Happy Humpday babes! These past few weekends my loving and very handy husband did a little remodeling in our home and created a home office and walk in closet space for me! This means I need to move everything and do a serious closet clean out. I did a small one after this post but this weekend will be a full purge.
As I started moving everything from one room to another, I started to think about all the stuff I don’t wear anymore and how much I can get rid of. I don’t know about you but I love cleaning out my closet. It’s such a weight off my shoulders and feels so freeing to get rid of baggage and unnecessary clutter. Plus you’re also donating items hopefully to someone who will wear those items with love. I’ve even helped friends and family members go through their stuff because I like the process so much.
Regardless of whether you like a healthy closet clean out or need a little help getting the process done, here are 4 mistakes that most people make when cleaning out their closets!
Not setting aside enough time
Especially if you’re doing a deep dive and purging a lot, you have to give yourself plenty of time. I personally find that I need one full day, minimum. Ideally you’d have an entire weekend to devote to the task. Give yourself one day for cleaning/sorting and another for creating sale listings and dropping off donations
not making a game plan
Make sure you have a goal for cleaning out your closet. Have you lost or gained weight recently? Are you removing pieces you haven’t worn in over a year? Have you gone through a life change that dramatically changes your wardrobe choices?
A strong focus on why you’re cleaning your closet helps keep you from wanting to scrap everything and start over. It also is a way to help you select what you’re keeping and what your tossing.
not having everything in the same place
How often do you have all the laundry done and all your clothes in the same place? How would you know that skirt X would actually pair perfectly with shirt Y if you’ve never seen them together? Have all your clothes together helps you not only see just how much you have (and if you’re like me, don’t wear) but lets you clean everything all at once. No point dragging out the process longer than you need too.
being too sentimental
This may seem a little harsh but you can’t hold onto too many things just because they remind you of a specific time in your life. Sure, you’re going to have some items you can’t bear to part with even though you might not have real use for the item any more (I haven’t worn my wedding shoes since the day of but cant make myself donate/sell them). The trick is to not let sentiment get out of hand.
Do you hear yourself saying “well soandso gave this to me” as a reason you’re keeping an item? Ask yourself, am I just keeping this item because soandso gave it to me or do I actually wear this regularly? If aunt Sue gave you a itchy sweater you’ve never worn, I’m guessing she wont mind too much if you pass it along.
What are your tips and tricks for cleaning out your closet? I’m thinking of putting together a big comprehensive step-by-step guide. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Until next time,
Ana Luiza
*I do not own the images in this post. Found via Pinterest
It’s bad, because I feel like I can always think of some reason not to get rid of something, and thus the problem only gets worse and worse!
Chic on the Cheap
Girlfriend you aren’t alone! Try seeing how long you actually go without wearing or even thinking of an item. Happy closet cleaning!
xo – Ana Luiza