How to Purge a Clothes Closet

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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So you searched your closet for a favorite sweater, only to find mismatched legwarmers, a concert T-shirt from 1978 and a pair of pants two sizes too small. This can only mean one thing: it's time to purge your clothes closet. By following a few simple steps, you can decrease clutter and stress--and find that favorite sweater in no time.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Consider how much space you have. If you have more than one clothes closet, you can organize your closets based on season. If you have just one clothes closet, you should do some savvy purging.

Step2

Evaluate each article of clothing. If it's something you wear only once per season--or something you haven't worn in ages--it's only contributing to your clutter and should not be in the closet.

Step3

Divide clothes into categories. Decide on the clothes you want to keep in your closet, which clothes you want to keep in boxes or under-bed bins, and which clothes you can part with entirely.

Step4

Organize your closet in a logical, aesthetically pleasing way. Group pants with other pants, blouses with other blouses and so on. When your closet looks nice, you'll be inclined to keep it that way--and that means there's less clutter down the road.

Step5

Fold the clothes that you no longer wish to keep, stack them neatly in a box or bag and donate them to a charity organization such as Goodwill.

Tips & Warnings

Make money off of your closet-purging by placing your old clothes in consignment shops. Some articles of clothing--particularly vintage items--can fetch a nice price.
Don't donate torn, worn-out, stained or otherwise damaged clothing to charity. This sort of "giving" is an insult to the people who need your help.