Closet cleaning is a springtime rite-of-passage, but most consider it an unpleasant chore. Instead of thinking of periodic closet cleaning and organizing as a chore, think of it as a way to detox your life.
“It’s amazing how much energy, negative energy, that we hold in our closets. And it just feels so good and quite satisfying,” said Stephany Greene, an instructor in the fashion program at Virginia Tech and owner of Stephany Greene Consulting.
An additional motivation might be that you can monetize closet cleaning. Those clothes that don’t fit, or aren’t worn anymore can be sold for cash relatively easily.
“ThreadUp is one of them. Current Boutique, Poshmark, Fashion File, Clothes Mentor, the RealReal. There are several of them out there. You literally send them your clothing, and then when they sell them, they pay you,” said Greene.
Time is also money. A sloppy, disorganized closet may waste more of your time than you think.
“How many minutes and how many hours are you wasting every morning and every day each week? That’s time. That’s sweat equity, so you are gaining back some time in your life,” she said.
Cleaning and reorganizing a closet, especially today’s large walk-ins, can be a daunting task. Greene said the first step before tackling the project is to develop a plan.
“Stand back and look at everything. I always like to go with what makes me feel good and what makes me feel bad. Do I have some clothing that has some bad memories? Take those out right away. Then is there stuff that doesn’t fit anymore? Put that stuff aside,” Greene said.
Cleaning and organizing a closet should be about more than just getting rid of clothes that no longer fit or aren’t worn.
Greene said it is a good time to get rid of anything that doesn’t make you happy, whether it fits or not. Anything with bad memories can create bad feelings when you see it, she said.
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