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 you have clothes, like in drawers and other rooms. The closet can be overwhelming because of the plethora of small items. From belts to jewelry, it can be a space that is easy 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 it easy to locate the one you want.
Jewelry you don’t like
Let's face it; we have a lot of costume jewelry and fine jewelry. From earrings to bracelets, it can quickly get overwhelming to see all the items in one place. If you are looking for ways to get rid of old jewelry, please visit our post here: Places to Donate Jewelry.
Hats you don’t use
Think about it, how many hats 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, never touching 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, right now, I have three of my daughter's prom gowns in my closet. Yes, they are not even mine. Her wardrobe is too small to hold them. As soon as she goes away to 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 back of the closet items. 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 because these clothes are in a drawer, they tend to be forgotten. You know the saying, "out of sight, out of mind." Clearing all the items out of bins and drawers helps you see the barred things that you missed.
Shoes with dust on them
If you have many shoes that are not adequately taken care of, they will most likely have dust on them. This is a sure sign that they must be removed from your closet.
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Wedding shoes and jewelry
You know, for years, I kept my wedding shoes and jewelry, never wearing them again. Yes, that's right! Unless you plan on wearing them to a big fancy event, you will likely not be wearing them soon. So getting rid of them and the jewelry you wore at your wedding will save a little space. If this is a hard one to do for you, you can take a photo of them or give 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 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 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
Anything, not clothes related in the closet
This could be memorabilia, boxes 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
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.
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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 the 'unique things to toss' series of posts. Feel free to check out all of them.
15 THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE PANTRY
15 THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE HOME OFFICE
And, 15 UNIQUE THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE KITCHEN
15 UNIQUE THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE KIDS CLOSET
15 GARAGE ITEMS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE PLACE
And, 15 KEEPSAKE ITEMS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS-FREE HOME
15 UNIQUE BATHROOM THINGS TO TOSS RIGHT NOW FOR A STRESS FREE LIFE
Seana Turner
This is a very helpful list, Sabrina. I'm loving "shoes with dust on them." They are practically telling you to let them go. I sometimes struggle to get clients to try on the pants. They don't do it with me there, and they don't follow through when it is homework. I found it helpful that you said, "If you have an hour." An hour doesn't sound too intimidating, so I might try that phrase.
Linda Samuels
I had to laugh when I read your list of things to let go of in the closet. At first, I thought that my closet was pretty darn streamlined. But the first thing on the list gave me pause - BELTS. I don't have a lot of them, but I never or hardly ever wear them. They don't occupy much space. I have them coiled up in a small, open bin. But I might have to revisit that bin after reading your post — the other items in my closet I assess twice a year with the change of seasons. I'm pretty ruthless about saying good-bye to the things I no longer wear, like, or fit.