How to (Really) Spring Clean Your Closet
If you’re anything like me, around the time the trees start budding you’re caught up in a gush of good will toward your home. A gust of spring cleaning inspiration sweeps into your Feed and suddenly you’re hauling everything out of your closet and re-considering every scarf you’ve ever purchased and every pair of shoes you’ve ever loved.
Then, after about 90 minutes you become … vulnerable. The spring cleaning high doesn’t last long enough to actually finish your methodical approach to reorganizing your closet. Seeing all your beautiful things in an unloved heap feels gross. Your caffeinated enthusiasm is ebbing, your bed is covered in workout tops, the sky is blue out your window, and you just need this project done. And so you start The Liquidation of Everything You Ever Once Loved.
You look at the stain on your silk dress, the uneven soles on your most-worn boots, the hole in the armpit of your favorite sweater and think there’s no way these items can fit within your New Clean Life. You fold your items in paper bags slated for the thrift store. Maybe you’re a minimalist now? Strange things happen in this fugue state.
There is nothing wrong with decluttering your closet. I have done it several times, and my streamlined wardrobe is largely better for it.
But there are downsides to decluttering, particularly if it happens because you want your wardrobe to be ready for an Architectural Digest tour in a single afternoon.
For one, donating your clothing is not guaranteed to extend its lifespan or reduce the negative impact its production has on the planet. Stores like Goodwill only hold items in stores for about four weeks before passing them along to the “rag trade” where they often get shipped overseas or end up in landfills. That’s because thrift stores receive tons—millions of tons, in fact—of clothing in a year. For example, Goodwill alone says it processed 5.7 billion pounds of clothing in 2021.
America produces 16 million tons of textile waste a year, according to the EPA. In 2018 the environmental organization Green America estimated an average of 700,000 tons of textiles get sent overseas, 2.5 million tons are recycled, and 3 million tons are burned.
An estimated 10 million tons of textiles get sent to landfills. In a year.
Even with a conservative estimate to account for other textiles, that’s a lot of unwanted clothing.
In terms of sustainability, nothing beats simply wearing the clothes you already own. According to a 2020 BBC report, actively wearing a piece of clothing nine months longer “could diminish its environmental impacts by 20-30%.”
It’s not just about the landfill impact of your old clothes. It’s also the impact of the new clothes you’re likely to purchase in the subsequent months. Consider: Are you someone who declutters in spring and buys back in fall? When Labor Day is done, are you addressing an itch that could have been scratched by rotating back in the cold-weather items you gave away half a year ago? No shame, just something to ponder.
The good news? There are ways to find new excitement for your clothing while inching closer to a closet as tidy as a suburban influencer’s. If you want a better utilized, better-looking closet without the deferred expense of a new wardrobe and the considerable sustainability drawbacks, consider taking these actions instead.
Note: You cannot get all this done in a single afternoon. The sustainable option takes time—and that is really, really fine. Great, even. Building, enjoying, and analyzing your wardrobe and personal style feels (and frankly looks) better when it’s done slowly, anyway. Wearing what we have is necessary for understanding what we like and who we are. Or as stylist Heather Hurst (a.k.a. Pigmami) says, “the reason a lot of us hate our clothes is because we’re running a style marathon with no training.” Finding style is a long-term project that requires wearing clothes, not just purchasing and donating them.
But I digress, back to the decluttering alternatives.
#1: Catalog your closet
It’s important to acknowledge that you like the stuff in your closet. There was a period in which you selected this piece from hundreds of similar items, returned to the open tab multiple times, tracked its shipping status and made room for it in your home. If you’re not wearing it, consider the possibility that you simply forgot it’s there for playing.
This is where tools like Indyx, downloadable spreadsheets, or even just a robust note in your phone could come in handy. Having a way to peruse options without physically unhousing any pieces on a closet rack makes it much more likely people will use the 80% of the clothing the Pareto principle indicates they’re rarely wearing.
A tool like Indyx empowers users to see and style garments, as well, making it all the more appealing to “shop your closet” instead of purging items you don’t use and replacing them with new items you may similarly forget about and toss a year later.
You can also tag items with attributes that make it easier to browse. For example, you may want to limit your perusal to spring and summer items or focus on color combinations that inspire you in the real world.
#2: Rotate your “front shelf”
Even if you’re not going to catalog your closet, it’s still worth placing “new” items within easy reach. Switching out which garments are front and center is a bit like crop rotation—it improves yields (number of wears), enriches the soil (style creativity), and keeps weeds (wear and tear) from taking over.
On Indyx, you can use cost-per-wear tracking to see which items have been worn fewer times, despite their cost. Simply bringing 10 non-new items with the highest cost-per-wear to the front of your drawers or the center of your closet will ensure you’re getting more use (and ROI) out of your wardrobe.
Indyx’s Creative Director, Therese, implements a similar seasonal “front shelf” system. Read more about how she organizes her closet and her approach to getting dressed.
#3: Love your ragged treasures
I spilled beer on a beautiful peach slip dress at my friend’s wedding. So after that I only wore it to very dark bars. Then I dyed it navy. When this no longer suits me, I’ll cut it into a silk top. I’m not saying everybody has to wear their stained clothes. The point is: I loved it. I still love it. And sometimes loving something means not giving up on it. Sometimes it’s watching it become something else.
So your boots have lost their tread, your sheer blouse is ripped, you spilled cold brew on your white sweater. Cobblers, tailors, and dry cleaners exist, and a neighborhood trip to a small business is a great way to capitalize on spring cleaning energy. Certainly there are also plenty of people online ready to teach us how to visibly mend clothes, embroider over stains, and DIY cut-offs.
If you’ve cataloged your wardrobe in Indyx, grouping items into a “repair needed” collection is a great way to keep track of this task.
#4: Create new outfits with the items you have
After cataloging and/or rearranging a closet, it’s easier to plan and play with new outfit ideas. My 13-year-old niece does this in the Notes App, but a tool like Indyx will make this process more satisfying.
Because users upload images into their digital closet, the app allows people to collage and tag outfits as well as drag outfit ideas into a calendar view.
Read more from Indyx co-founder Devon about the fundamental split between how we shop and how we live - and, how to fix it.
#5: Take the time to consider patterns in what you wear most
I can think of no better exercise for establishing my sense of personal style than tracking my outfits. It’s led me to better understand what colors, fabrics, shapes, and brands I feel best in. Nothing beats the simple act of noting which clothes I own and repeating and riffing on outfits.
This isn’t a “cleaning” objective, per se, but using this time to literally write down what elements of style make you feel beautiful, creative, and naturally yourself means you’ll be a better dresser and a more effective shopper.
These insights are easy to see with a calendar view of outfits, though using a particular app is not necessary. Before Indyx I was able to see patterns in my Google Spreadsheet. (Less pretty, though.)
Learn more about our (free!) 8-week course that guides you through a step-by-step process to get inspired, define your style, and create a plan to build a lasting wardrobe to match.
Amy is a writer and product manager with twin interests in beautiful things and trash. She plays roller derby and otherwise enjoys historical fiction and Diet Coke.
Cover image courtesy of: Margriet Craens and Lucas Maassen
