Welcome to Day 2 of the 7 Day Closet Cleanout Challenge! If you missed the post that explains what the challenge is and how to
get entered into the giveaway that's taking place at the end of the
week, go back and read it HERE. If you missed Day 1, which was SHOES, go back and read it HERE. Now, without further ado, let's get into our task for Day 2 - cleaning out our dresses, skirts, and handbags! Remember, each task is meant to take around 30 minutes, so if you're getting overwhelmed or have a large number of items to go through, you can always break this step into multiple days. I'm not much of a dress wearer, so I can get through all of my dresses, skirts, and handbags in 30 minutes.
WHAT TO KEEP VS. WHAT GET RID OF
The
whole point of this challenge is to declutter our closets (and thus,
our lives) so that we can spend less time digging for items, as well as
have a beautiful space filled with items we truly love. The first step is to pull all of these items out of your closet, or at the bare minimum, move them all into one central area of your closet where you can see them all. We're
going to categorize all of our dresses, skirts, and handbags into three categories: KEEP, SELL, OR DONATE. Take a
hard look at each item and ask yourself these questions:
- Would I buy this if I saw it in the store today?
- Have I worn it/carried it in the past year?
- Is it still in good shape?
If
you answered "yes" to all three questions, put it in the KEEP pile.
If not, it's time to get rid of it. For the ones you're getting rid of, if they're
in good shape, put them in the SELL pile. If not, they go in the
DONATE pile. Formal dresses and expensive handbags are the exception to the rule here. If you truly plan to utilize them in the future, but just haven't had the right occasion in the past year, you can keep them. However, if next year rolls around and you STILL haven't used them, it's time to let them go!
For the SELL pile, you can either sell
these in a garage sale, on Craigslist, to a local consignment store, or
to my personal favorite, ThredUp.
You could even get creative and have a clothing swap party with your friends! ThredUp is my personal favorite because it's so easy. You just request a free clean out bag from their website, fill it with
your name brand clothing that's in good condition, and mail it back
(free of charge). They will pay you for the clothes they keep and
decide to resell. For your DONATE pile, bag it up and take it to the charity
or shelter of your choice. If donating to a charity, make sure to ask
for a receipt so you can deduct it on your taxes. You can find some
guidelines for how to value your used clothing here.
HOW TO STORE DRESSES & SKIRTS
Dresses and skirts should be hung. The most aesthetically pleasing way to hang them is in order from shortest to longest. If you have a large amount, you may even choose to sub-categorize by season. I hang everything in my closet on these hangers because in addition to being very slim and space saving, having all of your hangers match makes everything look so much more organized and uniform. I prefer to use skirt hangers like these for my skirts
HOW TO STORE HANDBAGS
Handbags are best stored on a shelf, as opposed to hung, to prevent any wear and tear on the strap. I like to sit my larger bags lined up on a shelf in my closet, while I store my smaller clutches away in a decorative box like this.
Here are even more options to help get your creative juices flowing. Just remember that in addition to having your storage LOOK amazing, you also want everything to be functional, easy to access, and easy to see at a glance (think see through bins)!
Here are even more options to help get your creative juices flowing. Just remember that in addition to having your storage LOOK amazing, you also want everything to be functional, easy to access, and easy to see at a glance (think see through bins)!
