Tips For Cleaning Out Your Closet During Quarantine

Now that social distancing and self-quarantine are in full swing, many of us find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. Since we’re stuck at home, this is the perfect time to clean out our closets! Here are some tips on how to make it happen.

Find a good album or podcast to listen to while you work

Since cleaning out your closet can get a little boring, set up some entertainment for while you work! Put on your favorite album or dive into a podcast. My favorite podcasts right now are Crime Junkie (if you’re into true crime), The Office Ladies (for fans of The Office), and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler (a great podcast to learn about empathy).

Go shelf by shelf

Cleaning out your entire closet can seem daunting, so take it piece by piece. Pick one shelf or clothes rod at a time, take out all of the clothes on it, and go through them one-by-one. Maybe just try to tackle one shelf a day to make it more manageable!

Ask good questions

If you’re like me, you have a hard time getting rid of anything. That’s why I have come up with some good questions to ask myself while going through my clothes:

When is the last time I wore this?
Weather-permitting, would I wear this tomorrow?
Do I have anything like it?
Would I really miss it?
And, as Marie Kondo puts it, “does it spark joy?”

Try things on

I often find myself hanging onto clothes even though they don’t actually fit me well. When you dig up an item you haven’t worn in a while, take a second to try it on. It’s a lot easier to get rid of items when you know they don’t even fit!

Figure out what to do with your “no” pile

Once you’ve cleaned out your closet, you’re going to have to do something with your “no” pile. You might want to divide this pile into “sell” and “donate.” List your “sell” items on a website like Poshmark and/or bring them to a consignment store! Once you’ve sold all you’re going to sell, combine the piles and take it all to a Goodwill or something of the like.

Written by: Greta Gessert

Edited by: Abby Sowder

Photos by: Sarah Brown, Priscilla Du Preez, Adrienne Leonard via Unsplash