Decluttering Clothing the KonMari Way

I’m still going strong on decluttering my closet the KonMari way; but things had to get worse before they got better. Seriously, I had such a mess going on. A few years back I got rid of my dresser and decided to just use the shelves in my closet. I have a large bookcase in my room and that combined with the dresser was just too much. My husband was not using the dresser at all and all that it was being used for was some miscellany along with my underclothes. A huge dresser for only a little bit of stuff. I was tired of the room it took up so we removed it and I haven’t missed it since!

But over time my closet shelves have become cluttered with just a lot of this n that. It was unsightly and there was always something on the floor that would get in the way of my feet. It was an embarrassing mess, let me tell you.

Using the suggestions of Marie Kondo that she outlines in her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing I began to declutter starting with my clothing. You’re not to walk into your closet and give it a cursory glance while asking yourself, “Does this spark joy?” Instead, you are to removed all your clothing and then hold each item in your hands and ask yourself if it brings you joy. Believe me, this simple question will have you weeding out a lot of things!

I’m all about Before and After photos but my friend, I forgot this time until I had removed all my clothing. Rats! Before and After photos are so motivating and help you remember just how bad it was and how far you’ve come!

My brain did kick in eventually and reminded me that I needed some photos so here you go. 🙂

I went through all my hoisery wear. Look at this hoisery bag I’ve had for YEARS. Seriously! Missing it’s little hanger, I improvised and attached another hanger. Well, it was okay when I really needed it, but I didn’t wear half of what I had in here. It was time for it to go bye-bye.

Look at those suntan colored nylons. Oh dear, I can’t even remember the last time I wore that color.

Check out these leotards. I mean really, I have never had a waist this small. This is like asking for my body to be cut in half. Maybe a 6 month old child would have this size of waist? We shall find out. I gave them to my 10 year old daughter to see if they perhaps will fit her.

A photo showing the shelf under where my clothes usually hang. It was where I stored my magazines and a few other books.

I removed all the books/magazines even though I am not to be focusing on that right now. That’s supposed to be the next thing I declutter (Marie Kondo has a particular order she wants you to follow when decluttering.) because I decided to store my shoes on this shelf. The books/magazine are now in my room awaiting the time I start going through books.

If you saw these shelves before, you would be amazed that they are empty. I honestly don’t know what all I could have had on these shelves that made them so  unkempt but thus it was. It’s so bare, it looks like it needs something more!

There is a particular way that Marie Kondo suggests you fold clothes if you’re wondering why my clothes are on end. I’ll share that with you next time.

I’m not a clotheshorse but I found enough clothes in my closet that didn’t spark joy that I filled 3 trash bags!

I’ve pretty much finished my clothing but now a few others want to go through theirs. But it should be easier than what I just went through. We’ll see.

How does your closet look? Does everything hanging or what is folded spark joy for you or are you keeping things you feel guilty to discard?