How to Spring Clean your Closet

This is the current picture of my closet in my apartment. It may look stuffed, but this is one of the main areas I have for storage. As you may have noticed by my suitcase, laundry hamper, studio lights and dish boxes. After organizing and doing a general Spring cleaning of my closet, I decided to share with you some helpful tips I learned along the way.

• Don’t have “chill clothes”– I found this tip extremely helpful after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up. We all have those pieces that we don’t love,  yet don’t want to get rid of that become workout or around the house clothing. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep a pair of paint clothes, but don’t let a drawer overflow with clothes you don’t even want to wear out of the house. Also, don’t have things with stains or holes. I had a drawer full of undergarments that had a bad run-in with bleach (Good Job Kristen), and I still kept them! Needless to say, I felt like a million bucks when I replaced them.

• Try on everything/Take pictures– Whenever I go through my closet, I inevitably have a few pieces that I always reach for that aren’t very flattering. By trying on your clothes, you might find something you wanted to give away looks amazing on you and your go to outfit isn’t that special. If you’re on the fence on a particular item, try taking a picture in front of a full-length mirror. Everything seems to photograph differently than in person, and this guarantees you’ll look fabulous in every photo and can easily tell if the garment is flattering.

 

• Keep Versatile pieces– If you want to get rid of something, just look around your closet and see if you can give it a new life by using it in a different way. Does the bottom of a blouse have lace that could double as a shirt extender? Could that sleeveless button up or short sleeve sweater be paired with a jean jacket to create a new look?

• Find Similar looks on Pinterest– Most people say that when they take an outfit idea from Pinterest, it doesn’t translate like in the photograph. That’s why I pin pieces that are very similar to pieces I already own. I may have gotten lucky and stumbled upon them or if I just got a jean vest I’ll type in the search, “How to style a jean vest?” Most likely you will be given endless options with a piece you already own.

 

• Don’t save looks for a special occasion– This tip excludes formal dresses, but I once had a green shirt that I swore I would wear on St. Patrick’s Day. Spoiler, I never ended up wearing it year after year because I wanted to wear another, more stylish green outfit in my closet. If your only holding on to a piece for a holiday that you didn’t wear the previous season, then let it go! Holidays are special events, so wear clothing that make you feel like a million bucks.

 

• Put a bin under your bed– This tip comes from DoItOnaDime and it’s genius! If you can’t decide whether to give up a garment, throw it in a tub under your bed and give yourself a month to wear anything in the tub. If you never go back to any of the items, you know they won’t be missed!

 

• Sell on Poshmark– Plato’s Closet never gave me much for my trendy clothes in great condition. Selling on Poshmark allows you to name your own prices. This app is great because they send you the shipping label and you can get credit toward new things of your own! They have Lily Pulitzer, JCrew, Forever 21 and hundreds of other brands. Sadly, they do take a 20% commission fee off your sale, but it’s calculated when you initially price it, so you can set it accordingly. If you want to earn $10 just for signing up, then try my code JMKBN.

 

It may sound like I’m advising you to keep things instead of getting rid of them. I believe in keeping clothes you will use, and always finding a new way to use a piece before giving it away or buying new. Have creativity with the pieces you truly love and discard the rest!

The idea for this post is from Shannon at Tommy John. I was approached with the idea for this post, which I loved! I didn’t receive any payment or free merchandise! I just wanted to make sure and disclose that to you! Happy cleaning!