How to Do a Fall Closet Cleanout in 30 Minutes a Day (and Why It’s Better Than Spring Cleaning)
Photo by: Kelly Dawson
There are a lot of famous quotes in The Great Gatsby, and they tend to be tossed around in everyday conversation like the thought of a mint julep on a hot summer’s day. But for the purposes of this story, I’ll pinpoint a specific line: “Life starts all over when it gets crisp in the fall.” Nick Carraway, the narrator, says that, and for a guy whose wardrobe isn’t mentioned much throughout the book, he sure nails how I feel about a closet cleanout. Forget what anyone says about spring cleaning — including me, since I’ve written on the subject in shelter magazines for years. The best time to pare down your wardrobe is right before the start of fall.
Cleaning out your closet in the fall makes for ideal timing for two reasons: For starters, you just spent the warmest months of the year wearing what was probably a handful of items. Secondly, there’s nothing like the last few sweltering days of summer to make you look at sweaters with a hint of disgust.
Pruning your wardrobe isn’t easy, which is why I think you should do it á la Jordan Baker—ever so emotionally removed. (Tell me when I should let this analogy die. Like three people in the book. Sorry, spoiler!) By resetting your wardrobe in the fall, you’ll stick with the items you wore in the spring and summer while zeroing in on the pieces you want to get you through the winter. Consider this guide like a green light shining at the end of a dock, because here’s exactly how to clear out your closet in time for fall.
The Method: Set a 30-minute timer.
Part of the issue with “closet cleanouts” is that they seem so daunting up front. So you shrug at the piles of clothes in there, tell yourself you’ll get to a system at some point, and then months go by. I get it. Which is why I do not recommend cleaning out your closet in one overwhelming go. Instead, set a 30-minute timer.
Pull items within that timeframe, throwing them into one giant heap to cry into (that’s a real Gatsby deep-cut for you) and then stop. Really, move away from the pile. Sure, you’ll have to wait for results when you really want a quick before-and-after, but this exercise is really about showing you that a lot can be done in 30 minutes. You don’t need to block out an entire day to do this—that mentality is just a hop, skip, and a jump into procrastination. Set a timer, go to town, step away. You’re building the muscle of letting stuff go, rather than trying to run a clean-out marathon all at once.
If your closet could still use some pruning after this initial half hour, then keep going. Set another 30 minutes the next day, and then another 30 minutes the day after that. After three rounds, and preferably within the span of a week so that we’re not dragging this out, call it quits. At this point, you probably culled everything you’re gonna cull without having deep regrets later. Which reminds me: Do not go back into your piles to reevaluate. Once you’ve designated something as trash or donation, it’s outta there like a careless, murderous couple. Promise?
The Follow-Through: Put the donation pile on your calendar.
Now it’s time to inspect your pile of clothes and decide what should be trashed and what should be donated. You and I both know what you should trash or donate. Stuff that no longer fits you, things that seemed like a good idea on your screen but turned out to just look weird in person, items with holes (be so serious, you’re not going to mend that while watching Real Housewives).
For the most part, everything that you pull from your closet should no longer represent the life you’re leading now. I understand holding on to a few sentimental pieces, or clothes that are just too good to part with, because I have them, too. But try your hardest to keep the justifications to a minimum. If it helps, pretend you’re giving advice to your friend rather than yourself. Would you let your friend be seen in that? See, ruthless.
When it’s time to remove clothing from your home, don’t lose momentum. You can put off actually taking these clothes to a donation center forever, and I’m not going to let you. (I mean, I’m all the way over here, but still. Come on.) When you’re ready, put time on your calendar to donate these items within two days of bagging them up. (I’m assuming you can heave your trash pile immediately, and I believe you when you agree.) Write this donation task down, tell a friend, do whatever you have to do to treat this step like a job.
The Maintenance: Make it easier to see what you own.
When your closet contains a wardrobe you know you’ll wear, it’s time to maintain it with an organizational system. I like using these clear dividers to stack my sweaters, and I’m a fan of these four-in-one hangers to keep my dresses and skirts in order. I use this rack to hang pants, and I label garment bags with simple masking tape.
Organizing can take longer than throwing everything on the ground and hauling it away, but safeguarding your progress underscores what you’re probably thinking at this point: “I’ll never let it get that bad again.” You say that, but then there’s a sale, or that targeted ad finally got you, or you were just bored and needed the dopamine rush. It’s really hard to not shop when you have a smartphone. I’m not going to tell you to stop shopping all together, my favorite game as a kid was Mall Madness. But I will say that you likely already own what you’re thinking about buying. So, before you bring home anything new, hold the item in your cart for at least 24 hours and check to see if you already have something similar. If you do, save your money. It can go toward something you really want, or a savings account for future oh-so-stylish you.
Maintaining my closet and trying my best to buy clothes with intention means that I’m no longer rummaging through drawers stuffed to the brim or dealing with piles of laundry that take forever to fold. My closet is like a boat, beating across the current, born back ceaselessly into past sales. (That was my last Gatsby reference, I swear.)
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