I love Spring Cleaning because it is a chance for me to start fresh again. The feeling of being able to whip out the shorts and dresses makes me so excited!
Another thing that I absolutely love is Spring Cleaning because I use this chance to clear out space in my closet. Spring hasn’t really come to New York this year. I’m pretty sure that Spring decided to sleep in and just let Summer take over. Nevertheless, the great thing is that the tips I’m providing for you is applicable for any time of the year!
Read on to find out what it is I do to make sure I’m routinely clearing out my closet.
recycling clothes
My first tip in conducting a thorough Spring Cleaning is to recycle your clothes. Because I am such a huge advocate for sustainability, I would never recommend throwing clothes away in the trash. The only time this might happen is when I have a shirt that is over 10 years old and has holes in it.
The fashion industry creates so much waste because we simply toss out the clothes that are tattered or not in good quality. Mass retailers that provide clothing at poor quality is part of the reason. However, another large reason is because of our habits. Creating good habits can go a long way in eliminating waste!
How do we actually go about recycling our clothes?
The great thing is that there are two easy ways you can do this: donate your clothes to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc, or sell your clothes at a consignment/thrift store.
Ever since I was a kid, my mom always donated our old clothes to the donation center run by our church. We would donate anything from old pots and pans to bags and bags of the clothes I outgrew. The habit of donating clothes has been in my DNA for as long as I can remember. That is why the concept of simply throwing clothes away is so foreign, and I would never recommend it.
In New York City, there are some apartment buildings or office buildings that have donation bins already inside to easy access. This is what I frequently use. I notate how many pieces of clothing I’m donating and drop off the clothes inside the bin. If I have a larger amount of clothes that I can’t fit into the bin, I called the Salvation Army and scheduled a time for them to pick up the clothes.
The second piece of this advice was to sell your clothes at a consignment store. If you have any pieces of clothes that you are getting rid of but is in good shape, sell it. You will not only save the planet, but you’ll also gain some money in your wallet at the same time. The one that is most popular in New York City, aside from the local thrift stores, is Buffalo Exchange. If you’re the type that does not want to drag all of your clothes to a store, then I highly recommend Poshmark. They have a fantastic app for your smartphone that is very user-friendly.
don’t compromise your style
I wrote an entire post here on how I make sure every outfit I wear looks amazing. Spoiler alert: the key is to be confident. The second tip I wrote is to find out what you won’t compromise your style for and be armed with a list of everything you won’t wear. I highly recommend reading my post to find out how to make this list.
If you have any pieces in your closet that you feel like is compromising your style, then that needs to go. Why hold on to clothes that you just aren’t going to wear or feel confident in?
It’s so important to me to constantly be editing out pieces of my closet that don’t end up working for me. I want to be able to look at everything in my closet, and be at my maximum comfort level when I wear it. Creating the list and tossing out clothes that fit the criteria of the list is a great starting point.
We all hold onto clothes because they just look cute, but in the end of the day, you don’t need it. If you won’t wear it, then you’re only doing the piece a disfavor by not allowing someone else to rock it!
split your closet into basics and non-basics
I always look at my closet from the point of view on whether it is a basic staple of my wardrobe. My post here breaks down exactly what are the key basic pieces you need.
I look at the basics in my wardrobe and determine if they need to be tossed out because they are getting too warn. Then, I look to see if I have too many of the same type of basics. If there is any piece of clothing that is a repeat basic and I just don’t wear it, then I will donate it. Basics in your wardrobe is great, but you don’t need 20 blue denim jeans.
With the non-basics of my closet, I am a little bit more liberal here. This is really when the bulk of the Spring Cleaning is done. I operate under the “how often have I worn this” rule. If I haven’t worn this more than 6 times in one year, then it is most likely going to be tossed. I came up with the number 6 because I look at each piece based on the season. There are approximately 3 months for each season, and I need to wear it at least twice throughout each season.
I do have one exception to this rule. When I’m investing in pieces or when I’m trying to build up a collection, then I don’t use this rule. At the moment, I have 2 separate collections I am actively trying to build: my Lilly Pulitzer collection and my skirts collection. Lilly Pulitzer is one of my absolute favorite brands, and I am in love with all of their prints. I am also trying to build up a solid skirts collection because I love wearing midi or maxi skirts. They’re a new obsession of mine because I just can’t get on board with pants anymore.
