Declutter Those Closets: Rules and Tools You Need
What better time to declutter our closets than when temperatures drop and we trade summer wardrobes for winter wear? Cold weather is looming and soon you’ll need to exchange the lightweight outfits for warmer, woolier clothes. And if you’re the type of person who still has fashion-backward items in your closet from high school (and you graduated 10 or more years ago), keep reading. These rules and tools are for you!
The 30/70 Rule
Experts say we only wear 20-30 percent of what’s in our closets (less if you’re a man). So if we say we have nothing to wear, the truth is we have too much. And sometimes not even the right stuff!
Designer Michael Kors says that 70 percent of our clothes should be meat and potatoes – things we wear for the life we live right now. The other 30 percent is the icing and fluff, including colors, patterns, bling and accessories. If the proportions are turned upside down, people CAN have trouble getting dressed!
If you can declutter at least one season of clothes using these guidelines…you’ll congratulate yourself this time next year. Maybe even sooner!
Find Your Faves
Step 1: pull out your favorite things to wear. Take your go-to dress, shirt, sweater, top, jeans, pants, skirt, shorts, etc., and lay them on your bed. Pull out your favorite pair of shoes, too. This is the bar. These are the “10s”. From now on, any piece of clothing that does not measure up in terms of quality, comfort and fit, does not go back into your closet.
Step 2: start sorting clothes for your KEEP pile. An item does not belong in this pile if it is:
- Not a 10 (remember: quality, comfort, fit)
- Stained or irreparably snagged, torn or frayed
- Something you have not worn in a year*
- Too big or too small
- An item you keep for its sentimental value
As you go, create a TOSS pile of things that no one would want (stained, torn) and a SELL/DONATE pile (still worthy of wear).
Phone a friend
If you’re having trouble deciding which pile an item belongs in, get an honest friend to help you. Honesty is key. Try on the can’t-decides for him/her so together you can keep, toss or donate/sell.
Make Some Money
You can donate items for a tax write-off, or see what you might be able to make some money from. Here’s an idea of what kinds of things will sell.
A Wedding Dress
You can cash in on Ebay, still a great marketplace, or Etsy.
Gold and Silver Jewelry
Tangled necklaces, bracelets or those single earrings are worth selling. Here’s a list of gold and silver dealers nearby.
Jeans
Keep the ones that look good on you and sell the rest, especially if they’re designer jeans! Here are some places to sell your old jeans.
Anything Designer
It might not be your style anymore, but anything with a designer label is still valuable at the consignment store – online or down the street!
Anything New with the Tags On
It’s still new!
A Great Pair of Shoes
They may not fit you, but someone will want them!
Other websites for reselling and upcycling adult clothes are idonowidont.com (for wedding dresses), therealreal.com, poshmark.com, and tradesy.com. By the way kids clothes are a hot commodity and you can sell them online or at stores like Once Upon a Child, and events like Just Between Friends coming up later this month at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Declutter With Apps
A couple of apps for localized reselling are OfferUp and Letgo. All you do is snap a picture of what you want to sell, and upload it with details and pricing. Your post will be circulated to users in your neighborhood and you can negotiate prices and pick-up times through the app.
*If you don’t have the time or energy to sort through your winter items before you put them in your bedroom closet, try this. When you hang your clothes up, turn all the hangers backwards. When you go to change closets in late spring, you’ll know what you never wore because the hangers will still be facing the wrong way! Then you can toss, donate or sell.
Store More At Crystal Valley
The closet and storage options at Crystal Valley were designed to accommodate our families and the way we live today. The more space you have for your stuff, the less often you’ll have to declutter! Take a look at the new homes from Richmond American Homes , priced from the $300s.
