5 Easy Steps You Need to Follow to Declutter and Organize Your Closet

It's that time of the year where we feel the push to start decluttering and getting our life organized! For The Refine Company, that's every day, so we have some helpful tips for you! Your closet can sometimes be the most difficult part of the house to declutter. There are a lot of reasons for that, but the main one is that clothes can trigger a lot of different emotions.

When we're going through our clothes, memories can sometimes come up and trigger certain emotions. Both good and bad. You may have items of clothing hanging in your closet that you wore to an event that brings back difficult or sad memories. And even though you may love the sweater, or the dress, or the jeans...whenever you wear them, those memories come flooding back. Or maybe you have that pair of "goal" pants you've been hanging on to for 6 years and they're still a bit too snug to zip up all the way. Doesn't feel great to look at them every time you open up your closet doors, does it? Maybe you have a favorite pair of sweatpants but they have a hole in them. You don't want to throw them away because you love them, but you feel self conscious every time you wear them. Or that pair of high heels you haven't worn in years, but..what if you get rid of them and then you wish you hadn't? We totally get that it's difficult to part with clothing, and we feel it's super important to acknowledge those feelings and work through them, while also giving yourself the permission to let it go.

There are "steps" we follow when we're decluttering and organizing someone's closet with them. Below we'll share the steps we take and how we move through each one.

Step 1: Remove Everything

Here you'll want to take every single item out of your closet, but there's a way to do this that will make the organization you're going to do later a lot easier. This first step is when the decluttering begins. We're going to be making piles in this step. A keep pile, a donate pile, and a trash pile. Make sure you touch EVERY single item and place it in it's appropriate pile. If you're not sure if you like something, if it fits or if you will wear it anymore, try it on and see how you feel. Don't just throw it in the keep pile and say you'll try it on later. Commit to the process fully! You'll be grateful you did.

Step 2: Emotion Check-In

Once the piles are made and your closet is empty, check in with yourself. This may seem like a silly step, but it actually is really important to do. How do you feel now that you've gone through everything? Are you sad to see that sweater go? Are you second guessing the jeans? Is there an emotion connected to a purse that's coming up pretty strong for you? There is an exercise we like to do with our clients (and ourselves!) that actually works. It may seem silly, but we promise you'll feel relief after.

Emotion Exercise:

-Whatever items are triggering a strong emotion, sit with that item in hand.

-For 30-90 seconds, let yourself feel whatever emotion comes up.

-Once you feel that emotion start to pass, put the item back in its designated pile.

Letting go of clothing can actually be a very emotional ride, because we make SO many memories, both good and bad, in our clothing. But just because the sweater is gone, doesn't mean the memory has to go with it! Give yourself credit where it's due, sometimes this isn't easy.

Step 3: Clean

Now that everything is moved out of your closet, it's time to clean it. We recommend using non-toxic cleaners for the shelving, knobs, drawers, and hanging bars. Get any cobwebs that may be lingering up above. Wipe down the wood work. Make sure you remove any unnecessary trash or anything that doesn't belong in there. Then finally, mop or vacuum the floor!

Step 4: Get Organizers

This will be different for everyone depending on what you have. Our philosophy is the less you have, the less organizers you'll need. (So really declutter!!) However, a good organizer for certain items does make a HUGE difference in most cases. Whether it be a shoe organizer, purse organizer, accessory organizer or something for under garments, now is the time to measure and seek out what you need! We also highly recommend that all hangers are the same and everything is color coordinated. It creates a much more appealing and put together look.

Step 5: Final Touches

The final touches include making sure everything in your closet has a place, looks appealing and most importantly, feels good! Here is also where you can throw away all of the items in the trash pile, and get a box or tote for all of the "donate" items. We recommend getting the donate box out of the room your closet is in immediately. That way, there's no desire to go through it and pull things back out. If you decided you don't need it anymore, trust yourself! We also recommend having an empty "donate" basket or box in your closet. That way, when you decide you no longer want something, or you no longer like the way it makes you feel, you can toss it in the donate bin. That's just an easy way to declutter as you go moving forward.

In Closing

The way your rooms, and closets, feel can make a huge difference in your every day life. When you open up your closet doors and you see a well organized, color coordinated, aesthetically pleasing presentation of your clothing and accessories, you feel better about getting dressed and about what you're wearing. No more sorting through things you love and don't love, while searching for the item you need because everything isn't visible. Life is easier when things are organized. And when there's less clutter in your home, there's less clutter in your mind!