Over the weekend, I decluttered my closet. It’s significantly more usable now.
Yay for more usable.
I decided to use my beloved (referral link alert) velvet hangers as the deciding factor when choosing which clothes should stay and which clothes should go.
I was able to part with some clothes that were mostly fine but I didn’t wear often (or ever) for whatever reason. I’d chosen to keep them in the past, but when I looked at them comparatively with another piece of clothing that was fighting for the same available hanger, I saw that they needed to go.
They were less hanger-worthy. A blouse with weird-length sleeves can go in the Donate Box (or bag) without any much emotional drama when I can see clearly that the blouse with perfect-length sleeves deserves to be on the hanger more than it does.
Also, just being in the closet and purposefully looking at my clothes revealed a whole lotta DUHS. I filled a trash bag with things to donate that I didn’t even have to stop and think about. I just needed to be in the decluttering mindset to see them, identify them, and get them out.
Watch the video to see what I chose to purge and what I chose to keep:
If you can’t see the video, go here.
--Nony
Umm… Where’s our cleaning out your entry so you can open the door to Trick or Treaters video?? Because while I NEED to clean out my entry so I can deal with people who will be on my door step tonight I now have an overwhelming urge to go purge my closet tonight instead!!! ARGH!!!! You are killing me.
Visability rule, visability rule, visability rule…
Oh sorry!!! Thankfully, my entry looks good right now!
Ok I guess I need help. Is it bad that I want to know the sizes and where you donated these not hanger worthy clothes? I think there may be room in my closet (if I shove really tight and I can get some more hangers at the dollar store.) Seriously I need to de-clutter my closet and this made so much sense to my slob brain. I have clothes that are at least 20 years old wadded up in the back. Thank you
My slob brain is being awakened to new thinking. Before Nony I would think I need to organize….like I need a BIG area to place everything (like racks for clothing and storage racks and bins. But it didn’t make sense and was so overwhelming to my brain. You make sense….declutter first for the space (container size) and there is no need to organize….it happens by itself. Bins of clothes in the basement that don’t fit and may never….that need to be worn by someone before they are no longer in style. Let it go, me. Thank you, Dana.
Well, I didn’t manage to let go of those clothes. But they were when I needed them after beginning a new way of eat. Now most are too big and I’ve put them back in the bins….to tailor to be smaller.
Big DUH!
I am finding such cute clothes at thrift stores to wear now that I am considerably smaller.
Those clothes in the bins need to go.
Same for my husband. We’ve gone the reverse and have filled more bins than previous to contain too large clothes to use as fabric. Even then there is too many clothes for me to use as fabric.
I always feel so blessed when others have donated that I can find to use. Need to go now and spend an hour filled BLACK garbage bags and put them in the pickup to go to thrift on Monday or Tuesday.
Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for the great blog post! I am cleaning out as well. I’m not giving a shout out to any particular donation or nonprofit. But there is one that picks up right at my door when I schedule a pickup. Lifesaver for me because those bags would sit in my car for ever LOL
How do you choose which 2 garments to compare?
What if I compare garment 1 to garment 2, and between those, garment 1 is more hanger worthy. Then later, I compare garment 7 to garment 8, and garment 7 is more hanger worthy. But now, both 2 and garment 8 are in the “Donate” box, and when I get to garments 39 and 40, garment 2, in the donate box, is more garment worthy than both of them…but I don’t see that, because garment 2 is in the box under a bunch of other donatables.
So I end up keeping garment 39, putting garment 40 in the “Donate” box, and losing garment 2, which I should have kept instead of garment 39.
How do you avoid this problem?
For me, I knew I had too many clothes, and that I’d survive with a lot fewer. Don’t go all the way down the road mentally, just look at one thing at a time. When I picked up something I knew I loved, I then looked for something on a velvet hanger that I didn’t love as much. When I looked at it that way, the answers strangely revealed themselves pretty easily. And once I’ve decided I don’t like something as much as another, I look at it differently, and no longer see it as something I like much at all.
I’ve just started reading your blog, and am curious; you mention DUHs, as if it’s an acronym. What does it stand for?
(Or is it just short for “This is trash; toss it, DUH!” ?)
I have watched this video repeatedly. It is really helps to remind me about the container/hanger-worthiness of clothing. And I love the way you compare things. Such practical advice in being able to judge whether things should be kept, or donated. And you are funny!
I was just thinking of another way of getting rid of some of my clothes; although this might be a little painful. I have 2 stuffed closets: 1 for cool weather and one for warm weather clothes. That’s really not bad for me bc I used to have 5 that I whittled down to 2! Yay, Me!
Anyway, my idea is to go through my photos on FB and in my albums and check out how many outfits I wear over and over again bc they aren’t favorites! It’s really kind of embarrassing, when I have a bunch of other clothes and I wear the clothes I’m most comfortable in – and I’ve worn them for MANY years. I have the funds to buy new clothes; I just hate to shop bc I can’t lose the weight I need to lose. What a dilemma!
But, it’s just something I think I may try – to declutter my closet by getting rid of repetitive FB photo outfits.
Thank you, and your readers for all the great tips here!
In my comments above, I meant to say, ‘ bc they ARE my favorites!’ – Missy
Just the inspiration I needed to get me back on track!!
Thank you, Dana!!
Another BRILLIANT idea, Dana!
Easy tagline to remember – Is It Hanger Worthy
Great – and FUNNY – comments from your followers
I did it somewhat the same way you did but a little differently too. I was moving and knew I didnt need to bring all those clothes. It costs money to move everything. I decided to pull exactly half the stuff out of my closet from one end. I spread what was in the closet out and everything had room to breathe, so nice. Then I would look at the top piece on the bed and if I liked it too much to get rid of and it fit well when I tried it on then I found a piece in the closet that I didnt like as much and took it out. I realize this might leave me with a mess on the bed if I don’t finish that day. I guess you could push half the clothes to one end and half to the other and say I keep the right hand stuff. If I like something on the left hand side very much then I have to take something out of the right hand side of the closet and put it in the bag to move the left hand piece to the keepers. I hope that wasnt too confusing. I think I need to do this again. I did just get rid of a lot of clothing and tried stuff on but the closet is still too full and my clothes look crushed when I pull them out. I have a problem lol. I do have to admit my newer closet is much smaller than I’ve had in any previous houses in a long time.
Hi Dana! As always, thank you for blazing a trail for me to follow. This video helped me make peace with decluttering my cupboard, and letting go of clothes that I don’t wear.