Definitive guide to organizing your wardrobe – 03/18/2024 – Balance

Having better, smaller wardrobe choices makes getting dressed easier, and being able to see what you already own means you’re less likely to overbuy.

But for many people, cleaning out your closet can be emotionally charged. I asked professional organizers and stylists how to make the process more rewarding.

Have a vision

Most people dive into organizing without a plan, said Shaniece Jones, a professional closet organizer. “You don’t have a strategy, you don’t have a vision,” she said.

Instead, take time to think about your current style and how you might want to change it, she said. Jones suggested creating a Pinterest board of clothes that speak to you or flipping through magazines or catalogs so you have points of reference when deciding what to keep or discard.

Review what you have

Depending on the size of your closet, a thorough cleaning can take up to four hours, says stylist Chellie Carlson. She recommended taking out one category of clothing at a time — tank tops, then t-shirts, and so on — and starting with the category you wear most often.

Instead of just laying clothes on the bed, use a clothes rack and hang each category of clothes as you go.

Deal with your pile of “maybes”

If you’re on the fence about a piece, stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney suggested trying to create a look around it with things you’re keeping. If you don’t make it, “she has to go away,” she said.

Jones recommended “marking” items you’re hesitant about with a pin. If the pin is still there the next time you declutter — meaning you haven’t worn the item in that amount of time — it’s time to say goodbye.

Go straight on

For the pieces you’ve decided to keep, create a system that makes sense with your routines. If you exercise in the morning, place exercise clothes in the top drawer of your dresser. To make choices easier in the morning, organize your wardrobe by category and then by color — tank tops from light to dark, then t-shirts from light to dark, for example.

For smaller items, resist the temptation to buy fancy storage solutions, said Ashlee Piper, a sustainability expert, and try reusing things you already have, like shoe boxes. “A container is a container,” she said.

This article was originally published in The New York Times.

_{As part of the Todas initiative, the Sheet gifts women with three months of free digital subscription}