Decluttering Clothes the Easy Way (with Free Printable Decluttering Calendar!)

Decluttering clothes has never been easier! Grab my free printable decluttering calendar and have neat and tidy drawers and closets by the end of the month!

Introducing...Monthly Decluttering Challenges!

Sometimes the hardest part of decluttering can be knowing how to get started. It can feel like an overwhelming task, so recently I started trying to come up with a way to break it down into itty bitty pieces so that the decluttering process wouldn't feel so intimidating anymore.

I had the idea to create a "decluttering calendar" each month, with every month having a different theme. One month we may focus on decluttering the kitchen cabinets. Another month we might focus on decluttering office or craft supplies. Another month we might focus on decluttering toys and games, etc.

No matter which area we're focusing on, I will break it down into small tasks throughout the month and provide a calendar that you can print out and use to check off the different items that you've completed. (Because really, is there anything more satisfying than crossing something off of your list?! 😉 )

Each month's calendar will be stored in the "decluttering vault" so that they are easily accessible all in one place. You can request access to the vault and download the first decluttering calendar by clicking on the button below.

[We also have a full library of 50+ free organizing printables if you're looking for more ways to get organized!]

Ready to get started? In June we are going to kick things off by decluttering clothes!

June Decluttering Challenge: Decluttering Clothes

Decluttering clothes felt like a good place to start because I would bet that almost all of us have too many of them! I am not a huge clothes person, and I still managed to declutter my clothes twice in a one month span at one pint, donating bags full of items each time!

You'll notice a few things when you download your clothes decluttering calendar:

• There is a simple task to complete every other day. I know life can get busy and schedules fill up, so by assigning a task only every other day, you essentially have two days to complete each one. That way if you get busy and miss a day or you have a lot of a particular item and it ends up taking a little longer than you expected, you have a built in day to catch up and won't fall behind.
• I intentionally didn't put specific days of the week on the calendar. The June calendar runs from day 1-30, but I didn't line up the dates with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. on purpose so that the calendar could be used for any year (or any month, for that matter)!
• There are assignments for adults' items and assignments for kids' items. I decided to split it up rather than trying to do every member of the household at once. If you don't have kids in your household, you can be done early or use the extra days to go over anything you've missed.
• Feel free to just use this calendar as a guide. If you find yourself with extra time one day and know you'll be busy in future days, you can definitely do 2 or more of the tasks on one day, check them off, and then pick up again after your busy days have passed. The calendar is meant to get you started down the right path and give reminders of what to do next; it doesn't have to be a hard and fast rule.

Quick Tips for Decluttering Clothes

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

I thought I would lay out the process I like to use when decluttering clothes. You can feel free to follow it exactly, tweak it to fit your liking, or completely disregard it and use your own strategy!

1. Set Up a Spot for "Donate" and "Sell" Items

We will (hopefully!) be getting rid of a lot of stuff this month, so we'll want to have a designated place to collect it all. I would start by grabbing two boxes, bins, or garbage bags, and labeling one "Donate" and one "Sell." (If you plan to donate everything or sell everything, obviously you will only need one container.) I will then keep these boxes or bags close to my closet and/or drawers so that it is easy to stay organized while I declutter.

2. Collect Every Item in the Category

On the designated day, I would collect every item from the category I'm decluttering and put it all together in one place. So for example, if the day's task is to declutter t-shirts, I would gather all of my t-shirts and put them on my bed so I can easily see what I have. Seeing the entire category at once shows me everything I own and makes it easier to discern what I really need and what I can part with.

I took this photo the first time we used the KonMari method to declutter our clothes-- we brought out all of our clothes in one spot! Eek!

3. Purge Ruthlessly!

Once I've collected every item from the category, it's time to be ruthless! We usually go into the decluttering process asking ourselves, "What am I going to get rid of?" but I've found it actually works better to flip that mindset on its head a bit.

One tip I loved from Marie Kondo's book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up was to assume that you were getting rid of everything and just keep the items you absolutely love and use often. It's a small but important mindset shift that has really helped me be more efficient (and more ruthless!) with my decluttering.

If you struggle with letting go of items while you declutter, I wrote a post with some tips that may help here.

4. Put "Keep" Items Back Neatly

Once I've discarded items into "Donate" and "Sell" piles, I like to put the rest of my clothing items back in my drawers and closet in a neat way. This is totally a personal preference thing, but I like to fold my t-shirts, shorts, and athletic wear using the filing method so that I can easily see everything I have in my drawer. I have a video showing how I fold everything using this method in this post.

I hang nicer items like blouses, dress shirts, pants, and dresses in my closet by type, with all of the pants in one spot, all long sleeved shirts together, all short sleeved shirts together, all dresses together, etc. Once I have them organized by type, I will sometimes color code them as well, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary. Again, people's brains work differently, so if color coding is really helpful for you, go for it! If it's not, it may not be worth the extra time.

It's definitely not required, but I like to use all of the same type of hanger in my closet for a more uniform look. I use these velvet-like hangers for Donnie and my clothes and simple plastic white hangers for our boys' clothes.

5. Get Rid of Your "Donate" and "Sell" Items Quickly

The last day on the decluttering calendar says "Miscellaneous." This would be a great day to take the time to drop off items at a donation center or list any items we want to sell in Facebook buy/sell groups or on Craigslist. After I list my "Sell" items, I set a reminder on my phone to check back on them in a week and re-list anything that hasn't sold (possibly at a lower price point).

It's tempting to hang on to this stuff or let it sit in a bag in the back of the car for months and months, but don't do it! We've worked hard to declutter all month-- let's get that unneeded stuff out of here so we can really take advantage of the extra space and peace of mind!

6. Give Yourself a Reward!

I know I can become a little more motivated if I promise myself a reward when I've finished all of my decluttering tasks! You can use the "Notes" section of the decluttering calendar to decide what your reward will be. Some ideas may be...

• A special date night with your significant other (especially if they've helped with the decluttering process!)
• Or if the whole family has pitched in, a special family trip to the zoo, museum, trampoline park, movies, etc.
• A manicure/pedicure
• A girls' night out
• A day off to spend however you'd like

The possibilities are endless! Choose something that motivates you to keep going throughout the month!

7. Maintain the Decluttered Closets and Drawers

Now that we've worked hard to declutter all of our clothing, the last thing we want to do is fill our spaces right back up with more clothes clutter! I like to keep a "donate" bin ready in the closet at all times so I can easily drop in pieces that I've finished with.

I also try to be really discerning anytime I go to purchase a new article of clothing. Do I absolutely love it, and will I wear it often? If not, I save my money and skip the purchase! Just doing these two simple things will help me maintain my decluttered closets and drawers going forward.

That's it! It's a simple process, but I've found that having a guide-- like a decluttering calendar-- to walk me through it makes me more likely to follow through and stick to the plan. Again, you can request your decluttering calendar and gain access to the "decluttering vault," which will contain every new calendar when they come out each month, by clicking the button below.

If you're looking for more inspiration for decluttering clothes, these posts may be helpful:

The KonMari Method: Organizing Clothes

The Filing Method of Folding Clothes

An Organized Kids' Closet

How to Organize a Small Closet

Our Organized Master Closet

Which decluttering themes would be most helpful for future monthly challenges? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Decluttering!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.