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Picture this: you open your closet. You get a sinking feeling in your stomach. It’s a mess. You know you should clear it up. A part of you wants to. But you just can’t get yourself to actually take that first step to declutter your closet. So you shut your closet. And you think: maybe another day. Sound familiar?
Believe me when I say, I’ve been there. I’m the last person to judge.
But if there’s one thing I can say with confidence, it’s that there is a light at the end of that rabbit hole of a mess.
There is a quick and simple way to declutter your closet, re-organize it and keep it that way. You just need to take it one step at a time. And with my fool-proof step-by-step process you’re going to have a neat, efficient closet in just 2 days – and I promise you’re going to feel great every time you open your wardrobe.
But before I get into the declutter process, let me share my own story.
How a simple closet declutter transformed my mornings and mood
Up until a few months ago, every time I would open my closet – I would see piles falling over, sections messed up, clothes overflowing. I would tell myself, ‘I don’t have the time to deal with this’ and just shut the door on it. Literally.
But as the piles kept piling up, so did the mess in my mind.
Dressing up for work had become a stressful affair. I felt like I never had good enough clothes. Often I would end up impulse buying stuff and adding to the already growing pile of clutter.
Until one day, inspired by some oddly-satisfying declutter videos on the internet, I decided it was time for an overhaul.
And boy, has that transformed my mornings, my mood, my life.
I look forward to getting dressed. In fact, I now actually like to plan my outfits in advance. I never have to waste time looking for anything. Everything is just *chef’s kiss* where it’s meant to be.
I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but if you really take out just one weekend to declutter your closet, I can promise you’ll start to see some real changes in your mood and mental health.
So the question then is, how long should it take to completely declutter and organise your closet?
In this blog post, I’ll share a simple, easy-to-follow guide on how to organise your closet in 2 days flat (and no, you can’t do it in 30 minutes).
Day 1: Planning Day
I know once you’ve decided to declutter you’ll be itching to get down to action, but hold on!
This is the time to ask some important questions and have a plan.
Trust me, a solid closet declutter plan is going to save you a lot of frustration later.
Take these steps before you actually start to organise:
Ask Yourself: What About your Closet is Causing You Stress?
This is so important, because this will play a key role in how to re-organize things.
Try to answer questions like: what are your pet closet peeves? Is it the fact that you always mess up your clothes piles, even after stacking them all nice? Perhaps that’s the area where you need a more sustainable plan.
Is it the fact that your clothes keep hiding the piling in the back of your closet? Maybe you need to use the depth of your wardrobe better.
Make a note of these problem areas. Better still, write them down.
The moment you do, you’ll already feel better because you’ve unloaded your mind off what was unknowingly causing you stress. Next, try to think about what could be possible solutions to these problem areas.
Every closet is different and so is everyone’s needs – so this is all about what can make life easier for you.
Imagine your Ideal Closet
Once you’ve thought about problem areas, you will be able to come up with a rough vision for your closet.
Do you want a closet where everything is very visible? Where most used stuff is right in front? Where you make use of innovative new storage solutions?
Or maybe you just want a capsule wardrobe and let go of everything you don’t need?
Even a broad idea of your ideal closet will make your actual organization and closet declutter that much easier.
Think of the Tools You Need to Get There
By now you’ll start to understand what you need for your tidy closet to come to life.
Think about what kind of organizers can help you in your given space. Grab a measuring tape and start creating a blueprint.
Take help of modern storage solutions. Pick organizers that will work best for your space.
If you want to understand what closet organizers will work best for your space and your specific problem, I’ve tested quite a few and done a detailed article on the best organizers to maximize your closet.
At the same time, I’d say, you don’t have to go on a spree buying organizers.
First try to reuse what you already have. Trays, baskets, even old amazon boxes. Feel free to DIY.
For instance, when I was re-organizing my closet, I repurposed an old gift box to create a neat little bin for my belts.
Day 2: Declutter Day
Now that you have a vision, a plan and the tools you need to get started, you can dive right in to the actual declutter of your closet.
It’s going to take a few focussed hours, so make sure you’re well-fed and hydrated!
Take out Every Single Thing
Everything means, everything.
And once you have, do a quick disinfect and clean of all shelves and drawers.
Add drawer or shelf liners wherever needed.
Separate What You Want to Keep: Avoid Negative Spirals
Here’s a most valuable tip I learnt from Christina Mychas over at Minimalist-ish :
Instead of focussing on what you want to let go of, focus on what you want to keep.
Letting go of things can be hard. Especially because we tend to attach our identity to things. “If I let go of my metallic boots does that mean I’m not a party girl anymore?”
This kind of stuff can lead to negative self-talk. It took me a while to overcome this and if you’re interested in how to avoid these negative spirals, I’ve done a deeper dive on how to let go stuff without feeling guilty.
Overall, I found it helpful instead to ask, “Do I really want to keep this?”. If the answer is a resounding yes, it goes in the ‘keep’ pile.
If it’s even a ‘maybe’, you’re probably better off letting it go.
Stash Away Your Off-season Clothes
This is the simplest step you can do to instantly reduce unnecessary clutter. Just stash away your off season clothes.
You can put it away in boxes and store it at the top or back of your closet.
Or you can stash it under your bed with this slim storage bag.
Create a Bin for Clothes that Need Repairing
Another organisation tip that may seem basic, but is super effective.
Separate out what you need to get altered and repaired. Put it in a designated box or bin.
Not only will you declutter, you will also know where to find the things when you have to send it for alterations.
Bag Up What You Don’t Need
Now, whatever is left over – is probably stuff you don’t need any longer.
You can choose to donate it. Or even sell it.
Bet you can already feel your mental space freeing up, can’t you?
Categorize Your ‘Keep’ Pile
Create different piles to further organize the clothes you’ve decided to keep.
Here’s a few ways you can categorize these, so you can make your closet super efficient and organized:
- By category of clothing – Bottoms, tops, Jackets, Overcoats, Nightwear etc.
- By frequency of use – Work clothes or lounging stuff can be in the front, easy to access. Special occasion stuff can go at the back.
- By type of storage (hanging or file system) – Some clothes like shirts, jackets and formal pants are best hung on non-slip hangers. While some others like jeans, t-shirts and tanks are best organised in a file system.
- By colour – This can look aesthetically pleasing, and give a sense of visual order. I personally find this hard to maintain and sustain, so I just stick to the sorting methods above.
Learn a Quick Folding Technique or Two
During this stage, it will be helpful to learn a few neat folding tricks.
There are a lot of different techniques out there, so don’t overwhelm yourself with this.
The important thing is to find techniques that you can quickly learn and easily replicate.
Generally, 2 or 3 different ways of folding focussed on different clothing types (bottoms, t-shirts, undergarments) can have you covered for most clothes.
Personally I like to use the this method from Effective Spaces to fold my bottoms and slot them in a file system:
And this my go-to folding method to organise T-shirts in file-style or in drawers:
Get a Snack and Get Down to Action
Now that you’re armed with everything, you just need to get it done!
This might be a good time to get a quick snack. So you have enough energy to do the physical work.
Once you’re well-fed, roll up your sleeves and get it done. You know you want to.
You got this!
And that’s it, that’s how you can completely declutter your closet in under 2 days!
I personally did it in a weekend straight and ever since I did, I actually enjoy and savor my morning dressing up time.
Let me know if this guide was helpful for you and if you tried it how did you feel after? I’d love to know! If you’d like to know how to declutter your entire home, without getting overwhelmed, check out my essential room-by-room declutter guide.
