Winter is right around the corner {ok, I know, it doesn’t really feel like it yet but we’re a second away from November! }, and even though you really don’t want to do it, you know it’s time to arrange your closet and swap the summer clothing with your winter clothing.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to free up a few hours from your schedule just to fix up your closet; but if there’s something I learned over the years it’s that a messy closet makes it much harder to put outfits together, to buy things you really need and to appreciate what you already have in your closet.

As much as I try to keep my closet organized all throughout the year, I realized that it’s almost impossible – that’s why season changes are the perfect time to “reset” your closet and re-organize your life.

This last month I really felt the need to organize my closet –

The clothes weren’t arranged by categories anymore {jeans, dresses, shirts etc.} and colors {yes, I’m pretty fanatic when it comes to this}.

The shopping I did during the season, and especially during sales, made my closet super packed {and I still felt like I didn’t have anything to wear..}

And the worst thing – I understood that I don’t wear even half of what I own in my closet!

BUT WHERE DO YOU EVEN BEGIN?

Start by taking a long and deep breath and freeing up a few hours from your schedule – it won’t be simple, but I promise you that at the end of the task you’ll be very pleased with yourself!

Step 1 – Empty Out Your Closet

The best starting point to arrange your closet is an empty closet – remove all of your clothing and accessories from your closet and place them on your bed {or the floor, if it’s clean of course.}.

Yes, even the pile of jeans you’re sure you always wear.

EVERYTHING.

Now, don’t be lazy – clean the shelves with a wet cloth and leave the doors and drawers open until completely dry.

I love placing scented dryer sheets on each shelf to keep the fresh scent.

Step 2 – Divide Into Categories

Divide all of your clothing into categories – t-shirts, button downs, jeans, dresses, jackets etc.

This will help you see what you really have in each category, compare the items and decide from the first glance which you’ll never wear again {and place them in a donation bag}.

Step 3 – Purifying

As a chronic hoarder I know how hard it is to get rid of things from your closet, even if you don’t really use them.

The worst thing you could do is rearrange your closet “blind-folded”, as in, without really trying on the clothing.

Think of all the times you organized your closet and found a shirt you didn’t wear in a million years {if at all} and you decided that it’s a shame to throw it away because it’s too cute, and then when you wanted to wear it you understood that it’s super unflattering on your body {and then stuffed it back into your closet, of course}.  

YOU HAVE TO TRY ON ALL OF YOUR CLOTHING WHEN ORGANIZING YOUR CLOSET

There’s a reason I said it won’t be simple and that it’ll take time – but trust me, it’s the best way to make sure that you’ll love everything in your closet.

Forget all of the excuses you could think of {too tired, too bloated etc. }, play a fun playlist and just start trying on all of your clothing systematically after the second stage elimination.

Most importantly – be honest with yourself and stop making up excuses to keep uncomfortable or unflattering clothing.

Your body changes, your taste changes and most likely, the things in your closet don’t really look like they did when you first got them.

Here are 5 thumb rules for items you have to remove from your closet ASAP :

1. Anything that lost its original shape after laundry – shrunken, discolored or stained shouldn’t be in your closet.

2. Anything you bought only because it was on sale – it was 70% off so you just had to buy it, but honestly, you don’t even want to take the price tag off? If you leave it in your closet, you won’t get your money back, you know.

3. Anything that feels too tight – if you don’t feel comfortable when you wear it, don’t keep it.

4. Anything that you’re not comfortable wearing – shoes a size too small, jeans you can’t breathe in or a mini skirt you can’t bend down with. You won’t really wear these.

5. Anything “waiting to be fixed” – if the zipper is broken or buttons fell off and you didn’t fix it within two weeks, you probably don’t care enough and you won’t invest money or time fixing it.

I know what you’re thinking – “but what if… I lose weight / I’ll love the style again / I’ll need it for a costume / I’ll wear it around the house as pajamas {no! this excuse costed me a whole shelf of pajamas I never wore!} / fill in the blank…”.

It’s hard to give up on stuff, especially if you feel like you didn’t take enough advantage of the item to justify the expense, but trust me – the second these items will be out of your closet and donated, you won’t feel their absence! {you never wore them anyway…}

Step 4 – Organize Everything In The Closet

 After the serious clean up you just did {good job! I know it wasn’t easy }, you’ll probably notice a lot more room in the closet.

You finally won’t need to shove all of your clothing on the shelves hoping you won’t forget that shirt at the back of the shelf.

The prepping you did makes this step easier and fast!

I think that the best way to organize the closet is by categories {yes, just like the categories from the second step} and in the categories, organize your clothing by colors – so if you want to wear a black shirt, all of the black shirts will be in the same place and this will help you make your decision faster.

Hang up clothing that tends to wrinkle {if you don’t have hanging room, roll it up instead of folding} and fold the other items neatly – same shape and size to keep your closet organized.

Congratulations! Now you have an organized closet with clothing you look amazing in!  

Know more winning tips to organize your closet? Share them in the comments!

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