Loves! I hope yesterday’s post gave you some inspiration to clean out your closet! And it’s hard-right, right? The good news? It’s doable and you did it! Yay! The bad news? There still may be work to do–but again it’s so doable, and if you have just a touch of the OCD, it’s a little fun. I promise!
So you’ve cleaned out, you got rid of things that no longer serve you, and made space for new things! Now: what to do with all of the amazing things that you want to keep? Organize. Yes, it may take a minute, and yes putting away laundry may take some thought–but I promise it’s worth it! Here are some of my tips:
- Think like a boutique, or in other words, think seasonally. If it’s winter, make sure appropriate items are in the front or plain view. There’s no need to hide items you need from yourself! When seasons change, rearrange! This is also a great way to make sure you’re putting things you want to wear in front of you–because let’s be honest, in the morning it’s easiest to grab what’s in view!
- Consider organizing by type–all skirts, pants, tops together, etc. I go a bit further–I have skirts together, then organize by length and within the length go from light to dark. Tops are grouped together, then by type (blouse, fancy, denim, athletic–yes, I know I seem a little over the top!) Find what works for you–the goal is to know where things are and be able to find things quickly. There’s also something to be said for making your closet look inviting!
- Keep sweaters and other items that may stretch folded instead of on hangers
- Use space to your advantage –have a coat closet? Put all coats there! Have a spare room–use the closet for clothes that you don’t often wear (like formal wear)
Most importantly, organize your closet in a way that works for you! After the clean out you deserve it!
The Clothes You Didn’t Want
After every closet clean out there are cast offs–remember those piles that we made of clothes we didn’t want? Here’s where we deal with them!
Clothes that are old, dingy, etc can go straight to GoodWill. But what about the clothes that are still in great shape, in fashion, and could be well loved by someone else? You sell them. It’s not as overwhelming as it sounds–there are several places that can help or brick and mortar stores that will take the clothes off your hands! Read below for my tips! Also Real Simple has some great tips!
Selling Online
The best sites, I think, to sell online are:
ebay
Tradesy
The Real Real
Poshmark
Vaunte
Each has their own guidelines, and each has their own pros and cons. While you can name your price for all items, Ebay and The Real Real are known for higher prices, Tradesy and Vaunte have both low and high prices, and Poshmark prices are more moderate. The sites usually will let you know what similar items have sold for –and are more than happy to guide you. The downside to selling online is that you are responisble for taking the pics, posting them, and mailing the item once it’s sold. If this doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, you do have options!
Brick and Mortar Selling
Each city has a range of re-sell stores and consignment shops. I find places like Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading, and Plato’s Closet are great places to sell items from places like Zara, Jcrew, and HM–they usually take seasonal items and pay you a percentage of what they will sell the clothes for!
Higher end items do better at consignment stores (if you’re in LA I love Recess and if you’re in Austin I love Moss Austin)
While you don’t get to set price and have to share the profit with the store, you don’t have to do the work of selling! Either way you get to make a little profit off of your closet clean out–and let your clothes find happy clothes elsewhere!
I hope these tips for organizing and selling your clean out help make the last bit of your closet clean out painless! Of course, now comes the best part–shopping!
Happy Thursday! XO RA