It’s pretty terrible how messy Jake and I let our closet get sometimes. Just being in a hurry in the morning and being tired and lazy when we get home, we kinda just throw thing in there sometimes.

Even though our closet is a walk-in, it’s not THAT big. So any additional clutter really takes up a lot of space. And I have a LOT in there, so it’s extra important for me to keep it clean.

I am terribly embarrassed about the Before pictures, but I don’t think that you can truly appreciate the After ones until you’ve seen just how bad it was!

I did go through everything and get rid of a bunch of stuff this week and will be taking it to sell/give away over the next few days. I have a rule that if I get a new article of clothing, I have to love it enough to get rid of something already in my closet. This keeps me from accumulating clothes that I just don’t wear that take up room. I also have put myself on a rule that I have to go through my whole fall/winter wardrobe before I wear the same top again. I want to make sure I actually wear everything!

In order to actually organize your closet, to do a REAL purge, the steps are a little different. I’ll cover that, too, as I did that 3 months ago and it’s great.

*Before you start, make sure you have a few hours to dedicate to this. It takes a while!*

Step 1: Take EVERYTHING out of your closet. Yes, I mean everything. You have to go through it all.

Step 2: Create a “Love it”, “Maybe”, “Sell”, and “Donate” pile. If you hold something up and absolutely love it, it goes in the Love it pile. If you don’t absolutely love it, it should go in the Maybe pile. If it’s a clear No, decide if it’s in good enough condition to try to sell. If not, Donate it! This goes for clothes, jewelry, outerwear, shoes and underwear/bras!

Follow this flow chart for some help!

Step 3: Go back through your Maybe pile. Take a second look and see why you want to keep it. Does it have sentimental value? Do you worry you’ll eventually need it? Most likely, the answer to that is NO. You’ve probably had it for years just taking up space in the closet. If it’s sentimental but you never wear it, take a picture of it/in it and give it away. Set yourself free!

Step 4: Hang your clothes back up. Hang the hangers up backwards so that when you wear something, you take it off and hang it back up the other way. This is an easy way to see what you wear and what you don’t. If you don’t wear it at all in the next 6 months (and it’s not a special occasion piece), sell or donate it!

Step 5: Create a system of organization. I hang my work clothes on the middle bar of my closet because it’s right in front of me. I keep my workout clothes up on top, my casual clothes off to the side since I wear them much less often. Let everything have its own place. I got bins to keep my things in to ensure they stay organized.

Step 6: Admire your work! Once everything is put back away and has a place, admire your work and feel good about a big accomplishment!!