A Simple 5 Step Questionnaire for the Ultimate Closet Purge

I think the reason why mom life seems so chaotic is because of all the physical stuff! The more I collect, the more clothes, toys, diapers, and baby gear I have to sort through. While I love having all of those things, the collection of kid stuff is A LOT.

Then you have your stuff. There's clothes that you haven't worn in 5 years and several items you probably forgot you had. I found a few clothing items from High School like sweatshirts, some college shirts, and work clothes that I purchased when I first started my career.

I'm laughing right now because I wish you could see some of the clothes I've held onto that have been out of style for years! Somehow they've made it through 5 house moves in 7 years. I know what you're thinking, that is a lot of moving and you would be right!

After our first Christmas with 2 kids and one kid's birthday party in late December, I decided that was it! I have got to declutter my life and I'll start with my closet.

I came up with 5 main questions to help me decide what was going to be the fate of each piece of clothing I own. The amount of clothes I ended up tossing and donating is unreal and let me tell you, it felt good! So let's get to it!

I created a graphic to make it easier to work through the questions. Feel free to use it or scroll down to read through it in written form.

1. When was the last time I wore this?

If you keep and can fit all 4 seasons in your closet, you will need to ask yourself as if you were in that current season. For example, if it is currently winter and you have summer items in your closet, pretend you are going through your closet last summer and ask yourself this question:

When was the last time I wore this?

Last week, last month, 3 months ago, last year or longer?

If it was 3 months ago or last year or longer, do you see yourself actually wearing it again?

If yes, keep. If not, toss!

2. Does it make you feel good, confident, or happy when wearing it?

If yes, keep. If not, toss!

3. Does it have any holes, tears or stains?

If yes, do you still want to keep it in its current condition?

If yes, will this hold up in 1 month, 3 months, or 1 year or longer?

If yes, keep. If not, consider tossing. You can always replace it with something that will serve you better!

4. Is it sentimental?

If yes, in what way is it sentimental?

Does it make you happy or do you feel like you have to keep it because someone gave it to you?

If it makes you happy, keep it.

If it doesn't make you happy or you feel like you have to keep it, you should probably consider tossing.

Another thing to consider: is it worth keeping and how long do you plan on keeping it for?

Helpful Tip: If you feel like you have to keep it because someone gave it to you then consider donating it. If you are only holding onto it because it's a memory you want to keep then consider buying a memory journey and recording it there. Even taking a picture of the clothing item and placing it in a journal. This will give you the satisfaction of hanging onto this memory and the picture of it without actually storing the clothing item and taking up space in your closet.

Me personally: I am a very sentimental person. I have a hard time letting go of items because of the value I feel like they hold. In some ways, it's true some items are very valuable but others I feel guilty of letting go. For example, a shirt or purse that maybe someone got me for Christmas or a birthday gift. Holding onto what I call a "guilty item" does not benefit me and does not in Marie Kondo's words "spark joy". If you aren't feeling that spark of joy and you have a guilty item...LET IT GO!

If you have to play Let it Go from the Frozen soundtrack for dramatic effect by all means, do what you need to do to purge your guilty item!

Now to number 5.

5. Does this fit my body right now?

If yes, does it make me feel happy? If yes, keep! If it does not make me happy, toss!

If no, it doesn’t fit my body, when was the last time it did? 1 month, 3 months, 1 year or longer?

If 1-3 months, consider keeping it if it makes you happy and you see yourself wearing it soon.

If the last time it fit was 1 year or more, consider tossing! You can fill that space with something that fits your body right now and makes you feel confident. Nothing makes me feel worse than hanging onto jeans from 3 years ago before kids that just do not work with my body anymore.

Helpful Tip: I try not to focus on an outfit that once fit me. If we all stayed the same size that we did since high school then we all wouldn't look like adults! I'm embracing my mom body now and know that I brought 2 beautiful babies into this world and gave them life. That's pretty amazing!

A closet purge for most is no easy task especially if you don’t purge clothes very often. I hope these 5 simple questions guide you to decide what to keep and what to toss!