Five Simple Steps for Spring Cleaning Your Closet

It's almost spring! What better time to do a closet clean out and freshen up your wardrobe? Today I am sharing five simple steps for spring cleaning your closet.

In this post, I shared my simple guide to spring cleaning your home.  It is what I typically follow come spring, when I get the urge to purge, declutter and organize.  However, I felt like closets needed their own post.  They are bigger projects and can come with their own complications. Whether it’s an overwhelming amount of stuff, emotional attachments, or just not knowing where to start - it can be a lot.

Why should I spring clean my closet?

I tend to clean out my closet once each season, but if you haven’t done it in a while this is a great time to start.  A clean and organized closet can be life-changing. It’s more visually appealing and calming, it saves time in your day, and it makes getting dressed easier. It’s also a good starting place if you want to invest in some new pieces for spring.  A good clean out shows you what you have and need.

The Five Simple Steps for Spring Cleaning Your Closet

Step 1: Take it all out of your closet - all the clothes, shoes, jackets, etc.  Lay everything out by category.  Go through each pile, one item at a time.  Ask yourself, ‘Do I wear this? Do I love it? Does it make me feel good? Does it fit?’ You can then decide whether it should be kept, donated, sold, or tossed (if it’s in bad shape).  I’ve often heard that if you’ve had an item for a year and haven’t used it, it’s time for that item to go.

Step 2: After creating piles of keep, donate, toss or sell, begin to put the keep items back in your closet in a way that feels good to you.  I usually place like items together. You will also want to put your seasonally appropriate clothes front-and-center, and/or pack up your off-season clothes depending on your home and closet space.

Step 3: This can be a time-consuming step, but well worth it.  It’s time to decide how and where to donate or sell your items.  This post from Julia of Lemon Stripes was very helpful to me. I also shared what I do with items I no longer need or want in this post. There are many different places to donate clothes, and some will even pick up right at your house. You can also choose to sell clothes through sites like Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace.

Step 4: If you have items that need to be dry cleaned or mended, this is a great time to make that happen - do it the same day if you can!

Step 5: If needed, make a list of items that you might want to replace or replenish.  This might be new socks, underwear, plain white tees, pajamas.  I keep a list on my phone for myself and my kids.  I may not purchase right away, sometimes I’ll wait for a sale.

How do I get rid of things that I am attached to, even when I don't use them?

I am not an expert in this area, but I know that the struggle is real when it comes to attachments to items.  It could be an item that was a gift from a loved one that is not quite your style, or a much-loved item that no longer fits the way you’d like.  It could be an item you spent a lot of money on and it feels wasteful to let it go. 

I’ve had items that fit all of these categories.  Sometimes I just keep the items for another season if they don’t take up too much space, and I’ll reevaluate during my next clean out . Other times I will pass those items on, or sell them if possible, and I revel in the extra space I’ve made in my closet.  There are other times where I’ll pack these items away, knowing they are still there if I really want it back.  Most times I never do, and they end up being donated or sold.  Stuff takes up room in our homes and our minds, and there is a freeing feeling when you look at the items in your closet and know that you love and use what you have and there is no emotional clutter.

I hope these tips for spring cleaning your closet are helpful.  If you have any tips please share them below, I appreciate your comments!

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