Organize + Energize: 5 Questions To Ask When Decluttering Your Closet
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
It’s that time of year! It’s time to take everything out of your closet, give it a good cleaning, purge and make way for winter clothes. It’s time to move your summer clothes out of the closet and store them in seal tight bins or space bags and move them out of sight. Try to get them out of your closet by either storing them under the bed, in a designated spot for seasonal clothes or high shelves in the closet. Try not to mix your summer and winter clothes. You will have a much easier time when you open your closet and see winter clothes as opposed to rifling through all different seasonal clothes.
When you are getting ready to organize your closet, it’s not just about re-arranging the closet. Think about the clothes you are hanging onto. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Why am I hanging onto clothes that are too big? Have you recently lost weight? You probably have clothes in your closet that are too big. Holding onto these clothes allows your mind to think that there is a chance that you will go back to that size. These clothes may be holding you back from your weight loss goals. These clothes are a reminder of what you used to be. Are you still that person? Mentally, these clothes may be holding you back from moving forward. Will you really miss these clothes if you let them go?
- Do I have clothes that are too small? On the other hand, you may have clothes that are too small. Be realistic. If you know there is no chance in the next 2 years that you will fit into these clothes, get rid of them. If you are a few sizes away from fitting into them, then by all means keep them as long as they are still in style and are in good condition.
- Is it in good condition? Are there stains on these clothes or are there holes in them? Why are you holding onto them? Get rid of them. Take a good look at each piece of clothing and make a decision whether toss or keep. The same applies for shoes.
- When was the last time I wore these clothes? Some say the rule is if you haven’t worn them in a year to get rid of them. I use a 2 year rule. Use this rule only if you love the piece of clothing, but you just didn't get around to wearing it last season and you know you will definitely put it on this season. Now when next year rolls around, if you haven’t worn it, get rid of it.
- Why am I holding onto these clothes? Are you holding onto these clothes for the memories? Ladies, why are you holding on to maternity clothes if you know you aren’t having any more children? It’s ok if you are holding onto sentimental items like prom and wedding dresses, but they don’t need to be stored with your everyday clothes. Make a plan to store these in another area.
Cleanse yourself and start fresh this season! Too many of you are hanging onto clothes that you aren’t wearing. They are taking up room in your closet that could be used to house new clothes for the new you! Think about the clothes you wear. There is a statistic that states we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Do you fall into this statistic? Refresh, revitalize and energize your closets!
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTKristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on Mondays at 8:30am on http://www.talkstreamradio.com.
Related Slideshow: Organizing Products For Your Closet
Related Articles
- Organize + Energize: 5 Ways to Stay on Track with Your Organizing Project
- Organize + Energize: It’s Time to Take a Home Inventory!
- Organize and Energize: 6 Summer Organizing Projects
- Organize + Energize: 10 Signs It’s Time to Get Organized
- Organize + Energize: 7 Things to Remember Before You Get Organized
- Organize and Energize: Is Your Child Disorganized?
- Organize and Energize: Are Your Magazines Collecting Dust? 7 ways to Conquer Magazine Clutter
- Organize and Energize: 6 Ways To Stay Focused
- Organize & Energize: 6 Ways to Combat Mental Clutter
- Organize and Energize: 5 reasons you need to get organized at work
- Organize + Energize: 5 Things to Do Before You List Your Home to Sell
- Organize + Energize: Organize Your Car in 5 Easy Steps
- Organize + Energize: 6 Things To Do After You Get Organized
- Organize + Energize: 10 Ways Disorganization Is Costing You Money
- Organize + Energize: Disorganized? 5 Emotions You Will Experience
- Organize + Energize: Declutter Your Email Inbox in 5 Steps
- Organize+Energize: Hate To Clean? It’s Time To Get Organized!
- Organize + Energize: 10 Minute Organizing Projects
- Organize and Energize: 5 Ways to Stay on Track with Your Errands
- Organize + Energize: Are You Resistant to Change?
- Organize + Energize: 6 Tips to Organize & Energize Your Entryway
- Organize + Energize: 10 Ways to Make Your Mornings Easier
- Organize + Energize: 5 Ways to Tame Your Kid’s School Papers
- Organize + Energize: 10 Ways to Avoid Distractions and Stay Focused