5 Easy Ways to Downsize Your Closet, According to Organizers

Downsizing your closet is less daunting than you might think—the key is to break up the process into smaller, more manageable steps.

Here, three professional organizers share their insights on how to best tackle a closet downsizing project. They speak to the importance of removing everything from the closet, setting a limit on what to keep, parting ways with clothing items that no longer make you feel good, and much more.

What Is Downsizing?

Downsizing means going through your closet and paring down on the number of clothing items that you’re holding onto. Perri Kersh, the founder of Neat Freak Professional Organizing, advises that people evaluate their lifestyles when downsizing to determine what they do and don’t need.

As she explains, you may come to realize that your lifestyle only requires 10 pairs of pants and eight different dresses.

Want more cleaning and organizing tips? Sign up for our free daily newsletter for the latest hacks, expert advice, and more!

Stick to a Concrete Goal

Once you’ve landed on the number of items you need across each category of garments, you will want to make sure to keep these top of mind as you begin your cleanout.

“Once you get into your closet and start touching items, it can be harder to let them go,” Kersh says.

Even if your closet is sizable, remember that it shouldn’t be filled to the brim.

“Think of your closet as a container with limits, just like a bin or basket,” Julie Peak, the founder of The Precise Place, says.

Then, as you eventually shop for more items, practice the one in, one out rule, she advises—if you purchase a new cardigan, you then have to be sure to donate an older one.

Another tactic that may help you maintain a streamlined closet is subscribing to a clothing rental service, Maria Baer, the founder of The Baer Minimalist, says, who uses a service that sends her six new pieces per month.

Remove Everything From Your Closet

In order to really take on a comprehensive closet clean out, everything needs to come out of the space first, Kersh explains.

It’s best to sort your clothes into categories, placing pants in one pile, shirts in another, and so on. The organizer recommends starting by removing all of your hanging items first before taking out any folded clothing, along with shoes, accessories, and the like.

Go Through Your Wardrobe

Once you have taken everything out of the closet, you can begin to evaluate each piece and determine what serves you and what should go into the donation pile. Kersh encourages people to hold onto only those items that they truly love.

“If it doesn’t make you feel like a rock star—a little out of style, doesn’t truly fit, color doesn’t work great on you—then let it go,” she says.

Another tactic to use when determining whether a clothing item is essential to keep is to evaluate whether or not it truly reflects your current lifestyle.

Peak encourages her clients to ask themselves, “am I keeping this for the person I was or the person I am now?”

As she says, “this isn’t just about the item; it’s about your identity. This is a loaded question, but if answered honestly, it gives great clarity.”

Set a Deadline for TBD Items

If you’re not fully sure whether or not you should part with something you come across in your clean out, it’s ok to hold onto it for a little longer, Kersh notes.

She instructs people to place these items back in the closet, only this time with the hanger positioned backward. If you haven’t removed the hanger from your wardrobe and it’s still facing backwards in six months’ time, that’s your sign that you can indeed live without this piece of clothing, she says.

Style Your Closet Like a Pro

Finally, take advantage of your pared-down closet and style it so that it feels like a boutique, Baer says. Doing so may just encourage you to keep this space looking organized and streamlined.

“A stack of three sweaters looks so much better than a pile that is sky high,” Baer says.

Additionally, she shares, don’t be afraid to bring in some trinket trays, hat stands, and a uniform set of hangers for an elegant touch.