Quarantine Closet Purging & Organization: 4 Effective Steps That Get The Job Done

2020 will definitely go down in history as the year of Covid-19. This world pandemic has left us all in a state of uncertainty, anxiety, panic and fear. It's up to us to choose strength over weakness. This is a time where the test of the mind is in full force.
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A lot of us live such busy lives day to day. So why not take this time to do something great for yourself? If you're one of those people who's closet purging has been on your to-do list for months, I'm going to give you an effective 5-step process to finally get it done! Put on some music, grab a glass of wine or your favourite tea, and enjoy the process.
Be sure to wash your hand thoroughly throughout. After all, cleanliness is key!
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The Effective 4-Step Closet Purge & Organization Method  

1.  USE THE EGO 
Your natural inclination is to walk into your closet and feel overwhelmed. So what? Your closet has items that date way back, things with tags still on them, clothes piled up in a corner that you haven't touched for days maybe months. This is the time where your "fight or flight" response sets in. Look your space right in the eye and say: "You're going to listen to me now, I'm in charge here not you". 
 
 2. THE FIRST FILTER - THE DISCARD PILE 
Now that you're in charge, I want you to start in any section of the closet you choose, and literally begin to go through each item one by one, discarding pieces that apply to one or more of the following categories:

 

  • a) I don't really like it. I'm just hanging on to it because I really don't know what to do with it.  
  • b) I'm just not even sure if I like it.  
  • c) It doesn't suit me anymore. I don't feel like it's age appropriate or it just doesn't suit my personality or lifestyle anymore.   
  • d) It no longer fits me. It's just not comfortable. It's too tight or it's too big or it's too long. If you can't immediately put it on today and wear it out, put it in the discard pile. This includes items that need repair or alteration.   
  • e) It looks old, worn and tattered. It may be your favourite sweater, but it just doesn't look good anymore and is beyond repair. Remember use your ego, not your heart. Let it go!  
  • f) It brings me back to a memory that I would just rather forget. Realize you've been hanging onto the past. Just get rid of it! 
  • g) It's cute and I'd probably wear it, but I have to wash it or dry-clean it.
You can apply this a-g categorization process to every single section of your closet: clothes, shoes, jewellery, outerwear, lingerie, underwear, leisure wear, athletic wear, what have you! So just repeat this process for every section in your closet! 
Now take each category of your Discard Pile and take the appropriate action:

  

  • (a) and (b) pieces: try these items on one last time and make a yes or no decision right then and there. Recycle the yes-items back into your closet, and put the no-items in a type of storage box/bag for donations or consignment. Label the box/bag as donations or consignment. 
  • (c) pieces: add these to the no-items being donated or consigned. 
  • (d) pieces: you might want to try some of these on to make sure you're that they're a definite no. For the items that need repair, put them in some type of storage box/bag and keep them aside for the next time you head to your alterations expert, jewellery or shoe repair service, etc.  

TIP:  Give yourself a deadline. Stick a label to the storage box/bag with the deadline written on it. If they're not altered by a certain date, don't just leave them in your space as dead weight. After the cut off date, do yourself a service and get rid of them. If you didn't miss it enough to wear it for the last 6 months, do you really think you'll miss it when it's gone? 

  • (e) and (f) pieces: add these to the no-items being donated or consigned. 
  • (g) pieces: look at the care labels and decide what type of cleaning each item needs. For example, is it dry cleaning or hand-wash? Keep these items separated and organized with a label and ready to go. Don't recycle these items back into your closet until they are taken care of and ready-to-wear. 
Each item in your closet should ideally be a 100% item: an item that is ready to grab and go. You know it looks good, feels good, and is in perfect wearable condition.
3. MERCHANDISE YOUR CLOSET - ORGANIZATIONAL FINE-TUNING
Now that the most tedious part is done, your closet should feel lighter and a lot less full. You want to make dressing easy, and to make that happen, you have to be able to find things. Picture your closet as your personal store: when your'e getting dressed you want to know exactly what section to go to for what you need.
Follow these easy guidelines to merchandise your closet applying organizational fine-tuning:
Divide Your Wardrobe Into Sections:
    • Dresses
    • Tops, Bodysuits & Blouses
    • Skirts
    • Shorts
    • Pants & Leggings
    • Fitness Wear, Athleisure & Loungewear,
    • Socks & Pantyhose
    • Lingerie, Underwear, Bras & Shapers
    • Coats
    • Jackets
    • Scarves
    • Shoes & Boots
    • Hair Accessories
    • Scarves
    • Jewellery
    • Purses and Wallets
    • Cell Phone and Purse Accessories
    Put all items with like items: so all your tops together, all your bodysuits & blouses, all your skirts, etc.
      Organize each section by Colour: within each section, you're going to further filter and put all like colours together. 

      • This means for example within the category of your blouses, you will put all blacks together, all reds, all whites, etc.
      • For your jewellery, for example, put all silvers together, all golds, all reds, etc.
      The reason for this is when you get dressed, putting colours together is one of the first things you tend to consider. If you're wearing a pair of denim jeans on a given day for example, you'll tend to decide what colour of top you want to wear, and then based on that colour scheme, you will decide what colour of shoes to wear or what colour of jewellery pairs best, etc. Colour is one of the main players in styling.  

      Organize Each Coloured Section by Type or Style: please note that this is optional and depends how organized you really want to get.
      • Within the section of your white blouses, for example, keep the long sleeve ones grouped together, keep the short sleeved ones grouped together, etc.
      • Another example, within the section of your silver jewellery, separate the rings form the earrings, etc. Do the same for your gold jewellery, and the same for your red coloured jewellery, pink coloured jewellery, etc. Divide the types and put them into different containers. 
      4. SET THE MOOD
      Now that your closet is organized, you will love getting dressed! You'll want to add some final touches to make sure the dressing experience is 100 percent enjoyable! 
      Ensure that your closet has the following essentials:
      • A full length mirror for your front view
      • A back view mirror. If that is not possible, have a hand mirror close by so that you can always catch a glimpse of your back side. 
      • A do-it-yourself emergency styling kit that contains a lint roller, static guard, tide to go, small scissors to cut loose threads, extra earring-backings, double-sided tape, wipes, and a needle & thread kit. 
      • Good lighting. It's difficult to properly style outfits if you can't see what you're doing. And if you're like me and have a lot of black clothes, it can get really tricky trying to find what you need. 
      • A small step or step-ladder to help your reach those items that are up high.
      Now your closet is organized, prepped and ready to serve you. Show it some love and it will show you some love back. 
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      Please feel free to message me with any questions you might have, big or small.
      You can email me personally at amiedicarlo@yahoo.ca 
      Happy Quarantine! 
       

       


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