How to (Effectively) Clean Out Your Closet

Without a proper plan in place, cleaning out your closet can be an arduous and lengthy task. So in the name of efficiency—and starting the new year on a good note—we’ve devised a four-step plan for slimming, sorting, and revamping your closet in record time.

When you’re ready, set aside a couple of hours, cue up a playlist, and roll up your sleeves—you’ve got this.

Step 1

DECIDE WHAT STAYS AND WHAT GOES

LA-based stylist Allison Bornstein suggests making three piles: the things you reach for all the time (what she calls your regulars), the things you never reach for (your nevers), and the pieces you loved when you bought them but haven’t figured out how to style (your hows).

Once you have your piles, look for patterns and information. Are there silhouettes you gravitate toward? What’s your color palette? Do you favor certain materials over others? Taking the time to reflect, meaningfully, will give you a deeper understanding of your personal style and help you make better decisions moving forward.

Sell or donate your never pile and you’re left with only clothes you love. The fun part: figuring out how to combine your regulars and your hows.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE SENTIMENTAL STUFF

Can’t part with your first designer handbag or the dress you were wearing when you met your now-husband? “I advise clients to put those things in a separate closet, a box, or even a zipped-up garment bag so they are out of sight,” Bornstein says. “I think it’s important for your closet to be a visual representation of your style and what you’re actually wearing, and I find that sometimes having those sentimental pieces hanging with the everyday pieces can make it confusing. However, if it is a piece that just makes you super happy or excited to see every day, totally display it.”

Step 2

MAINTAIN WHAT REMAINS

Step 3

GET ORGANIZED

If anyone knows how to tidy, it’s our associate styling director, Sarah Rose, who has transformed the goop fashion closet into a lean, mean, functional machine where everything has its place. We asked her to give us her top tips.

• Organize your wardrobe by category (tops, bottoms, knitwear, jackets, etc.) and color-code each one. It makes it much easier to find things.
• If you have the space, rearrange your closet seasonally.
• Stack—never hang—your sweaters. If you hang them, they will warp—and you will be sad.
• Arrange your shoes on a rack or shelf so you can see what you have. (You may want to keep fancier, special-occasion pairs in their dust bags, however.)

Her best idea, though? Carve out a uniform section for when you’re in a rush. “I keep all my go-to staples grouped together—a pair of plain black trousers, my favorite white T-shirt, a blazer, a blue button-down, a cashmere sweater,” says Rose. “I can pull any combination of those pieces and be out the door in five minutes.”

Step 4

STRATEGIZE AND REBUILD

All this purging has likely left a few gaps in your wardrobe—maybe, for example, you no longer own a black turtleneck. But before you go filling them, ask yourself whether those are pieces you need or just things you feel like you’re supposed to have. If they’re not essential, let them go. And if you’re not sure whether they’re essential, hold off and see how it goes without them.

Instead, upgrade your undies, refresh your white tees, and replace the workout gear that got you through 2023. And if you’re looking to do a little more than that, well, you can’t go wrong with the classics.

THE BASICS

THE CLOSET STAPLES

THE FUN STUFF