It’s the new year and it’s….. time. Time to re-evaluate everything in your closet and clean that sucker out. Yeahhh, that weekend-long (or heck, weeks-long) task. Oof. Or Yay!, depending on the guttural reaction that the idea of tackling your closet just gave you.
Is this a daunting task? Yes, absolutely. No question about it. But, Shana dove into her closet to set herself up for a fresh, New-Year, New-Closet start. And now I wanna do the same. (I actually did after watching this. And now I feel peace.)
How To Clean Out Your Closet: 5 Easy Steps, Some Ground Rules + How To Decide WHAT To Throw Out
Total transparency: this closet clean out took S a few months to complete – but that makes me trust her insights even more. Ya girl did her research & came to us with one pretty Closet Clean Out How-To Package. Yesssssss.
Her closet clean out method comes with visuals (my favorite part because I’m nosy), step-by-step rules, a good guide to help decide what stays and what goes (including a list of ‘red flag’ items), and other helpful tips & organization instructions, plus some follow up of what to do next.
So if you’re in the closet-purging or all-around cleaning headspace (or if you’re just a bit nosy and love buying those clear organizers for all your stuffs), grab a drink and get into something cozy (like S’s pretty blue Elwood set – oh hey also at Nordstrom) and come watch.
Psst — curious about Shana’s notes & Clean Out steps? You can find this latest video here on our YouTube channel. Just click “More” in the description, it’s alllll there for ya. Godspeed.
Xo, Abby & S
Great video Shana!! Thanks. Lots of food for thought!
Really helpful – looking forward to implementing these strategies!!
Wow- this was amazing. I am actually someone who frequently gets rid of unwanted clothes but I still had items I either felt guilty about, thought I might wear or had some other useless reason for keeping. I love the idea of keeping the items until you are sure about getting rid of them but once I got started I did not need to do that! Old work clothes and itchy sweaters were flying into the give- away bag! And I found some items of my mothers that I thought were gone but were there all along. I feel 100 pounds lighter and my closet feels so efficient. Follow the steps as much as you can- especially the try on part- it really works!
Perfect timing after all the big sale shopping. Love the garbage bag trick as a safety net!
Awesome video and perfect timing! My closet is a disaster area right now. What do you say about things you love, but don’t fit your current weight. I have a number of those items as I have gained about 20 lbs in menopause. I am back to a workout program and trying to lose. Answering my own question, I guess the answer is put it in the pile. Would you then make a separate pile for these things to keep for a while?
Awesome detailed process! Love the specificity of the steps (engineering design thinking!) and the focus on what works for life now (not 5 years ago in an office). Also appreciate the point about natural fibers, as well made clothing in natural fibers is getting harder to find and pricier. It’s worth trying to repurpose or refashion those high quality pieces we already have.
Allison~ in case helpful, my strategy for things that don’t currently fit but that are good quality and I think I might wear if my size changes is to put them in a storage box and set them aside (I have an under-the-bed box for these). I then try to check that box periodically (bi-annually or annually) to see if I’d purge anything further or if they fit better now and I want them back in rotation. I also do this for denim that either doesn’t fit quite right at the moment or maybe isn’t the most current style but that I think might come back in fashion. The trick for me is not letting this stash of stoways get too big and take over:-) But having them out of sight, helps keep my closet focused on things that I love and can wear now so my closet feels less mentally overwhelming.