7 Fun Ways to Streamline Your Closet
Whether you have a walk-in, reach-in or armoire, closets inevitably become dumping grounds for hardly used clothing and accessories. No matter how hard you try to stay organized, the accumulation of items you never wear expands until you’re left with no space for the next new find.
Why do we use so little of what we have? When it comes to closets, most of the items we keep fall into one of these categories:
- don’t fit
- are in need of repair
- are out of style
- aren’t as stylish or useful as we thought upon purchasing them
The closet is quite a personal space; many of the items in our wardrobe tell a story about who we are. There is an emotional connection to each piece, so no wonder it’s often difficult to say goodbye… unless you turn the parting into a party.
That’s why we’ve come up with a list of 7 fun ways to overhaul your wardrobe. Giving away those tattered flannels shirts from your grunge phase just got easier.
Ready, set …
1. MAKE SOME MONEY
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You can sell gently used items at a consignment store, online or have a themed yard sale.
- Themed Yard Sale: A Saturday afternoon yard sale doesn’t have to be boring. Give it a theme and make it a party! Create humorous yard sale signs to market your sale—Turn Back Time! Vintage Finds for Your Inner Hipster
- Online: There are a variety of online auction sites and social media platforms for selling used items—eBay, Amazon, Swip Swap, Facebook Marketplace, just to name a few.
- Consignment: Put unwanted designer clothing up for consignment at a high-end store.
2. HOST A WHAT NOT TO WEAR PARTY
Invite your most trusted yet brutally honest friends to be your Stacy and Clinton (hosts of TLC’s What Not to Wear). Set up a mirror in your living room, model the outfits in question and let your guests tell you what stays and what goes.
3. GO ON CHARITY FIELD TRIPS
Make a personal connection with charitable organizations, so when it comes time to drop off your box of donations you feel connected to the cause.
Spend a day with the director to observe what they do and whom they help, or try volunteering for a day or two.
There are a great number of organizations serving unique purposes, and some of your items may be a perfect fit for their needs. Too many shoes? Contact organizations that recycle worn out shoes into playground equipment for underprivileged children. Lots of career clothing? Places like Working Wardrobes provide wardrobe assistance for people who are struggling to enter or re-enter the workforce.
4. LIVING ROOM BOUTIQUE
You said it yourself: You have some really great items in your closet. Why not set up a living room boutique for a day? Invite over a few friends and family to go shopping, especially the ones constantly borrowing things from your closet. Instead of placing price tags on your items, collect a “cover charge” for entry, such as a bottle of wine or a plate of home baked goodies.
5. CHANNEL YOUR INNER TIM GUNN
Now if the people on the hit television show Project Runway can make an entire ball gown out of candy wrappers, we’re quite certain you can re-invent some of the items in your closet. Try it yourself or give local design students a box of your old clothes and let them have at it. Buy the re-fashioned items you like and allow them to sell the others or use as school projects.
6. GIVE YOURSELF TIME
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was that massive collection of stuff in your closet. It may take more than a single afternoon or a weekend to sort through it all. Create a fun calendar that’ll help you spread out the cleaning process over a few weeks or even months.
- Doesn’t Fit Day: A day to try on everything and set aside the things that no longer fit.
- Raggedy Ann Day: Find items that are heavily damaged and repurpose them as cleaning rags.
- It-Used-to-Be-This-Color Day: Find and toss those stained and severely faded items.
- What-Was-I-Thinking Day: Pull out items you have never or scarcely worn and decide if they’re worth keeping.
7. GET CRAFTY
Consider moving a few items from your closet to your craft room. There are many creative uses for scarves, such as using the material for homemade throw pillows, window treatment accents and gift satchels. Jewelry, belts and old pieces of clothing can be repurposed in making quilts, tree ornaments and scrapbooks.
Polly Lestikow is the president of Closet Factory in Denver, Colorado, which has been creating completely personalized and unique storage solutions for clients for 25 years. View their profile or contact Polly at 303-690-6901.
Content for this article provided by Closet Factory.
