Old Closet Clean Out:
1. Start at one end of your closet and work your way to the other
end reviewing each item. You wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the
time so choose the items you wish to keep.
2. Have a bag or empty box ready for everything you plan to discard
and give these items to your favorite charity.
3. Keep garments of high quality and/or that you wear frequently.
Items to discard include those:
- you haven't worn in a year
- worn at the cuffs or neck
- stained beyond cleaning
- requiring mending or missing buttons
- one-size too small (or large)
- out-of-fashion in styling or fabric
- missing parts of sets (top and bottoms), socks, gloves,
etc.
- poor quality (i.e. acrylic sweaters that don't keep you
warm)
- with price tags never removed
- worn out shoes and purses
4. Saving items for when you "take off that last 10 pounds" can be
discouraging since it can take longer than you'd like. If you must
save something for the "new you," pick one item or outfit to help
motivate you. Discard the rest. Rewarding yourself by shopping for
new clothes is a much better incentive for slimming down!
5. After reviewing, push each item you plan to keep to the end of
the pole. You can move all the "keepers" out of your closet and
into another one temporarily, or onto a rental clothes rack. This
will reduce wrinkling and mess in your room. If absolutely
necessary, you can place your hanging wardrobe on the bed just
before installation.
6. Determine how many hangers you need to buy for your new closet.
Pick one type: wood or plastic. Using only one style hanger
simplifies the clutter and provides a sense of control over the
space. Have your new hangers ready upon completion of the
installation and switch each garment onto the new hanger as you put
each item away.
7. Place all miscellaneous closet items such as belts, ties,
jewelry, lingerie, and undergarments, in organized labeled boxes.
Simply dumping them into one heap will make the process of putting
everything away much harder and take more time to sort
through.
8. Remove EVERYTHING from your closet BEFORE your installer
arrives.
9. Closet preparation may include repainting or wall patching. Be
sure you understand exactly what services your installer will be
providing in removing the old closet materials and what surfaces
may remain visible if you choose not to prepare the walls in
advance.
