last January I purged my closet and I am actually so proud of myself that I have kept it neat and uncluttered for a whole year now.
    Now I need to find the energy to do the same in my kitchen.

  7. Corrine Leslie says

    January 8, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    Very practical post. I finally lost 17 pounds (!) and while it took a full year, I was delighted to finally zip myself into all those size 6 and 8 clothes I haven’t worn in ages. Sadly, most of those clothes were so outdated, I could only wear them to a Halloween party (Nehru collars?). Try donating not-too-dated suits to programs that help unemployed women back to work.

  8. Irene S. Levine says

    January 8, 2016 at 5:57 pm

    This was so motivating! Gotta figure out time to edit my closet, too!

  9. Brette says

    January 19, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    I found the Marie Kondo book on Japanese tidying to be very helpful. She says to take ALL of your clothes out and go through them one by one. I did this and got rid of a lot.

  10. Jane Boursaw says

    January 19, 2016 at 9:41 pm

    I need to do this. I try to purge every year or two, but am overdue on this task.

  11. Roxanne says

    January 20, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    I’m getting better and better at this — particularly only keeping things I like and feel comfortable in. Life is too short for cute things that are a pain to wear.

  12. Ruth Pennebaker says

    January 20, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    Agree with Roxanne: Comfort trumps everything else.

  13. merr says

    January 23, 2016 at 3:45 pm

    Love the cleaning-out process. It’s such a great feeling. Like a kind of lightening up.

  14. Lou says

    January 23, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    Okay Ladies, the key is to keep only WHAT YOU LOVE and what makes you feel joy. I also read the book on Tidying and it saved my life. Now I walk into my closet and I LOVE everything in it and feel happy to get dressed in the clothes that I feel good in. Don’t worry, Sheryl, I’ll help you…xoxo

  15. Alexandra says

    January 29, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    Our town now has clothing swaps in spring and fall, a great reason to clean out the closet.

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