Our #1 Trick to Purge Clothing


With the start of a new year often comes unrealistic goals to organize every nook and cranny of your home. While we love getting organized, you won’t find us doing complete overhauls of our closets, drawers, and cabinets every January.

organize-clothingThat’s because we get rid of unwanted items all year round and purge continuously. We call it the “grocery bag method.” Not incredibly glamorous, but boy is it effective to purge clothing.

Our #1 Purging Trick

Here’s how it works. I always have a paper grocery bag in my closet. This bag is specifically for items that I no longer want and instead will donate.

closet-clothing-organizedThe “Rules”

Whenever I bring a new item into my closet, I find something in my closet that I don’t love and put it in this bag. If something new is coming in…something old is going out. NO EXCEPTIONS!

clothing-donateI also fill up this bag whenever I try on a piece of clothing and don’t end up wearing it that day because it’s just kinda blah. You know what I mean, right? Those pieces that you put on when getting dressed for the day, but you end up not wearing because it doesn’t fit/has a stain/is ripped/or just isn’t that cute anymore. This happens to me all the time.

In the past, I would hang those unwanted pieces right back up to be dealt with at a later date (usually months later when I scheduled time to purge my closet). I’d then try the items on all over again, only to decide (for a second time) that I no longer wanted it in my wardrobe. This method was inefficient and time-consuming.

how-to-purge-clothingNow with the paper bag method, these items are discarded immediately… making my closet a bit lighter, and my morning clothing decision a bit easier.

My paper bag fills up slowly and steadily, but it always contains items that I know for certain I no longer want.

full-donation-bag

Purge, Donate, Repeat

Once it’s full, I put the paper bag in the trunk of our car and the next time I drive by the donation site…I simply drop it off. Then I add a new paper bag to our closet for my next round of donations.

full-bag-of-donationI know it sounds simple, but the paper bag method has been a game changer for me when it comes to purge clothing. Instead of scheduling an overwhelming and daunting day to purge my closet, I slowly discard items every single week.ย bed-in-master-bedroom

If you’re looking to slim down your home or closet, this method just might work for you. Give the paper bag a try andย let me know your thoughts on this simple trick to get organized!

Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.