Every couple months I like to do a deep purge of everything in my home, or at least my closet, so I can get rid of clutter and refresh my organization! I try to do it in January to get a head start on spring cleaning and organizing, and my closet and fridge are always one of the first places that need a little TLC.

My shoe shelf has been LIFE CHANGING when it comes to saving space and keeping things organized, plus they’re perfect for stacking. This go around, I got rid of a ton of things I’ve been holding onto since my college days, so I’m pretty happy to have some room in my closet (barely).

No matter how often you clean out your closet, these tips will come in handy when you do decide to give yourself a little refresh! You’ll be surprised how much you have hiding in your closet that you don’t actually wear.

Separate your closet into sections. Go section by section and pull out each item individually. Ask yourself, “Would I buy this if I was shopping right now?” “Is this a current trend or something I wear on the regular?” “Does it fit and Can I style it?”. If the answer is No to either of those questions, put it in a separate pile for donate/sell. If you haven’t worn it over 6 months, i highly recommend pulling it; you’re probably not going to wear it again.

This brings me to my next tip, make sure you keep things organized. It’s gonna get MESSY when you clean out your closet, but having a place or pile to put everything will help you in the long run. Make 3 piles, Store, Give Away & Toss. Use these categories as labels on bins, large plastic bags or clothing piles – whatever works for you and put the clothes in there accordingly.

Once you’ve decluttered what you’re not going to wear anymore, it’s time to make some sense of what you already have. Organization is key in any closet. I’m a huge fan of separating items by style, so I hang all my dresses together, pants are together, skirts are together, sweaters are folded together and my tee’s are hung by either long sleeve or short sleeve. Shoe shelves are MY BIGGEST tip for making sense of the crazziness that is shoes. They making things look super organized if you don’t have custom shelving , and they’re super easy to put together (plus affordable). This helps you to visually be able to see what you have so you’re not forgetting about that pair of jeans you had shoved in the back of your closet and forgot about until just now

Use bins and organizers to separate little things like handbags, belts, socks, swimwear and to keep your drawers organized. Here are some of my the ones I’m currently using:

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR UNWANTED CLOTHES

One of my favorite things to do with my unwanted clothes (besides donating) is to try and make a little extra cash at places like Platos Closet, Uptown Cheapskate or Buffalo Exchange. Other places to sell clothes include Poshmark and Mercari, or you can swap with your friends/earn diamonds on the Trench app. Whatever I don’t sell, I always donate (Goodwill, salvation army, check with your local churches for clothing donations).

***For things that are stained or can’t be donated I stuff in * Ask yourself, if I wouldn’t wear these pieces in such bad condition, would anyone else? If the answer is no, recycle it.*