Episode 23: How to Spring Clean Your Wardrobe

Episode 23: How to Spring Clean Your Wardrobe

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The start of each season is a great time to edit your wardrobe. And given many of us are in “spring cleaning mode,” there's no better time to “spring clean” your closet than now.  In today's episode I am going to give you the steps you need to spring clean your wardrobe. In preparation for this episode, I did this myself today (the photo in this post is a photo of my piles).

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Go through your closet and separate your clothes into 5 piles: donate, toss, mend, consign and keep. Here's how you distinguish what goes in each:

Donate: It's out of style, out of shape or past its prime, but someone would wear it, just not you.

Toss: It's out of style, out of shape or past its prime so much so that no one should wear it.

Mend: It's a great garment, but needs tailoring, a new hem, a button replaced, etc. and once you repair it you will wear.

Consign: It's in great shape and was purchased within the last two years but you just haven't worn it or don't like it anymore.

Keep: Everything else that doesn't fit in one of the previous piles.

Step 2: Actually go through the process to throw away the clothing that needs to be tossed, put the clothes in the “donate” pile in a bag, prepare the “mend” pile to be taken to a tailor or set aside for you to repair, and hang up clothing in “consigned” pile to be read to take to a consignment shop.

Step 3: Tackle the “keep pile.” Here are the 5 questions to as yourself:

1. Does it fit your body?

2. Does it fit your style? Remember in episode 13 when I talked about defining your personal brand?  Your personal style is similar to your personal brand. It is essentially how you express your personal brand through your style and clothing choices. I also love putting a name to it — I do this with my clients as well. I usually fall somewhere between “Sleek and Fierce” and “Polished Professional.”

3. Is it flattering? Be really honest with yourself and you may also want to ask for help with this one from a someone like a friend or your spouse for this one.

4. Have you worn it in the last year?

5. Is it in great shape?

Step 4: Redistribute the pieces you're not keeping into the appropriate pile. 

Step 5: Neatly fold and/or hang your clothing in an organized way. 

You can listen to the episode in the player above this post.