How to Clean Out Your Closet: 7 Rules to Follow

Depending on the size of your wardrobe, I may not be able to show you how to clean your closet in 15 minutes, but I can show you how to do the ultimate closet cleanout. Just follow my 7 simple rules below.

How to Clean Your Closet and Get Rid of Clothes You Don’t Need

My goal today is to give you the motivation to DITCH all the clothes clutter that you don’t need! I am going to teach you my 7 rules for cleaning out your closet and I hope you can pass this on to your children.

Once you clean out your closet, let your kids do the same. I live by these 7 rules each and every time I do a closet cleanout because they force me to get rid of clothes that I otherwise might have kept “just in case”.

The 7 Rules for Cleaning Out Your Closet

If you want to know how to get rid of clothes in your closet (I know, it’s hard!), follow these 7 simple rules. By the end, you’ll have a wardrobe filled only with clothes you LOVE to wear.

Rule #1: If you haven’t worn it in the last year, toss it!

Unless it is something like your wedding dress or a family heirloom, don’t hold on to it! If you have gone an entire YEAR without wearing it, you don’t need it.

I know you will justify saying, “but I will wear it during the summer” but, you won’t! You will forget! 😉 Or at least that is the way it is with me.

Rule #2: If you cannot think of more than 3 settings where you could wear it, toss it!

We all have that fancy dress or those crazy pants that we bought (probably because it was on clearance) but the tag is still on and we have never worn it. Time to get rid of it!

Maybe 1 time in the next 40 years you will regret getting rid of it, but that’s all! For now, it is just taking up precious space in your closet and it is time to let it go!

Rule #3: If it doesn’t fit, toss it!

We all do it. We have our “fat pants” or “skinny pants” and everything in between. Unless you are seriously losing weight, pregnant, or know for SURE that you will need these clothes again SOON, get rid of them.

The tiny clothes from our high school days may never fit again and that is okay. There is no sense in hanging onto them.

Rule #4: If you have to spend time thinking on how to “make it work”, toss it!

You know exactly what I am talking about! We sometimes have those shirts that we have to add 3 layers to just to make it look cute or that dress that needs a sweater and a scarf and the right boots just to make it look decent. Get rid of it!

As moms, we are always in a rush and spending extra time just trying to “make something work” and it is just ridiculous. Why not fill our wardrobe with items that are easy to use and quick to throw on!

Rule #5: If it has a rip, stain, or hole (and you are not willing to fix it RIGHT THEN), toss it!

This one is one of the hardest closet cleaning rules! And it always happens to our favorite clothes. If something has a stain, it is time to just throw it away.

If it has a rip or a hole, toss it as well (unless you are going to fix it right then). I have had clothes that for years I said, “oh, I will sew this.” and years went by and I never did! Don’t fall into that trap.

Rule #6: If you wouldn’t buy it again, toss it!

Anything that has made it to this point, look at it and ask yourself, “If I were at the mall shopping right now, would I want to buy this?” If you wouldn’t buy it now, why do you still own it? You only want clothes in your closet that you love!

You want to have stable pieces that make up your wardrobe that will make getting dressed in the morning hassle-free. If your wardrobe is full of items that you don’t really love, you will spend all your time weeding through these items to pick out the few items you actually do love.

Rule #7: If it is something you do not feel confident and beautiful in it, toss it!

This is the best rule. Clothes are meant to help make you feel confident and beautiful. Do not fill your closet with sweatpants and oversized items just so you can blend into the crowd. Love yourself!

Find items that make you feel like you’re truly beautiful. It can be hard to get rid of all of our “comfort clothes” but if they are gone, then you are forced to wear clothes that will help you feel better about yourself.

I’ve been there, I have worn those oversized sweaters that hid every curve and the baggy sweatpants, but those never made me feel beautiful. You want your wardrobe to be something that helps show who you are as a person.

What to Do After Cleaning Your Closet

Once you are all done cleaning your closet and organizing it, you should have some clothes in your “toss it” pile! Take some time to look through it and sort it into two piles:

1. Things you can give away; and
2. Things to throw away

Just because you don’t use it, doesn’t mean that no one else should use it! Donate anything that is still in good condition so others can get good use out of your clothes as well.

I always feel better getting rid of things knowing that someone else will be able to wear it! At the same time, don’t donate the clothes with stains or damage done to them! Just throw those away!

Final Thoughts

So, what are you waiting for? You now know how to clean out your closet AND declutter, so take these 7 closet cleaning rules and run with them! Clean out your closets today and get a head start on having a clutter-free home.

There is just nothing quite like waking up in the morning and walking into a perfectly organized closet, am I right?

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