It's finally spring in Cleveland, and that means it's time to get organized! Thanks to the ever-growing appeal of organizing expert Marie Kondo (and her Netflix series Tidying Up,) home organizing is more top of mind than ever.
And WKYC's Sara Shookman was feeling ready for some tidying up of her own. So with a closet packed full of clothes, she decided to call in the pros: Hallie Abrams and Elana Mintz from The Wardrobe Consultant for some help.
Hallie and Elena have perfected a specific and effective method of streamlining wardrobe overflow, but before you dig in, you'll want to set aside a few hours. Hallie says that depending on how much you have, you may need to tackle the job in multiple chunks of time, because most people burn out after three to four hours.
First things first... Take everything out of your closet. Yes, we mean EVERYTHING!
“It gives us a chance to go through and really sort of establish what you have, what shapes the clothes are, what colors there are, see if things are stained, see if they’re worn out,” Hallie told Sara.
Next, it's time to decide what stays, and what goes. To do this, you'll need to create four piles.
1. Donate
2. Consign
3. Fix
4. Keep
When in doubt, try on items for a friend you trust. And for the "keep" outfits you really love, snap a pic to remember those A+ outfits in the future.
And unlike Kondo's theory on only saving things that spark joy, Hallie and Elana say that everyone needs those "boring" basics, like simple black pants.
"Don’t kill me Marie Kondo, but that’s my part where I part ways a little bit. Because I think there are things that might not spark joy, but are very useful, in making the pieces that do spark joy truly joyful," said Hallie.
And as far as hanging on to those rarely worn but still loved sentimental items? It's OK to hang onto those.
Hallie told us, "I don’t think you need to get rid of it, because things that are sentimental we want to hold onto, like...gifts and memories. But they don’t need to take up precious real estate in your closet...if it’s hanging there, you’re going to think you’re going to wear it, but if you know you’re not going to wear it, let’s store it. It’s a good stepping stone.”
Once you've divided everything into your four categories, it's time for the keepers to go back into the closet. Elana has a tried-and-true method for that, too, telling us she likes to organize everything first by category, then sleeve length and then color.
And one more really cool tip? Put your hanging items back in the closet the wrong way, turning them back the right way after you wear an item. "That way, at the end of the season, you’re going to have a really great snapshot of what you have worn and what you haven’t worn," Hallie told us.
The Wardrobe Consultant is offering WKYC viewers a free, downloadable guide to help you do your own closet cleanse! Sign up here.