How to do a Closet Cleanout in 2021

If you are looking to make way for your new clothes or have decided to clean your closet as it has been a while – you are at the right place. We have a few good tips and tricks to help you transform this tedious chore into a wonderful and nostalgic experience. Without further ado, it’s time to Marie Kondo the hell out of your room closets and drawers.

 

If indecisive about a piece of clothing, ask yourself these four questions about each item of clothing to help you decide which pile it belongs to:

• Does it make me feel good/happy?
• Do I wear it often?
• Is it comfortable to wear?
• Is it useful?

If the answer to all these questions is a resounding YES, then that’s something you keep. If the answer is no, then throw that into the 'donate, sell or throw away' pile.

 

What Are the Benefits to Cleaning my Closet?

• If you are a student or a child, it’ll save you a beating from a parent. Just kidding … or not.
• It’ll probably help you tick one item off your list of chores.
• It’ll help your living environment become more calm and tranquil. Decluttered closets = decluttered mind.
• It’ll help you clear up space for your new clothes
  
  

The Next Steps After Cleaning Out Your Closet

Once you’ve gathered all the clutter from your closets and drawers:

• You can donate them to charity
• Throw a clothes swapping party, when it's safe to do so… a great way to dispose of the clothes you don’t wear anymore, without any environmental consequences. 
• Hand them over to your friends and family.
• Good ol’fashioned car boot sale, classifieds or eBay
• If none of the above, recycle or throw them in the trash.

 

How to Decide What to Throw Away, Sell or Donate

Honestly, it’s up to you, but we’ll give you some guidance on the process that we personally go through.

We normally sell the clothes that are in good condition and have some decent resale value. For instance, branded clothes and accessories. 

If you wish to sell, we recommend that you list your clothing items up on classifieds, eBay or any other site you are comfortable with.

When taking pictures of your clothes before putting them up for sale:

• Make sure that you take your photos on a clear white background (or any light color).
• Take pictures of your clothes on a mannequin, it’ll give your potential customers a decent bearing on how good of a fit your clothes will be on them.

These recommendations, will help present your clothes in a nicer way than if it was laid across your bed or floor, or hung up against a door. Let us know how these tips fare for you in the comments section below.

We donate the clothes that normally won’t sell for much, anything that doesn’t fit us anymore or anything that's in decent condition. 

The rest of the clothes are the ones that are worn heavily or ripped. With these, we salvage a few to upcycle them into throws, pillow cases or chair covers.

If you have any old sheets, they can be washed and donated to your local homeless or animal shelters; they are in need of them and would highly appreciate your contributions.

We feel that throwing clutter in the trash should remain as last resort. The main aim of this whole process is to encourage you to pass over the things you don’t need, to people who need them. 

Donate, give away, but try not to throw away.

 

Ok Done, What Now?

Plan for the future. The next time you look for new clothes, look for those that are made with eco friendly fabrics.

Manmade synthetic materials have huge negative impacts on our environment. They are cheap; they are made with non-renewable petrochemicals; they aren’t biodegradable and may eventually end up in a landfill. 

Try out the following greener alternatives that are biodegradable, organic and natural.

• Hemp – fast growing and doesn’t require any pesticides.
• Linen – made from flax plant. The entire plant is harvested for food and fabric making the whole process is zero-waste. Linen is a great insulator and resists sunlight, perfect fabric for curtains, great for bed lining too. They're long lasting and they get softer as they age.
• Organic Cotton – most cotton crops are sprayed heavily with pesticides, which leach into our rivers and cause irreversible damage to marine life. Look for clothes that are made with organic cotton.
• Sisal – retrieved from the leaves of agave plant. It’s strong and durable, often used to make rugs and carpets.

Keep a lookout for these fabrics on your next in-store or online clothes shopping voyage.

Most sustainable clothing items, as of 2021, are quite expensive, but we can assure you that they are of great quality and more durable than the clothing from fast fashion stores where we all usually buy from.

You can trial these fabrics in your next clothing purchase and see how you feel in them.

 If you feel that the:

• price is not justifiable
• quality sucks
• materials aren’t too kind to your skin

it’s better to go back to what works for you, then revisit once the clothing companies fix these issues.