How to Spring Clean Your Closet: Simple Strategies

Spring is the perfect time to declutter and reorganize your life. One area that often gets overlooked during spring cleaning is our clothes closets. Over time, clothes pile up and clutter can accumulate, making it difficult to find what we need and causing unnecessary stress in our daily lives. 

However, with a little effort and some useful tips, you can transform your closet into a functional and organized space that will make getting dressed each morning a joy rather than a chore. In this article, we’ll explore how you can spring clean your closet and create a more streamlined wardrobe that reflects your personal style while reducing clutter.

Why You Should Clean Out Your Closet

First, let’s talk about why you should spring clean your closet. Some people get the urge to clean, organize and declutter when spring rolls around. There is new growth and renewal all around, so why not have a fresh start with your closet too? 

You can do this anytime and in any season. The point is to do a closet purge and cleaning at least once a year, if not each season. Dust collects behind those racks of clothes and that space needs a good cleaning too. 

5 Reasons to Spring Clean Your Closet

As time passes, it’s easy to accumulate clothes and accessories that may not fit or suit our current lifestyles. However, decluttering your wardrobe can have several benefits for both your physical and mental wellbeing. Here are some reasons why you should consider a closet purge.

1. Saves Time and Energy

Decluttering your wardrobe will save you valuable time in the mornings when getting ready for work or an event. By having fewer choices, it becomes easier to decide what to wear each day without being overwhelmed by options.

If you struggle to put together outfits, or think you lack the ability pair separates into an outfit, then a closet clean out is a must for you. It will allow you to see more clearly what you have and what works and what doesn’t. 

2. Helps You Focus on What Really Matters

A cluttered closet can be distracting and make it difficult for you to focus on the things that truly matter in life. Simplifying your closet allows you to concentrate on other areas of importance such as relationships, career goals, hobbies, etc.

I often feel like I spend too much time on laundry, taking care of clothes and putting them away. I don’t have room for all of the clothes I own. Does this resonate with anyone else?

A good purge would make room for the things we truly love and there would be less stuff to shuffle around and handle. 

3. Reduces Stress

Do you like to walk into or stand in front of your closet? Is it like going into a mini boutique that’s well lit and peaceful, with things that serve you well right now? Or is it like taking a trip to the local thrift store, where more than half it it’s out of style, doesn’t fit and doesn’t match your style personality?

It’s been said that a cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind which ultimately causes stress and anxiety. By reducing the amount of clothing in your closet, you create a more peaceful environment which promotes relaxation. 

4. Saves Money

When we have too many clothes, it’s easy to forget what we already own, leading us to buy duplicates or items we don’t need which can be costly over time. Decluttering helps us identify what we really need versus what is just taking up space.

5. Boosts Confidence

Having a well-organized wardrobe means that everything fits properly and makes us feel good about ourselves when wearing them out in public – this boost of confidence carries into other areas of our lives.

Step-by-step Guide for Spring Cleaning Your Closet

Spring is the perfect time to clear out your closet and start fresh. It’s a great opportunity to get rid of clothes that you no longer wear or need and make space for new items that you’ll love wearing. Here are some steps to follow for spring cleaning your closet.

1. First, define your “why”.

Why are you undertaking this project? What do you want your closet to do for you? Set some wardrobe goals. How do you want your wardrobe to function for you? 

This is different than your style goals. Your style goals relate to how you want to look. Your wardrobe goals have more to do with what your clothes and closet do for you. Do you want it to be stress free? Easy? Practical. Think about this before you get started. You will be more successful with the end goal in mind. Don’t skip this first step.

Also decide if you want to have all seasons in your closet, or just seasonal items. The size of your closet will somewhat determine how many clothes you own. Will they all fit or do you need to store some things in another place? Do you have storage solutions for keeping things in other rooms?

Your closet should contain the things you wear. Ideally, other things that aren’t clothing should be stored elsewhere.

2. Next, decide on “what”.

Decide what you are going to do with the clothes you don’t want. Will you toss them, sell them or donate them? Or some of all? Some people just don’t like to bother with listing and selling clothes, so donating things that are in good condition is completely okay. Only toss things that are beyond repair. Also check for a textile or shoe recycling centers. Some of what can’t be repaired may be good for recycling. 

3. Gather your supplies. 

You need at least three large trash bags or bins. One each for your donate, toss, and keep piles. You might also need a fourth bag or bin if you plan to sell things. If you need to replace hangers, bins or other storage items, now may be a good time to get those as well. 

However, if you are doing a major spring cleaning of your closet, you may want to wait and see what’s left to store in (and out) of your closet and get your storage items then. 

4. Take everything out.

The major step in decluttering your closet is to take everything out of it. This will give you a chance to see what you have and assess each item individually. There are two ways to do this. If you are truly doing a deep cleaning of the closet space as well as purging items, you will have to take it all at once. Be sure to dedicate a full day to this if you have a lot of pieces to go through. 

If you just don’t have time, or that seems too overwhelming, then spread it out over a few days. Work on a category per day. Take out all shirts and go through them. The next day, take out all pants. Keep going until you have been through every category of clothing in your closet. 

Just keep this in mind. If you are doing a closet clean out for the first time, or it’s been a while since you have done this, you may have to go back and forth between the closet and your stacks in your bedroom or other temporary space for a few days while you go through this process.

Same goes for taking it all out at once. If you don’t complete this project in one day, expect a little chaos for a few days. It will be worth it in the end. 

5. Clean, decorate, and update. 

Give your space a good dusting, vacuuming or mopping if necessary while you have everything out. If you really want to go all out and update the space, now is a good time to do so. 

Adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls inside of your closet can give it an entirely new look. Choose a color that complements the rest of the room or go bold with something bright and vibrant.

To further update your closet’s decor, add some new accessories such as shelving units or storage baskets. These items can help maximize space while also adding style.

Also consider setting up a “staging area” or place to put outfits together for the next day. This may be as simple as a separate hook on the wall or a hook on a shelf. It’s a place to pull what you will be wearing the next day to front and center so you can go straight to your outfit. You can also put a hook on the back of the door to hang your outfit for the next day. 

6. Sort and purge.

Once everything is out, divide your clothes into three piles: keep, donate/sell, and throw away. Go through all of your clothes and accessories and decide what you want to keep, donate, or throw away. This will help you create more space in your closet and make it easier to find the items that you actually wear.

Try everything on as part of this process.

Fix your hair and put on some makeup. This might seem like a step you would skip when doing a daunting task like cleaning out your closet, but you want to try on clothes when you look your best to get the big picture about how something looks and makes you feel. Not having your hair and makeup fixed might make you feel frumpy about everything you try on. 

You also need to put on your best undergarments for this process. This will give you a more realistic view of what you put on. 

Starting out feeling good about how you look will help identify those clothes that make you feel bad. 

Try it on. I repeat, try it on. Don’t assume it fits or doesn’t fit. Our bodies change constantly with age and other factors. 

7. Organize

Once you have your keepers, put them back into your closet by type and length. All tops go together- sleeveless together, then short sleeves, then long sleeve. All skirts go together. Put pants, etc. You can arrange each category by short to long, or long to short, either way works, but do arrange by length so you can more easily see things.

Some people like to organize by color. If you must, organize by color within each category, but don’t arrange solely by color.

Also, don’t categorize things by casual, dressy, work clothes,etc. This locks you into thinking you can only wear a piece of clothing one way or for one occasion.

Mix it up so you are more likely to view a garment in a new light. Many of your work tops can be worn with jeans for a casual outfit and some of your work pants can be worn with tees and sneakers for casual looks. Likewise, if your work dress code isn’t too conservative, you might find that a certain tee or tank goes well under a suit or blazer for the office. 

If you have things in your closet that are better suited for drawers and you have drawer space, put those things in a drawer. If accessories would be better suited in other storage, move them out of the closet.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Spring Cleaning Your Wardrobe

Does it fit?

If not, can it be altered? Do you love it enough to have it altered?

If you aren’t going to take the time for alterations, it needs to go in the donate/sell pile. 

Is it stained or in need of repair?

Some things become too shabby even for lounging around the house.

Your loungewear should make you feel fabulous, just like an outfit you would wear out of the house. You don’t need 12 “cleaning/painting” tshirts. One or two will do. Let go of the stretched, out of shaped, stained and beyond repair items. 

If it fits and it’s in decent shape, ask yourself if you love it? Does it make you feel amazing when you put it on?

Don’t just settle for “it fits, so its okay.” Let it go if its just okay. Be ruthless about getting rid of these pieces. This is how we end up with a ho-hum wardrobe that does nothing for our self-esteem. As Marie Kondo says, if it doesn’t “spark joy”, it needs to go. Odds are you will just keep skipping over it if you don’t love it. 

This brings us to another question and debate.

How long has it been since you’ve worn it?

Gurus often tell you to follow the one-year rule. If you haven’t worn it in a year, get rid of it.

I disagree. I might not wear something this spring but will fall in love again with it next spring. If you have limited space, you might not be able to hang onto pieces to see if you will fall in love with them again, but if you do, then maybe the one-year rule doesn’t matter to you. 

A better gauge than the one-year rule is “Would I buy this again today?”

If so, you need to challenge yourself to wear it if you haven’t been wearing it and try to identify why you weren’t wearing it. Maybe you just forgot about it. It might be the one piece you fall in love with again. 

“Will I wear it again?”

If you bought something for a one time event and you aren’t likely to go to this kind of event again for ten years, go ahead and sell or donate the item. A better approach to those situations is to rent an outfit rather than buy.  

Is it versatile?

Can you wear the item several ways or for more than one occasion? If not, you might want to rethink its place in your closet or identify what basics you might need to be able to wear this item.

Another question to ask is ” Does it fit my lifestyle?'”

You may love suits and dresses but no longer work in an office. If you can’t repurpose them into your current activities, let them go. Just because you love to look at them doesn’t mean they have a place in your wardrobe. The things in your wardrobe need to serve a function and purpose. Spring clean your closet to remove items that don’t have a purpose.

Some Things You Should NOT Consider

Money spent

Don’t fret over the amount of money you spent. If you paid a lot of money and didn’t wear an item, the money is already spent and wasted. Let go of the guilt and let go of the item.

If it was a bargain, and you aren’t wearing it, let it go. You have probably experienced all the joy you are going to when you got the thrill of the bargain. The thrill is gone, and you are left with a bargain you don’t wear that creates clutter.

Sentiment

Don’t keep things for sentimental reasons. Just because you wore a certain top on your first date, or a certain dress to your baby’s dedication, or whatever the occasion, you don’t need to keep the item to keep the memory. If you must take a picture of the item to feel better about parting with it, do so. Just know you are parting with clutter, not your memories. Let the item go if it doesn’t fit or you are not wearing it. 

Conditional items

If you have clothing that you say you would like if… If it were shorter, if I had something else to go with it, etc. If you can’t remedy the conditions you place on it, get rid of it. 

What about the maybe pile?

It probably falls into the “just okay” and not a definite yes, so you can probably get rid of these things too. If you just can’t part with it and fear you will regret getting rid of something, store the maybes for a set time- 3 months or 6 months, but not longer than the next appropriate season for wearing it. Revisit these pieces after your set time point. If you haven’t worn it or missed it, get rid of it.

After the Closet Clean Out

You should now be able to see exactly what you need to organize what you are left with. Do you need some shelving? Or does the existing space work now that you have less stuff? Get new hangers, bins, and baskets if you need them and didn’t get them earlier. 

Shop closet organization:

Finally, go ahead and take action on the things you no longer want. If you leave them in the house, they continue to be clutter. 

If you aren’t left with much to wear, it’s time to take serious action on shopping for good basics, identifying your body shape, your colors, and identifying your personal style personality. Don’t go refill your closet with repeated mistakes that you don’t love.  

Once you identify the cuts and shapes that highlight your body type and the colors that make you feel the best, you will feel good about what you wear. Knowing your style personality and what defines you will stop you from chasing every seasonal trend and having nothing to wear later. With the proper knowledge you can have a wardrobe and style you love. 

Spring cleaning your closet is not only a necessary task but also an opportunity to refresh your wardrobe and get rid of clutter. By following the tips mentioned in this article, you can create more space and organize your clothes efficiently. You might even discover some hidden gems that you had forgotten about or find a new way to wear old pieces.

Remember, a clean closet leads to a clear mind and helps you start each day on the right foot. So take the plunge, declutter your wardrobe, and make room for new beginnings!

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