How I’m Summer-Cleaning My Closet
I have the fortunate task of spring cleaning two closets because — due to this pandemic — I moved out of my LA apartment last year, put all my furniture and most of my clothes in storage, and went back to Texas. I had no idea how long I’d be in Texas (I suspected only a few months and then I’d move back), but here we are, nearly a year later, and I’m packing up my stuff to move to New York. Life comes at you fast — and yet kind of slow....
OK, back to the two closets issue. So, I brought only the essentials to Texas, but as you know, I’m a connoisseur of clothing and my meager suitcases of clothing have grown into a full blown wardrobe of clothes I’ve added, outgrown, and worn out. Moreover, I don’t even remember what I put in my storage unit back in Los Angeles. Yikes.
Here’s the difference I’ve found between apartment hunting in LA vs. New York. They’re both expensive, but LA gives you space to justify your rent. New York does not. Therefore, in order to make the cleanest move possible, I need to downsize my belongings, starting with my closet. Here’s how I’m going to do that, Mission Minimalism Commences.
Plan:
Purge: getting rid of all clothes that don’t spark joy. I’ll be up-cycling my clothes by taking them to my local consignment stores and donating them to local shelters.
Sort: separating my clothes by Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer styles. In this first part of my move, I’ll only be taking Spring/Summer styles.
Fold/Hang: do you get more space when you roll or fold clothes? That’s the question.
Pack: next stop, New York!
I have to admit, I’m a huge softy when it comes to my closet; I’d keep it all if I had enough space. So, this summer I’m giving myself rules. To hold myself to these rules, I’ve brought in reinforcements:
These are the items I’m parting with no matter how cute I might think they are:
Items I’ve only worn once: including but not limited to, clothes I’ve only worn for the Instagram photo.
Piece I haven’t worn in a year (and a half): I’m giving my clothes some grace, they were benched for a pandemic after all.
Things I’ve worn out: I’m the queen of staining cute clothes and for the ones I haven’t been able to save...I’m sorry.
Items that don’t fit right now: Listen, I don’t have the space for a dreamer’s wardrobe. I have to make space for right now.
These are the items I’m keeping...
Pieces I love and their cousins: If I absolutely love it, I’m obviously keeping it and if I have items similar to it I’m keeping them too!
Seasonal outfits...in storage: I’m going to make use of vacuum sealing and will be sealing my sweaters and other Fall/Winter gear.
Here’s how summer cleaning went for me:
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Remember, loving yourself out loud is mayaesthetic.
Yours Truly.
