20+ Tips for a 60 Minute Closet Purge
Have you had enough of playing closet Jenga when you open the door to get things from the closet and try to get what you need without knocking anything to the floor? It is definitely time to get ruthless and do a 60-minute closet purge.
There are tricks for every closet whether it’s your bedroom closet, the linen closet or the one in the entry. Pick one or all three! It’s up to you! We are not organizing or dusting or sorting.
No, this is all about speed! Have a garbage bag for trash, a box or bin for donation and an empty tote or laundry basket for anything you need to relocate later. Pop in some earbuds if you like music or a podcast while you work!
A timer can be handy as well to keep you on track. This closet purge is meant to be quick. Do what you can in one hour. Maybe it will take you that long in your bedroom closet or maybe you can do more. Give it a try!
Let’s Start With the Bedroom Closet!
This is your clothing and maybe your partner or spouse’s things. Tackle your clothes! You should always start with your own stuff when you are decluttering.
1. Anything That Doesn’t Belong In This Closet
This might be garbage, like tags that came off a recent purchase or a pair of socks you threw on the floor because there’s a hole in the heel you will not fix. Toss those out.
Don’t look past those empty boxes with a blind eye either. Maybe you ordered something online or the case for your new phone has been sitting there a while. Those are recycling.
This could also be anything that has a home elsewhere. Reusable shopping bags, wrapping paper and books can sneak into a closet easily. (If you have small kids, I bet there’s some Lego or other little toys). These can go into the empty tote for now.
2. Any Clothing That Is Sentimental And Never Worn
If you aren’t going to wear it, but it’s too important to you to let go of, then it should be in your memory bin or other storage bin. The closet is for the clothing you wear. Your favourite maternity shirt or the shirt from that concert don’t belong here.
3. Clothing That Doesn’t Fit, Purge From Your Closet
This is where you need to be really honest about whether it will fit again. I’m sure you already know what fits or doesn’t. This is just a quick 60-minute closet purge, so you don’t have to try anything on unless you have time left at the end.
If you think you will wear it again, then you need to put it into a separate storage spot until it fits again. Under bed storage with wheels is a great idea because you can slide it under the bed but still have it accessible to review in a few months.
If you were holding onto it because you hope you will lose the weight, consider whether it will still be your style when you’ve lost the weight or if you’ll want to buy new clothes to celebrate that weight loss. If you are keeping it, it shouldn’t stay in your closet.
Give yourself a deadline for any clothing that doesn’t fit. Put a reminder in your phone and, when the deadline arrives, try that clothing on and either put it with your clothes that fit or donate it.
4. Clothing That Needs Fixed
It gets stuffed in the closet when you don’t have time to deal with it. This includes torn pieces, broken zippers, missing buttons, damaged hems, etc.
If you really loved this piece, you would have fixed it already. Maybe you forgot about it. The important thing to remember is that you aren’t wearing it because it’s damaged and now it can’t stay in your closet. Put it in the tote; it can go to your repair spot or to your vehicle to drop off at the tailor this week.
If it’s not worth fixing, then into the garbage bag it goes!
5. Any Clothing You Have Already Replaced
You bought the replacement piece and probably worn it more than a handful of times already. Take the old one out because it’s obviously worn out. Whether it’s garbage or a donation is your call.
6. Clothing That Obviously Doesn’t Fit Your Current Stage Of Life
Our lives change and so does our wardrobe.
If your closet is full of business clothing, but you are a stay-at-home Mom with no plans to return to the office, let it go.
Maybe you moved and you have a lot of clothing that doesn’t match the climate you live in now. There are so many things that get packed and moved unnecessarily. It doesn’t mean you have to keep it forever.
Or it could be the maternity clothing that you pushed to the back of the closet after your last child was born and now you know you won’t be having any more children. Let it go.
7. Footwear That Doesn’t Fit Or Hurts Your Feet
Your feet change as you age, often requiring a larger or wider shoe. Many women find that they need shoes half a size bigger (or more) after pregnancy.
8. Clothing or Footwear That No Longer Works Like It Should
Over time, pieces wear out. This category includes the waterproof boots that are no longer waterproof, the belt that doesn’t have the right holes in it and the leggings you don’t wear because the elastic in them has lost its stretch.
Save yourself the frustration of reaching for these pieces in the morning and realizing they don’t work.
Besides, you won’t replace them if you still have the old ones in your closet. And if you really need that belt, getting rid of the lousy one will force you to find a better one!
9. Clothing You Don’t Like
We all have some of this. Today you are ruthless and you can let go of the stuff you don’t like. Maybe it’s the fit or the fabric. Maybe it’s too much work to take care of because it can’t go into the washing machine or, even worse, requires ironing.
And if you can’t find something you don’t like, check your underwear drawer. I’m sure there’s at least one pair you hate that you’d be happier without!
10. Purge Your Closet Of Anything That Makes You Feel Bad
Don’t keep anything in your closet that makes you feel bad. You are better than that! Whether it was a shopping mistake or just reminds you too much of something in your past, this is the time to get rid of that black cloud!
11. Purge Excess Hangers From Your Closet
This is a great way to control your closet inventory. Don’t keep a lot of extra hangers if you don’t need them. If you changed from wire hangers to wood hangers, this is a good opportunity to check and make sure there aren’t any old hangers remaining and purge them from your closet.
Move Onto The Linen Closet!
If you don’t have a linen closet, then these same tips will apply to the furniture or container that serves as your linen closet.
12. Any Sheets For A Bed Size You No Longer Have
This is an easy one. You know what size your beds are. Those are the only size sheets you need to keep. Donate what you can’t use!
13. Worn Out Sheets
The time to find out that sheets are holey or torn is not when you are changing a sick kid’s bed or when making the spare bed before company arrives. You know the state of your sheets. Declutter the poor ones.
If you have sheets with childish patterns your children have outgrown as they hit high school, you can purge those from your closets as well.
Homeless shelters, animal shelters and charity shops will take donations of old linens that are in decent shape.
14. Worn Out Pillows
Check the pillows stuffed up there on the shelf. Are they too flat? Too lumpy? Stained? Take them down and do a quick assessment. They might not be worth keeping.
Sleep experts from the Sleep Foundation recommend replacing your bed pillows every 1-2 years, depending on the filling, due to bacteria and other allergens and you can read more about that here.
15. Worn Towels And Facecloths
You can revive towels and facecloths by stripping them which involves washing them in hot water with vinegar and repeating the hot wash with baking soda. Here is a link with a video guide on laundry stripping. This removes the build-up of detergents, oils, sweat and other residues that cling to the fabric. Do not use fabric softeners or dryer sheets with towels as it will reduce absorbency.
However, no matter what you do, eventually towels will wear out and need replaced. Declutter the ones you have been actively avoiding! You know the ones I mean. We all have them. Shelters and vets are also always looking for donations of old towels so put them to good use and help out our furry friends in need.
Late summer and January are the two best times of year to buy replacement linens as you can expect sales then.
16. Expired Makeup or Toiletries
If you use your linen closet as extra storage for makeup and toiletries, be aware of the expiration dates. You may be able to move some of this to your bathroom.
If you have a lot, you may want to reconsider stocking up. Sales are great, but if you buy too much and it’s in an overflow storage spot, it may be out of sight and out of mind.
17. Expired Medication
If your linen closet doubles as your medicine cabinet, check the expiration date on all medication. If you have expired medication, return it to your local pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not throw it in the garbage.
Don’t Forget the Entryway Closet!
You may find this closet more challenging because it can have the greatest mix of items for all members of your family. That is also why it’s important to declutter this one: this limited space becomes a dumping ground for everyone.
18. Out of season footwear
There is no need to be digging past sandals when there’s snow on the ground. Equally, no one wants to be shifting heavy boots around to find their flip flops or baseball cleats.
Store your out of season footwear in a separate tote that can be tucked away in your laundry room, basement or even your garage. With this seasonal rotation, you can have your children try all their footwear at the start of the season and know right away what doesn’t fit.
19. Jackets, Hats or Footwear That Doesn’t Fit
This is the replacement theory again: what you have replaced doesn’t need to stay.
This also includes bike helmets and safety gear you store here. Bike helmets usually have a production date stamped on the inside and need to be replaced within 3-5 years of that date. If the date is not legible, take the hint and throw the helmet out. It’s not worth the risk.
20. Solo Items That Used to Be a Pair
Yes, we’ve all been there and hoped the other mitten or the other glove would surface. Admit it. It’s gone.
You can quarantine that single item in your laundry room for a week if you are certain you can find it. Make the time this week to look for it. If you don’t find it, let it go.
Or maybe you have already replaced it! Then don’t feel guilty about purging it from your closet.
21. Anything You Or Your Family Members Do Not Use
You don’t need anything in your front closet that no one uses. This is valuable space. Your kid hates that toque because it’s scratchy. The scarf doesn’t match your current winter jacket. The umbrella has a tear in it. Whatever the reason, let it go.
This can also include storage containers you bought with the best intentions, but don’t find practical for your family. What works in one home sometimes is not effective in another. It’s okay to declutter that storage solution!
The six-month rule can be handy here. If you haven’t used it in six months and don’t foresee using it in the next six months, purge it from the closet. Alternately, consider only keeping items for the current season here. Storage is often tight in the entry closet.
When you finish your closet purge, take the garbage bag to the trash bin, the donations to your vehicle so you can drop them off this week and return the items in the laundry basket to their homes. Well done!
This closet purge isn’t about tidying or organizing your space. It’s about reducing how much stuff you are keeping and how much you have to take care of. You can take control of your closets. You got this! You can click this link to get Minimalist Home’s guide to cleaning out your closet.
