Getting Your Closet Up To Date

January 21, 2022

I know it’s not a new show, but I just started watching “Queer Eye” on Netflix, and this show just melts my heart. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it! On the show, a team of 5 guys goes in to help revamp not only someone’s look, but really their whole life. They have someone dedicated to interior design, another who specializes in food, another in grooming/personal hygiene, someone for culture/relationships/social interaction, and one for wardrobe. While I have a much different personality than the guys on the show, my job as a home organizer is very similar to what the guys on the show do. Whether it be in a virtual coaching session or in-home atmosphere, our discussions usually revolve around these subjects. I love the sense of humor and lightheartedness of the guys as they dash through someone’s home, filled with love, as they radically change someone’s life.

While watching the show, I was thinking about my closet organizing class that I’ve got coming up in February. For this post, I’ll share some tips to help you organize your own closet. For some extra inspiration, watch a few episodes of “Queer Eye” to help you get in the mood to declutter and organize your closet.

Before you start, take photos of your closet as is. This helps you get a new perspective on the status of your closet. It allows you to see it objectively, and with much more clarity.
I urge you to get present with your pursuits and create an album of images that inspire you. Google “organized closet” and collect images of organized closets in a dedicated album on your phone or computer. This is an important step that many people want to skip over. In addition to organized closets, collect images of outfits of clothing that you like. Visit the websites of clothing stores you like, or google something like “women’s fashion 2022 40s” (or whatever age you want) so that you can collect some age appropriate and CURRENT ideas about what to wear. If you’re dressing like the past, you’re going to be mentally and emotionally stuck in the past. Live in the present by dressing like you’re in the present.
What are your challenges in your closet? Is it light? Space? Rotation? Remembering what you have? Putting clothes away? It may be a mixture of issues, but get clear on what your challenges really are so that you can find solutions that will really work. Writing down what your challenges are may illuminate them enough to allow the answers to come find you.
Purge any low hanging fruit: stuff that you don’t like, that you’re keeping out of obligation, that’s worn out, and that you’re obviously ready to get rid of.
Pull out all your clothes and sort them into like piles on your bed.
Clean out your closet really well. Vacuum it, clear out the cobwebs, and wipe down the walls.
Decide how you want to put things away. Do you want to organize your clothes by color? By type (short sleeve, long sleeve, dresses etc…), or do you want to pair clothes together to create outfits? I personally like to switch it up every once in a while. I wouldn’t say there is one “right” way to organize your closet.
Put clothing back in a way that makes sense to you. I think it’s fun to put all my hangers backwards and every time I wear something, switch the hanger so that it’s not backwards. This helps me easily see what’s been worn recently.
Maintain! Decide on a routine for how you want to keep your closet looking neat. Do you have enough time set aside each week to properly put your clothes away? If not, and you can’t make the time, consider hiring a housekeeper to do this for you.

Things to keep in mind:

-Just because it’s functional doesn’t mean you need to keep it. You probably have enough t-shirts and jeans for working in the yard.

-A lot of people talk about this imaginary rule that if you haven’t worn it in a year, you need to toss it. You may not have worn it because your closet wasn’t organized properly. If you come across an item like this, create an event on your calendar where you can wear the item of clothing. Wear it, see if you still like it, and if not, donate it.

-If you have clothes that are either too big or too small, my first choice is to donate them. They probably represent a time in your life that you’ve moved beyond. Let them go and watch yourself emotionally mature. If you’re really wanting to keep the clothes, separate them from the clothes that actually fit. Label them so you know if they’re too big or too small, and revisit them periodically to see if they fit.

-Allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone with your clothes. It takes confidence to look good! Allow yourself to rise to your greatness.

-What percentage of your clothes are what I call “macaroni and cheese” [comfort foods] clothes? These are clothes that you’d wear if you were laying on the couch eating some kind of comfort food, and generally feeling apathetic about life. When you dress like you care about yourself, you actually will start taking better care of yourself.

-If you’re not sure if you want to keep something or not, put it on, take a photo of yourself wearing it, look at it, and then see how you feel.

What’s the funniest most dated item in your closet? Please share in the comments.