Raise your hand if you find that the trunk of your car is really just a place to stash bags and bags full of unwanted clothing. Just me? Cool. Well even if you don’t use your car as a mobile storage unit, chances are you’ve got some other careless way of hoarding the clothes and shoes you’ve outgrown, and for most, that’s just letting them live in your closet for way, way too long. In the spirit of simplicity, we felt it was time to tackle this bad habit as a group (strength in numbers!), and embrace three preventative measures that can make the disaster zone closet a thing of the past.
1. The One-In-One-Out Rule
You’re probably no stranger to this concept, but do you have the discipline to enforce it upon yourself? To live by the one-in-one-out rule is to constantly be editing your wardrobe — as soon as you bring something new into your closet, something old has got to go, no exceptions. Don’t have the time to pinpoint the piece you’ll get rid of? That new purchase stays in a shopping bag until you do!
2. Limit Your Hanger Real Estate
Sure, it’s always possible to shove more folded clothes into your drawers and squeeeeeze more hangers onto your rods. That’s why we like the idea of committing to a certain number of hangers, and letting that dictate the number of pieces that hang in your closet. Out of hangers? It’s time to clear out some old clothes to make space for new stuff. This also means that dry cleaners’ wired hangers are not welcome.
3. Baskets Are Your BFF
So, what’s a girl to do with all that once loved clothing? Resell it, donate it, recycle it — the point is that you don’t let it clutter your space. The best way to keep things circulating is to keep a bin or basket in your closet where you can collect discarded items. Once it’s full, you know it’s time to make a trip to the resale shop or your charity of choice.
