15 Unique Closet Items to Toss Right Now

After the bathroom, the next area that you can quickly purge is the closet. If you do not have all your items in the closet, you may want to check all the areas where you have clothes, like drawers and other rooms. The closet can be overwhelming because of the plethora of small items. From belts to jewelry (Affiliate Link), it can be an easy space to avoid. Today, we are discussing unique closet items to toss to make your closet more relaxing.

15 Closet Items to Purge NOW

Jump to:

Belts you don’t wear
Jewelry you don’t like
Hats you don’t use
Pants that are too small or too big for you right now
Shirts you don’t wear or are stained
Dresses too fancy or too casual for your life right now
Unworn suits or outfits that are out of style
Workout clothes you haven’t worn in 1 year
Shoes with dust on them
Wedding shoes and jewelry
Pajamas with holes in them
Socks you don’t wear because they don’t fit right
Anything, not clothes related in the closet
Old purses and bags
Scarves you don’t use
Where to donate the tossed closet items?

Belts you don’t wear

Women and men have a variety of belts—some for casual wear and some for dressier activities. So, streamlining the number of belts will make locating the one you want easy.

Jewelry you don’t like

Let's face it; we have a lot of costume jewelry (Affiliate Link) and fine jewelry (Affiliate Link). From earrings to bracelets, seeing all the items in one place can quickly get overwhelming. If you are looking for ways to get rid of old jewelry (Affiliate Link), please visit our post here: Places to Donate Jewelry.

Hats you don’t use

Think about it: how many hats (Affiliate Link) do you wear throughout the year? Are all of them in good condition? Did you wear them recently? If not, these items are easy to get rid of right now. Try keeping only three in your closet - one casual hat, one sun hat, and another of your choice.

Pants that are too small or too big for you right now

We all have clothing in the closet that is too small or too large. We hope one day we will use them again, but years and years pass, and we will never touch them again. When you have an hour or two, try on all your pants to see which one you truly love to wear. You will be surprised at how many you can easily part with when they don't fit you well and do not make you feel fabulous. Remember the word "Fabulous." If you feel OK in them, but you don't feel Fabulous, it's a sign you will not wear them again. Visit our 20 signs a closet needs purging post.

Shirts you don’t wear or are stained

Stains are a big issue in our house. I found out recently you can use Dawn soap to remove oil stains. Let the Dawn soap sit for at least 24 hours. Then, wash. I was so surprised it did work, especially on cotton items. The blended fabrics may not work. It did lighten up the stain, though.

Dresses too fancy or too casual for your life right now

You know, I have three of my daughter's prom gowns in my closet right now. Yes, they are not even mine. Her wardrobe is too small to hold them. As soon as she leaves for college, these items are donated. Check out Project G.L.A.M. to see how you can give fancy dresses for proms.

Unworn suits or outfits that are out of style

It's good to go through the items you don't often wear that are out of style. You can easily forget about the items in the back of the closet. So, it's good to pull everything in front of the closet to visit those long-lost items in the back.

Workout clothes you haven’t worn in 1 year

Now, this one is my downfall. I love workout wear! Since I work from home, I wear them often - at least twice a week. So, this is an area that needs purging each season. I find that these clothes tend to be forgotten because they are in a drawer. You know the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind." Clearing all the items out of bins and drawers helps you see what you missed.

Shoes with dust on them

If you have many shoes (Affiliate Link) that are not adequately cared for, they will most likely have dust on them. This is a clear indication that they should be removed from your closet.

Wedding shoes and jewelry

For years, I kept my wedding shoes (Affiliate Link) and jewelry (Affiliate Link), never wearing them again. Yes, that's right! Unless you plan on wearing them to a big, fancy event, you will likely not wear them soon. So getting rid of them and the jewelry (Affiliate Link) you wore at your wedding will save a little space. If this is difficult for you, consider taking a photo of them or giving the items to a special someone who is getting married.

Pajamas with holes in them

OK, you know you love your old PJs. They are so soft. But, the fabric is wearing thin. So it's time for them to go. Try to find a replacement before getting rid of them, which may make it easier for you to get rid of them.

Socks you don’t wear because they don’t fit right

Do you buy several packs of socks (Affiliate Link) and find that some work well and others do not? But you don't want to get rid of the ones you do not like because they are new. Well, you can donate these items or repurpose them. Here are some articles below on how to repurpose socks. 15 Brilliant Ways to Use Socks That Lost Their Mate and 30 Brilliantly Frugal Ways To Use Old Mismatched Socks

This could be memorabilia, boxes (Affiliate Link) of stored stuff, and the bedding you don’t use. These items can be stored somewhere else to free up useable clothing space.

Old purses and bags

How many purses and bags are in your closet? Now, how many do you use? Clearing these purses out and donating or reselling them is a better option for them instead of having them collect dust in the closet.

Scarves you don’t use

And, last but not least, the scarves. If you wear them, go through them and examine how well they look. Some may have holes in them, and others may be discoloring due to continuous washes.

That's it! There you have my list of 15 unique closet items to eliminate.

Below are additional articles I found with more suggestions on items to eliminate.

7 Types of Clothing You Should Get Rid of Immediately

Here’s How I (Painlessly!) Purged 80 Percent of My Closet

15 Unique Closet Items to Toss Right Now for a Stress Free Space list of items

Where to donate the tossed closet items?

Now that you purged these items. You may be wondering where you should bring them. Below is a list of donation locations that will accept these items. Keep this list handy, or make your own customized list of charitable places by visiting this post (How to make a customized Charitable Locations List). This list is from our Charitable Locations to Donate Your Unwanted Stuff page. Feel free to visit this page for other suggestions on where to donate your other items.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

OneSight - gently used glasses

That's a lot of sites, right? If you have another donation place you use and want us to add it to our list, please leave a comment and their website in the comments section below.

I hope this inspires you to take action now and clear that closet. Getting rid of the unique closet items right now will give you instant benefits. Please feel free to share this with other people you feel need help with their closet. How many items can you remove from your closet today?

Below are all my clothing organization posts to help you get inspired.