January is Clean Out Your Closet Month so I thought it would be helpful for you to get some ideas on how you can get started. Closets can be really overwhelming for many people. If you have an overwhelmed closet, start by sorting through what you have and placing your items into three categories: yes, maybe and no.
What you can do with the "MAYBE" Pile - Go through the maybes. Try them on. What's wrong? What's right? Why haven't you worn this piece of clothing in ten years, and why won't you part with it? Is it out of style? Do you feel good when you put it on? Is it your color? Does it need mending? Would you wear it if you mended it? Try to reduce your maybe pile by at least half. Put the rest in a marginal pile for one month. If, after a month, you have not used it, toss it.
What you can do with the "NO" Pile - Donate the wearable or salvageable no's to charity, or take them to a consignment shop that will sell your hand-me-downs and give you a share of the profits. Recycle or discard the rest.
What you can do with the "YES" Pile - Consider the clothes you want to keep. Measure everything you have to determine your needs, and then measure your closet space to determine how it can best meet them. Make a list of the number of long hanging garments such as dresses and coats, the number of suits, shirts, belts, gloves, shoes, and so on. Do you need to change your shelving system? Add a second level? Do you want to put in sliding basket? Make your space work for the items you are keeping.
Good luck!
Tell us about your experiences
What do you do to make decisions in your closet?
