11 Signs That It's Time to Clean Out Your Closet
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You consider yourself a pretty put-together person, but you're harboring one very big secret: your closet is a nightmare. We know the type — we've been there ourselves, though it took some time to admit it. Yes, we've hoarded piles of striped shirts and couldn't get out the door for work without digging to the back of our closets for that one blouse we were certain we just got back from the cleaners — but by the time we found it, it was wrinkled. Like we said, it took some time to face facts, but we finally addressed our messy closets head on, and we're better women for it. So, before you give up hope, read through: we're staging an intervention. Source: Shutterstock
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1. You can't ever find anything in your closet, so it makes a perfect place to hide.
2. The freebie tees you accumulated during college are still taking up valuable shelf space.
3. Your clothes are constantly wrinkled since you can never store anything properly. Source: Touchstone Pictures
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4. You keep holding out hope that someone will make a real-life version of Cher Horowitz's outfit matchmaker, and then you'll never have to physically sort through your clothes.
5. You know you have basic pieces like a white tee and a button-down, but you keep buying new ones since you can't seem to find them in the piles in your closet.
6. You have to allow yourself an extra 30 minutes to get dressed in the morning just so you can dig through the racks to find what you're looking for.
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7. Your friends are always noticing how much clothing you have, but you still have nothing to wear.
8. In fact, you lend your clothes to friends and forget to ask for them back because you don't even notice what's missing from your wardrobe.
9. You haven't worn an item in over two years, but you keep holding onto it, waiting for the right occasion (or waiting for it to fit). Source: Touchstone Pictures
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10. Despite having a closet that's stuffed to the brim, you can never resist going shopping.
11. You've surpassed the limit for clothing storage in the closet, the hall closet, under the bed, and in the oven. Source: Revolution Studios
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Now, clean it up! The tips our editors swear by:
1. Really take inventory of your closet, and decide what you'll actually wear and what really fits. Have a friend snap pics while you're doing it to get an idea of what looks good so you can see for yourself.
2. Save space and time by storing your items the right way, by category — i.e. skirts, blouses, jeans, etc. — or even by color. It'll make finding specific pieces easier and help you declutter.
3. Keep your shoes in the boxes and stack them one on top of the other to keep them organized — and safe from ruin!
4. Loop hard-to-store accessories, like belts, on a hanger to keep them all together.
5. Designate a drawer or shelf for jeans and roll them up to save room — they also won't wrinkle!
6. Make use of an alternate storage area for items that are out of season. Utilize your under-the-bed storage for pieces you don't need easy access to, and invest in handy, space-saving organizers like vacuum-seal bags — they work wonders!