How To Clean Out Your Closet: What To Ditch And What To Keep

Minimalism has increasingly gained in popularity. When you choose minimalism, there is no space to contain disorder, especially in the closet. The modern-minimal-chic advocate curating every small detail of your life, down to the laundry drawer. Marie Kondo, author of The Magical Art of Tidying Up, promotes the idea that we should only hold on to things that "make us happy".

Cleaning out the wardrobe can undoubtedly seem an intimidating task. Definitely not high up on my list of fun things to do on a Sunday afternoon, but it certainly makes me feel better.

Cleansing is not glamorous. Whether you are cleansing your body, your bathroom ,or your wardrobe, if done correctly and effectively, it is a dense, in-depth process and can feel very ugly. Purging the closet can trigger anxiety because it threatens the loss of the status. We get attached to things, even the things that we no longer love and wear.

I know what you might think: "This is another frivolous new millennial trend". It might be, but trust me on this: there's nothing like having a wardrobe that we truly love. When we have less, it is much easier to make choices and feel light. What do we do all this yoga for? To increase space inside us. Let's make more room on the outside too, in our closet, for example.

So, let's start this new decade with a purge!

And on that note, here are a few tips on how to make this process easy. 

Set and setting - For a good, efficient purge, you need to be in the right mindset, and feel secure. Make sure you have enough time to complete the task. If you know you might struggle, invite your best minimalistic friend to be there for you. She or he will keep you on track.  Make sure there is enough space to pile stuff and to move along easily. 

Empty the closet – Pull everything out of the closet and dresser drawers, yes, even the no man's land in the back-make sure it’s empty. Divide things into categories and makes piles. 

Here is how I do it.  (image to left)

Game time: One by one, ask yourself hard questions about each piece of clothing. Be true to yourself, think of this as a chance to make space.

• Is this item in good form? If it's ripped, worn, or has a broken zipper *(AND it is not worth fixing it), toss it aside. 

• Have I worn it in the past year? No? Please get rid of it.

• Is this my style? Stop hanging onto items that don't reflect your style.

• Do I feel comfortable with it? Only wear outfits that make you feel secure and confident. It makes a big difference. 

Clean -  Spruce up the empty spaces. And now you are left with a pile of clothes you don't want anymore. Please don't wait to get rid of them or you will feel the temptation to go through them once more. Organize the discarded things into three categories: toss, sell, or donate. 

• Toss - Recycle anything you can. For example, old t-shirts can be used as kitchen towels or as rags.

• Sell- If you have pieces that you spent a lot on, put them aside to sell on eBay, Facebook market, or Nextdoor.

• Donate- Lastly, give your other garments a new lease on life by donating them at the Salvation Army. Before I left the Netherlands in 2016, during my leaving party I hung all the discarded clothes out in the garden for my guests to take. It was a lot of fun, and people were grateful for a new addition to their wardrobe. 

Restructure -  It is time to put everything back in place. But that is a whole new story. 

Purging is not fun, but necessary. Feel free to contact me if you need more tips and tricks or a minimalistic friend to help you clean out your closet! 

Andrea Zaghi is an Italian certified Yoga instructor and massage therapist with a passion for creative writing and minimalism. You can contact her by email at: andreamartinazaghi@gmail.com.

Related Articles: