Every January, I get the urge to go through my entire closet. Is that just me? This year, I actually needed to because it allowed me to see exactly what I own which will make packing for a semester abroad much easier!
Here are seven tips for any of you who are trying to clean out your closets:
1. Set aside at least a few hours, but ideally a whole afternoon. Cleaning out everything in your closet is hard work. Split up sections if you need to, but commit a chunk of time to the process. You don't want to be rushed!
2. Tackle one section at a time. I did dresses and skirts, then outerwear, then shirts, then shoes, and so on.
3. Donate. I always feel better about getting rid of clothes when I know they're going to be put to good use. You can sometimes even find specific places that take women's business clothes to help women who are trying to get jobs but can't afford nice clothing.
4. Think about the last time you wore an item. If you haven't worn it in the last year, you might want to consider getting rid of it (unless it's formal wear, of course).
5. Take this as a chance to reorganize your closet! An organized closet will make getting ready in the morning a lot easier.
6. Put on some music or a favorite TV show to help move the job along. I put on Taylor Swift's latest album to jam along to while I worked and it certainly kept me in an upbeat move. Maybe even challenge yourself: for example, can I finish sorting through these t-shirts by the time this album ends?
7. If you have an item in good condition that you can't bear to just donate, offer it to a friend. Or better yet, hold a clothing swap for you and your friends to all bring your unwanted clothing to and trade!
Good luck cleaning out your closets. If you have any tips of your own, share them in the comments!