How to Thoroughly Declutter Your Closet in 6 Simple Steps

If your closet is overflowing but you still feel like you have nothing to wear, it might be time for a reset. Follow the 6 simple steps below to help you clear the clutter, reclaim your space, and make getting dressed more enjoyable too!

Let’s be honest… most of us are hanging onto clothing we haven’t worn in years.

That dress you might wear to a party (even though it’s never made it out the door), the jeans that don’t quite fit anymore, or that pile of “maybe someday” sweaters taking up half your shelf. Sound familiar?

Decluttering your closet can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be.

In fact, a cleaner, more organized closet can make your mornings easier, your space more peaceful, and your style more intentional.

Ready to make room for the clothes you actually love (and wear)?

Follow these 6 simple steps and you’ll end up with a thoroughly decluttered closet in no time!

STEP 1. Gather your supplies.

Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Before you jump into your closet project, gather your supplies so you don’t have as many opportunities to get distracted while you work.

• Several large boxes, laundry baskets, or tubs for sorting
• Heavy-duty trash bags for trash and possible donations
• Dust cloth, vacuum, and basic cleaning supplies
• Paper and pen to make notes or reminders while you work
• Music or a podcast to listen to while you work
• Water, a favorite drink, and a few munchies to keep you going
• A positive, can-do attitude

STEP 2. Consider Your Ideal End Result

Estimated Time: 10 minutes

• What is the ideal end result for your closet space?
• How do you want it to best function for your specific needs?
• Will you share the space or have it all to yourself?
• Will you store anything other than clothing in the space?
• What about shoes or seasonal items?
• Are you realistically ready to declutter things you don’t use, want, wear, or love?

Thinking through these questions before you start will help you get in the right “head space” to tackle the project and keep you on track to accomplish your desired results.

This is also the time to snap a few “before” pictures! 📸

STEP 3. Take Everything Out

Estimated Time: 10-30 Minutes

Yes, this is the best way to thoroughly declutter and organize any space… and yes, it’s what I do when I feel the need/desire to give my closet a full makeover.

If the idea of taking everything out of your closet feels too overwhelming, go shelf-by-shelf, drawer-by-drawer, or rod-by-rod, emptying one shelf, drawer, or hanging rod at a time. Then proceed with the remaining steps.

Keep in mind, you are not actually decluttering or organizing anything just yet — simply removing everything from your space, so don’t get too hung up on details.

If you have the space, it might save time later if you can spread things out and designate areas for different types of clothing.

For example:

• jeans and pants on one side of the bed
• sweaters on the other side of the bed
• athletic clothing by the window
• dresses and skirts draped over the chair
• shoes and boots in the hallway
• etc.

Once you have everything pulled out, you will likely feel a bit overwhelmed — possibly shocked by how much stuff you have.

It’s OK, don’t panic yet!

STEP 4. Clean the Inside of the Closet

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

Take advantage of a rare empty closet and give it a good cleaning.

• Wipe down the walls, shelves, and baseboards.
• Vacuum the floors.
• Clean the mirror.
• Dust the light fixture.

It’s surprising how dirty the inside of a closet can get — especially if you keep shoes in the closet.

And after you’re finished, you’ll love the feeling of opening your closet to a clean space.

STEP 5. Put Away the Items You’re Keeping

Estimated Time: 30-90 minutes

This is the fun part because you really start to see some progress.

But before you start shoving everything back into your closet, ask yourself the following:

• What is your desired end result for the space? (Remember this from step 2?)
• How do you choose what to wear (by color, by style, by temperature, by activity)?
• Will you store seasonal items elsewhere or keep everything in your closet year-round?
• What do you actually need, wear, and love? (Be honest!)

After thinking through these questions and reminding yourself there is not “one right way” to do this… it’s time to start putting your clothes away.

Personally, I organize all my clothing by “type” because I get dressed based on the weather, but you could organize your clothing by color, or by occasion (work, athleisure, etc), or whatever else works for you (and you can always change things later).

As you work through your piles of clothing, do not put anything back in your closet unless it meets the following criteria:

• You love it
• You need it (for work, a special event, to exercise, etc)
• It fits you well
• It’s in good to great condition (no holes, rips, stains, etc)
• You’ve worn it at least once in the last 4 months
• You don’t already have 5 other similar items

Items that don’t fit into the categories above should go in a donation box or a “maybe box” to deal with later.

Don’t waste too much time considering or debating; just focus on getting your items back into your closet so your room doesn’t look like a bomb went off.

And keep reminding yourself of your desired end results — the more you part with now, the faster you’ll enjoy results, and the easier it will be to maintain your space moving forward.

STEP 6. Take Donations Away

Estimated Time: 5 minutes + drive time

Don’t overlook this last step — it’s often what gets people into trouble if they don’t take their donations away quickly enough.

They do the work of decluttering, cleaning, and organizing, but they don’t take the final step to totally remove the items they no longer need and want from their home. So, a week later, they think “maybe I might want to keep that black sweater”. And then 3 weeks later, they think, “Maybe I will lose the weight to squeeze back into that skirt.”

Little by little, they take the items out of the donation bags and bring them back into their closets. Their hard work is wasted and their closet is cluttered again.

Do yourself a favor and finish the job. Bring your donations away as soon as possible!

Short on Time?

If you’re short on time and don’t want to tackle a full closet declutter, here are a few tips to do a mini closet refresh in about 30 minutes!

Still looking for more? Here’s a link to ALLLL the posts I’ve written on clothes clutter.

What are your best tips to quickly declutter your closets?