How to Clean Out Your Master Closet

Your closet is where your day starts. If getting dressed means stepping over shoes, hangers, and piles of laundry, the morning gets stressful fast. Messy is stressy.

The good news: a master closet is one of the quickest spaces to turn around. For most people it takes about two hours from start to finish. Here's how to do it, step by step.

Before You Start

Pour a cup of coffee, put on some music, and grab:

Three bags or boxes labeled Keep, Donate, and Trash
A laundry basket for anything that belongs in another room
A damp cloth and a vacuum

Expect things to look worse before they look better. Emptying shelves always creates a mess in the bedroom for a while. That's normal.

Step 1: Clear the Floor

Start at the bottom, since you can't reach anything else until the floor is clear. Pick up everything: shoes, stray socks, hangers, bags, workout clothes, and the random items that seem to migrate into closets.

Match up single socks, toss broken hangers, and put anything that doesn't belong in the laundry basket to return later. Then vacuum.

Step 2: Make Everyday Items Easy to Reach

Think about what you grab most often and move it to the most accessible spot. If you work out regularly, give workout clothes their own shelf or bin at the front instead of a bin buried in the back.

While you're at it, get rid of anything worn out: leggings with stretched waistbands, shorts with crumbling elastic, and shirts with holes.

Step 3: Sort Your Shoes

Line up every pair so you can see them all at once. Be honest about which ones you actually wear. Shoes from an old job, pairs that hurt, and dusty ones you haven't touched in a year can go in the donate pile.

Wipe down the shoe rack and put back only the pairs you plan to wear.

Step 4: Tame the Toiletry Stockpile

If you keep extra shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and deodorant in your closet, go through it now. Check expiration dates, toss anything that has separated or gone off, and group the rest by type so you can see what you have.

A stockpile only saves money when you use it. If you have far more than you can use before it expires, donate the extra unopened items to a local food bank or shelter. Toiletries are always in demand.

Step 5: Clean Out Bags and Accessories

Empty every purse, tote, and backpack. You'll likely find loose change, receipts, gift cards, stamps, and pens. Keep the useful finds, toss the trash, and donate bags you no longer carry.

Fold or hang scarves and belts together so they're easy to see.

Step 6: Edit Your Clothes

This is the big one. Take each item out and ask:

Have I worn this in the past year?
Does it fit and feel good right now?
Would I buy it again today?

If the answer to all three is no, it goes. Most of us are a little bit of a clothes hoarder, holding onto things from years ago "just in case." Let them go.

Once you've sorted, hang the clothes you love and wear most front and center, with the current season's items in the easiest spot. Seeing your favorites first makes it easier to put together outfits you feel good in.

Step 7: Donate Where It Helps Most

Clothes in good condition can do a lot of good. Professional clothing like blazers, slacks, dress shoes, and work bags is especially useful to job-training programs and nonprofits that help people dress for interviews. Search for a career closet or women's employment program in your area, and call ahead to ask what sizes and items they need most.

Everyday clothing can go to local shelters, thrift stores, or a children's or family consignment sale if you have kids' items too.

Want to earn a little back instead? Higher-end pieces can be sold through consignment shops or resale apps.

Keep It Clean

A few habits keep the closet from sliding back:

One in, one out. When you buy something new, donate something old.
Keep a donate bag in the closet. Drop items in as you notice them and drop it off when it's full.
Turn your hangers. Hang everything backward, and flip a hanger once you've worn the item. After six months, the unflipped hangers show you what to let go.

One clean closet is a great start. Tackle the rest of the house one room at a time, and try these 15 nifty uses for shoe organizers for extra storage.