Closet Detox Cheat Sheet

Closet Detox Cheat Sheet: How to clean out your closet piece by piece
Closet Detox Cheat Sheet: How to clean out your closet piece by piece

Today I've got another little flow chart for you! I felt like messing about on Sketch last night so I redid an old flow chart from two years ago, which I've always felt could use a redesign :) It visualises the general process I use to detox my closet and make sure it only contains pieces that I wear regularly and that are in a good condition.

I usually go through my entire wardrobe like this twice a year just before a new season (F/W and S/S) and since I've been doing this for a while it rarely takes longer than an hour. If you haven't edited your wardrobe for a few years it might take you an afternoon or so to go through everything and it will definitely help if you set yourself some guidelines about what to keep vs toss beforehand. Otherwise, especially when you're tired and your willpower is all used up, it's just too easy to say "oh I'll keep this just in case" or "I can't get rid of this, it was a limited edition" and be back at square one :)

Some ideas for things to do after you have detoxed your closet:

  • Have a closer look at what made it back into your closet, what you tossed out and what separates these two groups. Which fabrics, cuts and colours are you drawn to in the shops, but never end up wearing? What do the pieces that you love and wear regularly have in common? Then: Use that knowledge to make better purchasing decisions in the future.
  • If you feel like your wardrobe is missing a lot of pieces but you don't have the budget to buy them all at once, read this post on how to put together a set of 3-6 key pieces that will have the greatest positive impact on your look.
  • Or, if your wardrobe could use a total overhaul, check out the INTO MIND workbook for a complete walk-through of the process, detailed instructions and lots of templates.