Spring into Clean: 10 Things to Purge from Your Closet RN

You deserve a gorgeous closet! And sure, getting there can feel a little intimidating with all the purging and organizing. So how do you even start? In my experience, once you have a plan and are on a mission, you can focus and get down to business. Having a beautiful closet that makes getting dressed easier and more fun is attainable and simple to do. You just need to know where to begin! I want to get you moving on this, so here are 10 things you can pick out and purge right now for a cleaner, more organized closet.

1. Promo/Event Clothing: Whether you run a marathon, volunteer at a food bank, or got a promotional tee shirt from a work event (you know which ones I'm talking about!), it is doubtful that those items make their way into your daily wardrobe choices. Sure, you need things to wear when you're painting, cleaning, or gardening, but let's be frank: You're not doing it often enough to warrant keeping all of these items. Find them, pick three favorites for chores, and toss the rest.

2. Extra Pajamas and Around-the-House Wear: While I scramble to change into my comfy clothes after a long day, I can't say I need a vast wardrobe of around-the-house wear. I'll admit that I have my favorites and tend to wear the same stuff and launder frequently. Pitch the stuff you constantly pick over, and you'll only ever get to choose between your most favorite items. You only need about a week's worth of these outfits!

3. Old Workout Gear: If your workout gear is smelly, stretched out, worn, or not on-trend, it's time to work it out (ha!) of your closet. You only want to wear stuff that helps you look and feel amazing and keeps you from smelling. Once you focus on those quality pieces, you'll be ready to hit the gym on the daily.

4. Anything Damaged or Stained: You may have a few items in your closet that look great in theory, but really they're full of pilling and likely have a small hole or a stain that you just can't get rid of. When I have these in my closet, I want to keep them because I love the thought of that garment if it were still in pristine condition. But on the other hand, I don't ever choose to wear it because of that blemish — and you know, someone who talks about cleaning for a living shouldn't have a big old grease stain on her shirt.

5. Old Bridesmaid Dresses: You paid a lot for it, I know. You think one day you'll have a chance to wear it again, but I'll tell you now, you probably won't. Toss it and accept the dent to your bank account. In the future, look into dress rental services because there's no need to clog up your closet with a frilly dress you don't love.

6. Old Socks, Underwear, and Bras: Socks should have no holes and a tight band at the top (to stay up on your leg!). If your socks don't look as they should, pitch them. Bras get stretched and bent over time too. Check your underwire, straps, and clip bands for stretching and padding for puckering. Any underwear that has holes, elastic waists that have started to stretch, snap or run, or the dreaded period stains, must be disposed of as well.

7. Clothes That Don't Fit: There's no sense in keeping five pairs of your skinny jeans around. When I hold onto stuff that I've grown out of (which only ever sounds exciting when you're talking about someone under the age of 16), keeping it in my wardrobe just makes me feel bad and brings a negative vibe to my closet. I get rid of anything that doesn't fit and only keep pretty stuff that fits me now. Embrace the change, ladies!

8. Non-Uniform Hangers: Plastic, metal (eee, those thin wires!), wood — mixed hangers look inconsistent and disorganized. Pick one style of hanger and stick to it. Switching to wood hangers has made my closet look rather boutique-y, so I vouch for that style.

9. Belts: They're in, then they're out. Pick the classic belts you love and send away the ones you don't. Typically, black, brown, and tan belts work for most wardrobes and you can bring in a trendy belt every now and then so long as you are willing to part ways with it when the trend is no longer a thing.

10. Tanks and Tees: When I sorted through my closet, I found I had many repeats, and tanks and tees were the worst offenders! We only need a few basics to keep our closets fueled for the week and keeping multiple tanks and tees of the same color takes up unnecessary space. And remember, there's always the option of doing laundry. Get rid of those repeat offenders that never quite make it out of the closet and focus on the ones you truly love wearing.

I find that going through and doing a closet purge not only makes getting dressed more fun, but it also is something I carry with me throughout the year when shopping. I ask myself, "Is this just going to end up in my toss pile?" If the answer has a slight hint of yes, I say no and move on. I'm into buying quality pieces that I'll be proud to wear, and I've also smartened up about when it is time to move on from a garment, even if I love it — sometimes to pieces.

If you're looking for more cleaning tips and tricks, tune in next week for a new video on my Spring into Clean series. And be sure to check out the Clean My Space Youtube and my recently published book, Clean My Space.

What cleaning tips do you hope Melissa Maker will share in her Spring into Clean series? Shoot us your purging, organizing, and tidying up questions on Twitter!