Today is the day! It’s time to simplify your wardrobe once and for all. But purging clothing can be such an emotional process. Clothing has the ability to bring up memories both good and bad. We might have clothing that we paid good money for that we’ve rarely or even never worn! And we might be hanging onto items that no longer fit or items that would fit us if we could “just lose that last 10 pounds.” But I’m here to help you! You CAN simplify your wardrobe in 30 minutes or less. And it doesn’t have to be stressful, overwhelming, or emotional either!
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Over the years I’ve simplified lots of different areas of my life. But for some reason, I’ve hung onto more clothing than I could ever wear. Studies show that we wear about 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. And while I had purged and purged and purged some more, my closet was still full.
After years of purging, I was ready for a highly simplified wardrobe. One where I could go into my closet and grab just about anything out of it to wear each day. Clothing that I would feel confident in and that fit my properly. I didn’t want to feel overwhelmed each morning by too many choices. Because a lot of clothing doesn’t always equal options. Sometimes it just equals overwhelm. And that’s where I was!
Simplify Your Wardrobe
If you are in the same place, then it’s time to simplify your wardrobe. Take these 6 simple steps to clear the clutter from your closet in 30 minutes or less. I think you’ll be so happy with your simplified wardrobe that you’ll never want to go back!
1. Gather Supplies
You will need three things as you get going. Hangers for putting things back in your closet, a tub or basket to use as your “Halfway Home” (we will get there in a minute!), and a box or trash bag for donations.
2. Remove Everything from Your Closet & Drawers
It’s very important that you pull everything out. This always you to see each item well. You can make sure there aren’t any holes or stains on them so you are ensuring you are only keeping great quality clothing. It’s always very eye opening to see ALL of your clothing sprawled out in one space. I used my bed, but you could also use a couch or the floor.
Similar: 9 Habits for a Clean and Clutter Free Home
3. Set Limits
Limits are one of the key components of this process. You MUST set limits on how much you are willing to keep. But your limit can’t be “whatever will fit inside my closet.” That’s probably how we got here in the first place. Just because it fits in your closet doesn’t mean it’s neatly hanging.
I like to limit the number of hangers I keep. I’ve slowly worked my way down from well over 200 hangers. Yep! That’s a lot of clothes. After purging using this process I’m not down to 70 hangers. And I think that number should be pretty easy to maintain.
70 hangers might not work for you. But I encourage you to challenge yourself. If you think 100 hangers sounds good, try 90. If 150 hangers sounds like something you can manage, try 130. If you think you can get by with just 50 hangers, try and get by with just 40.
Note: I hang up almost ALL of my clothing. Outside of pajamas, workout clothing and undergarments, everything else is on a hanger. If you fold more of your clothing, then remember you can get by with a LOT less hangers.
4. Start By Pulling Out Your Absolute Favorites
We all have those items that we love to wear. These are probably the things you wear day in and day out. We are creatures of habit so we tend to reach for the same things. These automatically go back in your closet.
Note: Picking your favorites might make you feel a little anxious about the items NOT going back in your closet. Be ruthless with this process. Just because it’s not going back in your closet as one of your favorites doesn’t mean you MUST get rid of it right now. This part should be pretty eye opening as you realize how little you actually wear on a daily basis.
Similar: 6 Ways to Maintain a Clutter Free Home
5. Put Your “Maybes” into a Halfway Home
A Halfway Home is just a place to put items that you aren’t sure you are ready to part with. It’s a trial to see if you can live your life without it without actually taking it out of your home today. I use a tub that I put in my garage as my halfway home.
Those items will still be there. And if you need to grab something because you realize you need it or miss wearing it, you can always go grab it during its time in the halfway home.
This is the secret to purging your items quickly! Using a halfway home will give you peace of mind and allow you to make quick decisions. Because we don’t have to say goodbye to these items today! We still have time to make our final decision.
But I can almost guarantee that about 95% or more of what you put into your halfway will be out of sight and out of might. These are likely items you didn’t reach for before. So you likely aren’t going to remember them if they aren’t starring you in the face every day.
The most important step of a halfway home is setting an expiration date for those items. You have a little wiggle room here. You could do as little as 2-4 weeks or as much as 4-6 months. However, I wouldn’t go over 6 months. Once your halfway home is full, add a label to the front of the tub with it’s expiration date. Then put a reminder in your phone or on your calendar on that date so you will remember to drop those items off at your local donation center.
The trick, DON’T LOOK INSIDE IT before you purge! If you can live without those items for 4 weeks, 3 months, or even 6 months and not remember what’s in there then they aren’t that important to you. But looking at the clothing can tempt you to keep some of them. Realize that those items are no longer serving you and confidently purge them out of your home.
Similar: How Busy Moms Find Time to Declutter
6. Only Put Back in Your Closet What You Love, Wear, & Feel Great in NOW!
The items you keep should be things you wear everyday. These are the times that you love and make you feel great. They fit you well and fit your season of life. If and when your size or season of life changes, then you can always grab a few new pieces to make your wardrobe work better for you.
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I still enjoy shopping for a few new items a few times each year. I like having the option to bring in a new pair of jeans and a couple of sweaters in the fall and maybe a tank top or two and a pair of shorts in the summer. But I always felt guilty shopping before because I knew I had a closet full of clothing that I didn’t wear.
Hangers I Use: Premium Velvet Hangers
By simplifying my wardrobe, I:
- can now get dressed easily each morning.
- feel confident wearing everything in my closet.
- don’t feel overwhelmed by my closet.
- don’t feel guilty over buying things I never wear.
IMPORTANT: Purge your extra hangers. If you want to keep 5-10 in your halfway home tub just in case you do decide to pull back out a few items, that’s fine. But all the rest need to be purged!
Make sure to head over to my YouTube channel where I shared all about how I purged my closet. I’ll walk you through these steps so you can simplify your wardrobe in 30 minutes or less today!
Amy says
How appropriate! I’ve been talking about purging my closet for months! Decided yesterday that Monday is the day. THIS is my motivation. Thank you!
Kaitlin says
YAY Amy! You can do this!
Karen says
This was soooo awesomely helpful. I’m over 70, a widow. I fight letting go and change but your video and thoughts have truly helped me know that I can do this! I think I’ve read every decluttering book/blog there is but I’ve never been able to truly succeed! I’ve fought this most of my life. You’ve made this a positive and not a guilt process. Your words are so true. Thank you, thank you and bless you!
Kaitlin says
Karen, your words just made my day. I’m so, so glad you found this helpful! Thank you so much for being here.
Melissa says
Well, I could not do this in 30 mins. Or less lol but that’s only because of how bad my closet is! I have a closet full of crap that is taking over my husband’s side, 2 dressers full&a few little square bins full of clothes&shoes, some of which I haven’t worn in well over a year…or more ugh I guess it’s time to give this a try and get it over with lol thanks for the motivation!
Kaitlin says
Haha! Well, even if it takes you longer than 30 minutes, I hope these tips will still help you get it done quickly! 🙂 Good luck. I’m cheering you on!