“Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye”- Part 6

 

The Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye Series

This is Part 6 of the “Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye” series. In this series, we are exploring some organizing concepts that will help you declutter and maintain your newly organized spaces.

We all have stuff in our space that we don’t even notice until we think about getting organized. Today’s concept is for the clothes-horses in the group. Do you love clothes? If you do you may have more than will comfortably fit in your closet and dresser. Your clothes clutter is probably slowing you down and taking up valuable space. Let’s work to change that with this guide.

Go Shopping in Your Closet

Instead of visiting another store, shop at home instead. Step into your closet grab an armful of things that you haven’t worn in a while and try them on. Don’t forget to stand in front of the mirror and evaluate what you see. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Does it fit? I mean today – does it fit right now? If not, it needs to find a new home. Maybe in another space in your home or as a donation to a charity.
  • Is it current? If you are saving things from the last decade maybe it’s time for it to go. If you really love it but don’t wear it put it in a memorabilia box. If you don’t love it then consider donating.
  • Do I feel good about it? This is the big question. I want you to feel absolutely wonderful no matter what you are wearing, so if you don’t feel quite right about a piece of clothing why is it still in your closet?

It works because you’ll only deal with a few items of clothing at one time. If you do this once a week, you’ll start to see a change in a short time. This will help you evaluate what fits today. You might even find a long-lost favorite that’s been hiding in the back of your closet.

Explore some organizing concepts that will help you declutter and maintain your spaces. Click To Tweet

Clearing clutter is not “One Solution Fits All.” It can’t be done in one day. So, I decided to write a series of blogs to help you start thinking about how you can start to “Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye”. Follow along for different strategies to get rid of what is holding you back.

Share this post:

Subscribe by email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Hidden

Next Steps: Sync an Email Add-On

To get the most out of your form, we suggest that you sync this form with an email add-on. To learn more about your email add-on options, visit the following page (https://www.gravityforms.com/the-8-best-email-plugins-for-wordpress-in-2020/). Important: Delete this tip before you publish the form.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

12 Comments

  1. Janet Barclay on March 4, 2024 at 8:47 am

    Shopping in your own closet is fun, especially when you discover items you forgot you owned and put together new outfits you never thought of before.

    • Janet Schiesl on March 4, 2024 at 8:34 pm

      That’s absolutely right Janet. Discovering “new items” and hopefully they still fit.

  2. Diane N Quintana on March 4, 2024 at 10:11 am

    This is great advice! I regularly tell clients that before they go out to buy yet another pair of black pants, they should shop in their own closet. I also say that if you take an item of clothing off because it doesn’t feel right, you will probably never wear that clothing item again. Every time you look at an item of clothes that didn’t feel right you’ll remember that feeling and leave it hanging in the closet. It’s better not to put it back but to put it in a donation bag.

    • Janet Schiesl on March 4, 2024 at 8:43 pm

      Yes that is so true. They have so many black pants that they’re not wearing, but yet again they go out and buy more. I think if clothes are no being worn, they need to be out of the house and let someone else enjoy them.

  3. Linda Samuels on March 4, 2024 at 11:23 am

    What a fun idea to shop in your closet! Soon, I’ll be doing my winter-to-spring clothing switch, which is a natural time to edit and “shop.” I like to do this twice a year. I also let things go throughout the year. However, more items get donated during the seasonal switches. I do my best to be honest in answering the questions you posed.

    My decision comes down to whether I wear the item or not. Maybe I used to wear it, but no longer do. Perhaps it used to fit well and no longer does. Maybe I have something I like better, so I never chose that other piece. I prefer only to store things I use and love. The rest takes up unnecessary physical and emotional space.

    • Janet Schiesl on March 4, 2024 at 8:45 pm

      The clothes swap is definitely a great way to do a closet clean up. And if you have time, you can try on items that you’re not sure you want to keep, and make a decision right there to keep or donate. Great idea Linda.

  4. Seana Turner on March 4, 2024 at 2:14 pm

    I’m loving the “does it fit now?” So funny! I always say we should keep clothes that we feel good in. It doesn’t really matter WHY we don’t feel good in a garment, just if we don’t, it shouldn’t be in your closet. As you say, it might be kept for a reason other than wearing, e.g., because it has sentimental value. But in that case, out of the closet and into a keepsake location it goes!

    I do have a few pairs of pants that I move “in and out of,” depending on my weight. I allow myself a couple of those in the closet, but that’s pretty much it. I like the simplicity and predictability of knowing that whatever I reach for in my drawers or closet I’m willing to wear.

    • Janet Schiesl on March 4, 2024 at 8:55 pm

      Yes, if a garment doesn’t feel good, it shouldn’t take space in our closet, let someone else enjoy it. Great ideas Seana.

  5. Julie Bestry on March 5, 2024 at 1:38 am

    I love working with clients on shopping their own closets because, for the ones who get a dopamine hit by shopping, there are always so many forgotten items that they get charged up (without using their charge cards) all over again. And when we engender a reality check and make them try on their clothes, the things that no longer fit or flatter seem to lose all their “potential” power and they’re ready to let them go.

    Your advice is absolutely on point!

    • Janet Schiesl on March 5, 2024 at 8:16 am

      I’ve done it few times, our clients love the help we give them. It’s a comfort for them to have a professional give them the ok to let go of their clothes that don’t fit or they’ll just never wear.
      Thank Julie.

  6. Sara Skillen on March 8, 2024 at 9:13 am

    You’ve inspired me – I have many things from prior years that need to be weeded out, and I’m sure I might discover some new/old gems that could be brought back out and styled differently. I also have a few things that still hold up after many years (one coat in particular that is 25 years old!). Still, there’s a lot of stuff I’m not in love with anymore – I sense a weekend project coming on!

    • Janet Schiesl on March 8, 2024 at 9:34 am

      Great Sara. I also have an old coat that I love. I only wear it occasionally but I love it!

Leave a Comment