Getting Dressed

August 3-National Underwear Day… Clearing Out Closet Clutter 

Cleaning out and organizing your clothes closet is a very SMART long-term goal…(much like losing fifty pounds before Christmas, right?!)… that can seem overwhelming and must be broken into several short-term goals…

Closets often become a stashing ground-not only for clothes, but also for all kinds of other stuff that you don’t exactly know what to do with. So it eventually becomes overwhelming to even begin finding the floor of your closet. 

Your initial thought might be to pull everything out of the closet and attack the clutter all at once, but this can get way too overwhelming way too quickly..simply leaving an even bigger mess and wasting precious time.

Instead, attack only one small zone at a time, starting with the most obvious items—anything that you haven’t worn in at least a year…simply don’t like…do not feel comfortable in…”wouldn’t be caught dead in”…can no longer fit into…


Why Get Rid of “Clothing Clutter”

1.  When you get rid of clothing clutter, you can help someone else in need who will be able to use the clothing you cannot.

2.  When you get rid of clothing clutter, you can perhaps sell some of the discarded clothing to help you get back some of the money you spent. This can be more work, but it can be quite motivating as well. 

3.  When you get rid of clothing clutter,  you no longer waste precious storage space in your home storing stuff that no one ever uses anymore.

4.  When you get rid of clothing clutter, you’ll only be left with only things that make you feel good and actually still fit.

5.  When you get rid of clothing clutter, you no longer find yourself doing “excess” laundry…and it will be much easier to put away the “clean” laundry..


Once you’ve finished analyzing and curbing down your wardrobe, completely empty your closet. As you take items out of your closet, group like items together. This will allow you to see how many of each type of item you have and help you choose the right types and sizes of closet storage solutions.

Now choose what storage solutions best accomodate the items you have kept and work for the shape and size of your space.

Options to consider include additional closet rods…drawers…extra adjustable shelving…hooks and pegs…over-the-door storage solutions…storage baskets…vertical hanging dividers.

You probably already have many items you can use to help organize your stuff around your home…so use whatever organizers you already have before buying any expensive closet organizer kits and systems. After all, there is no magical one-size-fits-all closet organizing system that everyone should use.

After you have your closet organizing systems in place, finally place everything back into your closet, grouping like items together and placing frequently used items where you can find them quickly and easily.