We are in the thick of summer, and I’m realizing I never did a closet clean out with y’all this year. Instead I waited to pull out my summer clothes until June. I’ll go through and pull out all my cold weather pieces in Mid September, in preparation for cooler days.
Sort
When going though my closet there are some perimeters that I have for determining if something should stay in my closet.
- Does it fit?
- Have I worn it in the last 3-6 months? This is sometimes a hard question to answer with such dramatic seasons. Give yourself grace!
- Do I like wearing it?
- Does it go with other pieces in my closet?
If pieces don’t fit, are irreparably damaged, or just aren’t my style any more then it’s time to either; donate, sell, or repurpose them. There is nothing wrong with deciding that it’s time to move on past pieces in your closet. There is this unsaid guilt and shame about getting rid of clothes, but when you have a closet you love and wear often, it often feels like the relationship I have with these pieces has come to an end and I’m 100% okay with finding them new homes!
Clean
Yep, clean your pieces even if you plan to donate them! I generally do a whole load of pieces I’m planning to donate or sell all together. Whether, you are planning to repurpose, sell, or donate starting with clean pieces is the first step.
Repurpose, Donate, or Sell
Reuse – I’ve repurposed clothes in a number of ways, usually creating rags to use for cleaning around the house or making a dog toy for my pup. Here are few other fun ideas and searches I’ve found on Pinterest to reuse textiles in fun ways.
- Use a torn towel to make smaller towels, or one of these fun crafts.
- Use old tee shirts as rags, using the graphic portion for a tee shirt quilt, or one of these ideas.
- Make tops from old sheets, or donate to a quilting group for repurposing or one of these ideas.
- Old denim makes for fun accessories like aprons, or crafts or one of these ideas.
Donate – After washing your pieces to be donated, I gently fold and place them in a bag and drop off at my local donation center. They will appreciate clean neatly folded pieces! Do not donate damaged clothing, they will not sell it. If it is repairable, I recommend repairing it before donating or choose to repurpose that piece instead of donating it.
Sell – After washing pieces you plan to sell, note any damage. If you plan to sell these pieces yourself take quality photos on a neutral background and list your pieces on Poshmark. You can also sell to a local reseller boutique or online through ThredUp. I have never used ThredUp, so I have no experience with their service. There are a few local boutiques that resell pieces here in Colorado Springs, look for local shops if that is how you want to sell. Things to keep in mind: in season pieces tend to sell faster and at a higher price than off season pieces, always be honest with your customers & communicate any and all shipping information for the best experience possible.
So after sorting and cleaning your pieces, do you think you’ll be selling, donating, or repurposing your old pieces?
Stylishly Shelby 