Day 8: Streamlining Your Closet

Frances Janisch

If you haven't cleaned out your closet lately, it's time to get started. Streamlining your wardrobe can shave precious minutes off your morning routine, make laundry day easier and increase your self-esteem when you have clothes that fit and that you actually like wearing. Here are some simple tips for clearing your closet and simplifying your wardrobe.

• Start by pulling out anything you don't love or doesn't fit. Pull out anything that has stains, holes or rips or that needs to be altered in any way. If you haven't worn it in a year or two, take it out. If you can't see everything in your closet easily, you have too much stuff and it's time to toss. Be ruthless about only keeping clothes you wear and love. Clothes wrinkle if they're crammed in together, so don't overcrowd them.
• Bag up the discards and put them in your car to drop off for charity. Bag up anything that needs to be altered or repaired and make plans to take it to the tailor or fix it yourself in the next week. Anything that's dirty or stained needs to be laundered or dry cleaned this week as well.
• Sort out the out-of-season clothing and either store it in the back of the closet, another closet in a different room, or in a storage container elsewhere. Make sure storage clothes are clean and free of body oil and stains, which can attract moths. 
• For the clothes left in your closet, turn all the hangers around backward (so the open part faces you). As you wear items, turn the hangers back the right way. In just a few weeks, you'll be able to tell at a glance what clothes you wear and which ones you don't (so a second purge may be in order!)
• Arrange the clothes by category -- pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, etc. If you want, you can divide them further by sleeve length and color.
• Repeat the above steps for any clothing you have in drawers or storage boxes, plus shoes and handbags. It's helpful to go through this process every time the weather changes for the season, especially if you rotate storage with out-of-season clothes.
• After just one or two purges, your closet will be more streamlined, and this process will be easier each time you do it. And getting dressed in the morning will be a lot simpler!

Got a specific closet dilemma? Check out these closet problem solutions or send me your question via Twitter or the comments section.

Tomorrow: Your Refrigerator and Freezer

This post is part of the Fresh Start Series, 31 days of tips and tricks to simplify in the new year.