A Girl's Guide to Tidying Up Her Closet — Kristin's Peppermints and Cherries

Maybe I had cabin fever with all the recent cold weather, but last week I decided to rid my closet of unneeded items! My closet wasn’t messy, but it had been too long since it had a good tidying up. It’s amazing how one day I think nothing needs to go and the next, everything!

In reality, I didn’t eliminate everything seeing as new clothes come with a price tag, and no one has money for all new clothes! However, I did make a bigger dent in my closet than I have in quite some time!

So girls, here are some suggestions for guiding a closet purge!

Closet Organization Tips for Ladies:

1. Enlist your husband’s help.

The first thing I did on my closet mission was ask for another opinion. Husbands have a different perspective on clothing items, and I found having another opinion was helpful in making the decision of what to keep and what to send. There were a couple items that I kept even though he said send, but for the most part we agreed. If he thought it needed to go and I did too, well, it probably should have been gone six months ago!

2. Only wear clothing you love!

Don’t be guilty of wearing clothes out of obligation or for sentimental reasons just because someone gave them to you. If you don’t love the article of clothing, you probably won’t wear it much. Even if you do wear it occasionally, you won’t feel comfortable or look your best. Having fewer clothes you love and wear is better than a closet full of clothes you don’t like!

3. Eliminate if you haven’t worn it in six months to a year.

The year time frame gives plenty of time for seasonal changes. If you haven’t worn something in a year, it’s probably toast and needs to exit! I’m sure there are some exceptions to this rule such as nine months of pregnancy, but in most circumstances, why keep something you don’t wear? It just leads to clutter when selecting daily outfits.

4. Keep only clothes that fit.

Now, those of you wearing maternity clothes, don’t go throw out your closet! You will be sorry later. For everyone else, if you absolutely love a certain outfit, but you gained a few holiday pounds, by all means keep the outfit! On the other hand if you are hanging on to that same outfit five years later, it’s probably time to send it! I know some people keep multiple sizes of clothes in their closet for weight fluctuations, but it’s best to keep clothes that fit because those are the clothes you feel comfortable wearing. And definitely don’t wear clothes that are too small. That’s not pretty on anyone, men included!

5. Save classic wardrobe pieces that need a new piece to freshen up the style.

Have you ever had a skirt with no matching top or vice versa? If you really love the article of clothing and it’s a classic piece that is difficult to replace, keep it! Then find something to actually wear with it instead of leaving it all lonely in your closet. Owning clothes that can be mixed and matched is always a plus too!

6. Consider your accessories.

Ask yourself two questions when eliminating shoes. Do I wear them? And… Do they match my clothes? I had a pair of shoes that were really cute, but they just didn’t look nice with any of my clothes. Bad purchase on my part, and they went to the yard sale. Also consider tidying up your collection of scarves, purses, bags, and jewelry. These accessories make great consignment items.

7. Be honest about the condition of the item.

Is it worn out? Does it have a hole? Is it faded or has the fabric beaded up? Does it have a stain? You don’t really need five shirts for painting or doing messy jobs outside unless you are a painter or a landscaper. One or two is sufficient, so you can throw out the other five!