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Cleaning Your Closet: How to Get It Done Quickly and Efficiently​

The month of November is jam-packed with festivities, from Karwa Chauth and Dhanteras to Diwali and Bhai Dooj. Festivals that not only call for a celebration but also emphasise the importance of balancing out excess. And, although 2022 spring might be a little way off, what better time to tackle a wardrobe detox than now! Yes, I have for you easy tips on how to clean out your closet, that might make things a bit easier. Take a moment to learn the basics on Cleaning Your Closet: How to Get It Done Quickly and Efficiently, and use my suggestions to clean out your closet.

Often I have been thrown with a question that concerns my habits and how I developed them. To get an answer to that, I’ll have to take you back to my childhood when my mother made me create classifications for my toys, my study desk, and my wardrobe when it came to cleaning. The choice was either to keep my item, donate it or let the trash can greet it. This system, which began at such a young age, eventually turned into a habit, and well, here I am.

Now, coming to the actual “wardrobe detox” ~ I could go on to speak about the negativity that is brought upon by disorganisation, and on that note, why not refer to Marie Kondo, a popular Japanese cleaning guru, who has specifically shed light on the benefits of a minimalism-inspired approach to living and the significance of de-cluttering in one’s life. Thanks to her, many people have embarked on their tidying {oh, the sanity that comes with it} adventure!

It’s no rocket science that having fewer things makes cleaning that much simpler. But, that is not really practical. What with the demanding lives we lead today, that well, means we buy more of everything! But living in a cosmopolitan city and being short on space, makes being organised and selective even more crucial. Using the latter strategically has to be a priority for an organised life. Therefore, I hope some of my personal tips on how to clean out your closet will help you do just that.

The Frequency For Cleaning Your Closet

What I believe is that changing seasons have this charm of instructing one on what kind of clothes to wear some months into the future. I take advantage of this time and try to organise my clothes in a manner which would ease my job of picking them out according to the coming days. Moreover, the end of those four months also gives me data for me to be done with clothes I no longer wear.

To note: The complete process of sifting through what I own takes a period of about 5-6 hours, and I usually dedicate a weekend afternoon to it.

Yes, Do All The Labour Yourself

There are always those garments in your closet which you cannot seem to be sure of; to keep them or not. In that case, trying on the clothes could be the best way of judging them. After, the obvious step would be to categorise them; keeping them, selling or donating. The items in the first category go rightfully where they belong, in your wardrobe. Whatever no longer suits your requirements can be sold effortlessly through online resale websites. Lastly, anything that doesn’t fit the above two categories but is good enough, maybe donated. I am sure someone will appreciate that piece of clothing somewhere.

How To Decide What Not To Keep

A major component of this exercise is to be rational about what you are REALLY going to wear. And, the possibility that “that dress” that has been lying in your closet for the longest time, that you really intend to wear “next Saturday” ~ the possibility of it ever coming out of the closest looks real slim honestly, if at all.

So, let’s fix a time period, shall we? Say, if you haven’t worn certain clothes present in your wardrobe in the past year, either sell them or get rid of them. The bottom line is that you need to make room for pieces that you would actually wear. Moving on, another parameter that I would recommend is checking if the dress actually fits you. If it’s too small/big, clearly it doesn’t belong in your collection. So, why not just be done with it? Be realistic with yourself and your life/lifestyle. Trust me, I know!

Additionally, the one thing that I can’t stress enough is to love and reward your body. That means, keeping/purchasing clothes that embrace and celebrate your body and size right NOW, and not a size which you wish you would be able to fit into after a year or so.

Believe me, I get your scepticism about handing off everything that might be a little loose or tight. Keeping in mind the changes that our body goes through periodically, I would say, let the measure be 2-3 sizes either way for tossing something out of your wardrobe. Ah, and what perfect timing to bring Marie Kondo into the conversation once again and abide by her advice ~ a thing that brings any kind of negativity in your life needs to be done away within an instant. No matter how it may sound, personally, following this tip has always been a step forward for me.

More Isn’t Always Better

The next thing to understand about how to clean out your closet is probably something that is going to stick by you, even when doing things other than organising your wardrobe. The trick is to try to be mindful of what you purchase, and ask yourself if the piece in question is one that would add value to your sustainable wardrobe.

I try to be really conscious and mindful about everything I have, and about what I spend my money on and bring into my home. For instance, it can be easy to buy those 5 t-shirts/kurtas that are available at a discounted rate, but we don’t always need that many, do we? Perhaps, you could spend your money elsewhere on fewer pieces of better build and in tune with your taste/style preference. I also feel it’s important to learn about what you buy, and then maybe, you finally understand to value it. So, the takeaway would be making a purchase you would actually use and appreciate in the long run.

Storage Tips

The advice here is to know where to store what you own. Since I personally love organising my own wardrobe, when it comes to my bags and shoes, I prefer using fabric storage bins. And I love using Lucite bins for my accessories. I use white satin/black velvet hangers for my clothes, and I also find it beneficial to assign a particular colour to hangers for clothes for different occasions. When concerned about other items, office supplies go in wicker boxes, and finally, there are always Polypropylene stackable storage boxes to store miscellaneous items that don’t fit anywhere else.

Why Are You Giving This A Read

It’s often said that how you live constitutes a great part of who you are, or at least, speaks volume about it. I could go on all day about the importance of a wardrobe detox, but I’ll only need a couple. To start with what I’ve already set course for in the first sentence, you don’t need things that are just out there to create chaos in your living space; instead, things that don’t add value to your life don’t deserve to take up valuable space. This brings me to my second point, surround yourself with pieces that make you smile and bring joy into your life. Life is too short to have it any other way!

To conclude: Not many words to say, but ~ an end to the chaos and things only you wish for. Even though a few, good thing they don’t disappoint you. On that note, happy spring cleaning!​

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