Get rid of the old and make room for the new when you follow my method for cleaning out my closet in only 60 minutes.
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A couple years ago, I decided to solve the storage problem I’d been fighting since moving into our home. I don’t mean buying bins or putting up shelves. Instead, I embarked on a construction project at my house that resulted in a new, bigger, and oh-so-much-better master bedroom closet. The results were even better than I imagined!
My former closet was perfectly fine. It just was not spacious. That meant keeping my closet organized and purging its contents regularly was a necessity! I used the same method twice a year every year to purge the old and make room for some fun new pieces. I know this method will help you, too!
Whether you feel like your closet is bursting at the seams or it looks like a bomb just went off because you haven’t been keeping up with the “system” you were so sure would work, I can help.
Don’t worry. This isn’t going to take up your entire Saturday. I don’t have time for that and I’m sure you don’t either. Plus, I can think of a LOT more fun ways to spend a day than sorting through my closet.
That’s why my quick closet clean out method takes only 60 minutes. In only one hour you’ll have a clean closet and a serious feeling of accomplishment.
You’ll also have room for some cute new things in case you decide to spend the rest of your day shopping!
Keep Your Closet Clean Out on track with a timer and music
Before we get started, you need some fun music and a timer. Both are important. Listening to your favorite music will pump you up and get you moving faster.
I use a timer for so many reasons. How many times have you started cleaning your closet and suddenly you start trying things on and making outfits? Or you come across your favorite sweatshirt – you know the one you’ve had since high school – and you suddenly have to call your best friend?
Can you say squirrel?!
It happens to the best of us.
We need to stay focused, ladies. The timer will help keep you on task and get this job done in 60 minutes or less.
Start your closet clean out by tackling those shirts!
I dedicate the first 20 minutes of my closet clean out to shirts. Shirts represent the biggest section of my closet so I like to tackle them first.
Set your timer for 20 minutes and get ready for some rapid-fire decision-making. You have three choices – keep, donate, toss. If you’d like to sell some items, you can make a pile for that, too.
Remember, we don’t have time to put too much thought into these decisions. I like to start from the back where my oldest shirts are. This allows me to clear some room right away.
Decide whether to keep, donate, or toss.
It’s decision-making time for shirts. Donate items that are in good shape and toss the ones with stains, holes, tears, or that are really worn. It’s time to let those go except for one or two to save for when you’re working on a dirty project!
What about that favorite shirt that has fuzzy little balls all over it? Yep, it’s time to say goodbye. You loved it so well that you’ve worn it out. It’s time to let it go and focus your attention on some of your other items that haven’t seen as much love.
It took me 15 minutes to finish my shirts so I spent the extra five minutes sorting inside my closet.
I wear t-shirts the most, so those go up front. I group my seasonal tees by holiday and then sort from dress tops to long sleeves to layering pieces. After only 20 minutes everything feels less cramped and more organized.
Check out this pile of “donate” shirts I cleared out of there. Let’s talk about this for a minute.
There will likely be some great shirts in your donate pile. But… It’s time to be honest with yourself like I was honest with myself. Ask yourself when was the last time you wore that “great shirt?” Will you wear it in the next three months?
I know I will be buying new tops in the next three months, so I have to decide if I want to hang onto the old stuff or open my closet for some fun new pieces.
I never feel guilty about donating good items. I actually hope they find a new home!
Closet clean out is no time for second-guessing.
I pay my daughter to fold all the donated items and pack them into bags, so I don’t get held-up (distracted and second-guessing) in that step and can keep moving. Plus, now she can buy that really cool app she’s been begging me for.
My toss pile is much smaller. Instead of just throwing stained tees away, I cut them up and made cleaning rags out of them. They’re perfect for those jobs where you know you will use a rag once and toss it. I keep a little basket of cut up t-shirt rags in my laundry room for when we are working on a tough cleaning job!
It’s time for more sorting, organizing, and donating.
Next up, I set the timer for 15 minutes and get to work on pants and shorts. I use the same concept here, setting the timer and making rapid-fire decisions on keeping, donating, or tossing.
When sorting your pants, think about the style and fit. Are they wide leg or skinny leg jeans? Do you prefer one over the other? Start in the back, that’s usually where the oldest pairs get shoved. Pull out the ones you haven’t worn in at least a year.
I’ve always fluctuated up and down a couple of sizes. Over the past year or so, I focused on my health and lost a lot of weight. That meant all my old pants no longer fit. I donated most of them and any I kept went into a plastic bin to the top of my closet in case I need them again.
Pants are organized by pajama pants, leggings, jeans, and dress pants.
Take 10 to organize outerwear.
Next, it’s 10 minutes for outerwear. This includes jackets, hoodies, cardigans, etc. It’s important to purge here as well, especially since these items are bulky and can take up a lot of space.
Think about the last time you wore these pieces. If it’s been longer than two years, it’s time to go!
Don’t forget about shoes and accessories.
Now it’s time to take 10 of the 15 minutes left on our timer for shoes and accessories. Focus on your shoes first since they take up the most space. When I purge old shoes, most of them end up as “throwaways.” They’ve been worn until the soles fall apart!
I pull my shoes for the current season forward so I can see them more easily and tuck the rest in a large canvas bin to keep them out of the way until I am ready for them again.
Clean up after the closet clean out.
The final five minutes of this 60-minute closet clean out are for cleaning up! You made it through to the end of this fast and furious closet clean out. Take these last few minutes to go back and organize anything you didn’t have time for during our rapid-fire purge.
You might have piles of clothes laying there to take care of. It takes additional time to pack everything and get it ready to donate, but it will feel so good to have a fresh start on your closet again.
I will never feel guilty about shopping. It’s something I do with my family and friends and it’s something just for ME. It just means I need to purge a little more often!!
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