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7 Ways Getting Rid Of Clothing Clutter Is Awesome

Today's mission is to get rid of clothing clutter, specifically the clothes that you don't like, don't fit or are no longer in style.

Today kicks off the beginning of several weeks worth of missions all about getting rid of clothes clutter, so obviously today isn't the day that you need to do it all.

The idea behind the Declutter 365 missions is that you do just a little at a time. Therefore, over the course of several weeks we'll first focus on your own clothes, and then you can deal with other people's clothes, like your kids' clothes.

7 reasons why getting rid of clothing clutter in your home is awesome, as shown by the words and pictures of #Declutter365 participants who decluttered clothes in their home {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Each day you'll see me mention specific types of clothes, or places where clothes often reside, that you should declutter, such as hanging clothes, or all the ones in your dresser drawers, or to declutter t-shirts, pants, socks, etc.

To see a full list of these missions check the Getting Rid Of Closet Clutter round up page here on the site.

That means you'll have time, over the course of several weeks, to go through some major categories on specific days.

Today's mission is meant to give you a boost, a quick start to this whole clothes decluttering project, because momentum is good.

That means today you are to focus on what I call low hanging fruit -- get rid of the clothes that are no brainers to toss. The stuff that you don't have to think about at all, or consider, or second guess. You know it needs to

leave your house and the only thing you wonder is why didn't I get rid of this sooner?

If you absolutely hate it, it is five sizes too large or small, or it hasn't been in style since 1984 today is the day to say goodbye to it!

To help you with this I've got several resources here on the site.

First, you can check out these 9 questions you can ask yourself when decluttering clothes. This can help you gain clarity about what you should get rid of.

But really, today is about the stuff you already know shouldn't stay in your home one minute longer.

So, in addition, I've also rounded up photos, sent in by readers who've done this mission, showing the clothes they were getting rid of. It's meant to get you inspired to tackle your own clothing piles.

What I noticed, however, as I gathered up these photos was there were themes -- readers would mention the same things over and over again about why they were happy they got rid of clothing clutter. So I've compiled this hall of fame a bit differently, showing the 7 ways that getting rid of this wardrobe clutter will make you and your home feel awesome!

Scroll down to see the 7 most common reasons Declutter 365 participants were happy too see that clothes clutter leave their home.

Gain momentum with getting rid of clothing clutter by decluttering clothes you don't like, don't fit, or aren't in style {one of the #Declutter365 missions on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Gain momentum with getting rid of clothing clutter by decluttering clothes you don't like, don't fit, or aren't in style {one of the #Declutter365 missions on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Top photo courtesy of a reader, Kylee, who showed a pile of clothes she decided to declutter from her home

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1. Help Someone Else In Need

When you get rid of clothing clutter you can help someone else in need {one of 7 awesome reasons to get rid of clothing clutter, listed on Home Storage Solutions 101}

The photo above was sent in by a reader, Marlo, who pointed out the first reason that decluttering is great, you can help others in need who will be able to use the clothing you cannot.

She said, "One of my dear friends just found out she's expecting and needed to clean out her closet as it was long over due and she needed space to accommodate maternity clothes and clearly she was holding onto things she didn't need! So she enlisted me as her helper...I was happy to help!

10 bags of clothes just from her closet alone will be donated to our local homeless transition assistance resource center! Often we lack vision for overcoming our clutter but can see the potential in someone else's space or are inspired to transform our space.

She had basket on a shelf with her "dressy scarves" as she calls them but didn't have a place for her swim clothes so I swapped out the scarves for the swimsuits and put the scarves on a hanger in section designated for her dress clothes...problem solved! I'll be back over helping her fine tune organizing her closet space and now I'm inspired to tackle my closet!"

Similarly, Lisa sent in the photo below, explaining, "We spent all day Saturday decluttering our master bedroom closets! This is all getting donated!"

Lisa decluttered her master bedroom closet, and all these clothes are getting donated! {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Lisa decluttered her master bedroom closet, and all these clothes are getting donated! {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}

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2. Make Some Money

Selling clothing that you decide to declutter can help you get back some of the money you spent, and can make it motivating to get rid of excess stuff {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}

While above Marlo mentioned how she got joy from donating clothes, you can also sell the clothing you don't want anymore.

This can be more work, but it can be quite motivating as well, as a reader, Jamie, mentioned when she sent in the photo above. Jamie said, "This is the second bag of clothes this size that I've pulled from my closets! I spent the extra time and listed all of them on a local auction site. I've made $50 so far! Great motivation!"

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3. No Wasting Space Storing Stuff You Don't Use

When you declutter clothing you no longer waste space storing stuff you don't use anymore!

Gayle sent in this photo, showing how she was getting rid of "one big contractor size bag of clothes not worn in a year or more, along with kid clothes that are too small."

The beauty of getting rid of clothes clutter is that Gayle and others are no longer wasting precious storage space in their home holding stuff that no one ever uses anymore.

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4. You'll Feel Good In The Clothes You Keep

Getting rid of clothing clutter to leave behind only clothes that still fit {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}

The photo above was sent in by a reader, Jackie. She said, "Cleaned out my closet, ready to bag stuff up for Goodwill. I dropped some weight so I don't want these bigger clothes hanging around anymore. I only want clothes that make me feel fabulous."

Jackie makes a great point. When you get rid of all the clothing you don't like anymore you'll be left with only things that make you feel good, which is a great feeling.

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5. Reduce The Amount Of Laundry You Wash

When you get rid of clothing clutter you get rid of excess laundry you've got to wash! {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Amanda sent in the photo above, and she said, "8 giant bags of laundry I'm never washing again. And I still have the kids clothes to go through."

You can sense Amanda's relief, and it's understandable. Getting rid of excess clothing keeps you from washing an excess of laundry over and over!

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6. Makes It Easier To Put Away Clean Clothes After Washing

When you get rid of clothing clutter it makes it so much easier to put away clean clothes as part of the laundry cycle {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Robin sent in the photo, and said, "A laundry problem for me is getting my own laundry put away because my dresser is full. So I ruthlessly purged. 3 to donate, 1 to toss, and my teenage babysitter took some special occasion dresses, so it felt good to know where those went."

Putting away clean clothes can be something we struggle to do as part of the laundry cycle, and if it is a problem for you, getting rid of excess clothes may help you fix this problem!

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7. Makes You Feel Fabulous

Pile of clothing clutter that Kathy is getting rid of {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Finally, the last reason that getting rid of clothing clutter is awesome was said perfectly by a reader, Kathy, who sent in the photo above.

Kathy said, "Decluttered clothes and basement. It feels FABULOUS."

It does feel absolutely fabulous to free yourself of unwanted clutter, and I hope seeing how all of these ladies have already done it has inspired you to take on today's mission for yourself, and begin the journey to get your wardrobe clutter free.

Here's one last set of pictures below, from a reader, Tina, who was so excited when she got rid of 7 bags of clothes. Great job girl!

Hall of fame of Declutter 365 participants who've gotten rid of clothing clutter in their homes, and 7 reasons why it makes them feel awesome! {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Hall of fame of Declutter 365 participants who've gotten rid of clothing clutter in their homes, and 7 reasons why it makes them feel awesome! {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!

Click here to take me to this year's Declutter 365 calendar

If you're ready to get going with decluttering your own clothes right away, make sure to use these 9 questions to ask yourself when decluttering clothes.

9 questions to ask when decluttering clothes

In addition, here's an article with tips for how to declutter kids clothes, including criteria and questions you and your child can ask as you do this task.

Finally, here's a round up of all the Declutter 365 missions on the site for decluttering clothes of all kinds.

How to declutter your wardrobe of excess clothes

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

Getting Rid Of Closet Clutter Hall Of Fame

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Comments for 7. Makes You Feel Fabulous

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Awesome
by: Erica

That was truly inspiring. Thank you.

Picky Consignment Shops - so no money
by: Anonymous

The shops around our area do not want clothes that are no longer "in style" even though they may be in like new condition. Didn't work for me!

Don't use it, lose it!
by: Anonymous

I did it all at one time, even clothes I had in totes. I got rid of 5 trash bags and it feels great! My motto, if you don't use it lose it!!

Stained clothes
by: Anonymous

Okay but what about clothes that have stains on them? What do you do with those? I do not want to fill the landfill with them.

17 bags lighter
by: Anonymous

I feel much better knowing that I am not the only one that has given away so much clothing that I no longer wear or want. I even packed up some things from the 1970's that were to me very pretty but were hanging in the closet collecting dust. I still want to go back and fill up some more bags. I find reading about purging stuff gives me courage to do it.

Beautiful clothes
by: Anonymous

OK I want to declutter my closet, and my husband would love me to do that, However I have some beautiful clothes, that I bought when I was working as an extra in the movies. I was younger then and some are small and some are my size that I am now. Some now I'm older and I can's see just giving these clothes to a junk store or ? Party clothes, that I use to wear for parties. These are nice things. I can't see just putting them in a garbage bag and tossing them to the goodwill or some other place that will use them for rags! So what does some one like me do?

garment stains
by: Anonymous

Clean the stains with an oxygen cleaner or an enzyme soak, then they'll be useable for sale or donation.

tips for fancy or designer clothes
by: Anonymous

For the person who had the fancy and designer clothes take photos and post on e-bay (include the story behind each piece and you're sure to get some bids) or if you simply want to donate them contact a local school's drama group or a place that collects dresses for teens to go to the prom for your fancy dresses.

stained clothes
by: Anonymous

Contact a by the pound organization. They usually resell clothes to oversee countries or destroy them for material so they don't care about a few stains. Or if they're name brand clothes in otherwise great condition list them as a lot on e-bay and disclose the condition. There are artists, nurses, teachers, etc. who don't mind a few stains because they know they'll be adding more.

To: Beautiful clothes
by: Anonymous

What makes you think that donated items are used as "rags"? Just because it's a charity organization doesn't mean that people don't care about nice things. In fact, a nice dress in a second-hand store could end up being someone's prom or even wedding dress, making their special event perfect.

If you're really concerned about how the "poors" will treat your wonderous collection though, you can take them to a consignment store and get some money out of them.

To Beautiful Clothes (party)
by: Anonymous

Some clothes can be given to shelters or other places that you know are to a good cause.

Fabric with stains and those that are too nice
by: Sarah Steele

In my area, the San Francisco Bay Area, the neighborhood drop off bins actually take anything's fabric with stains too as long as it is not soiled. Those that cannot be reused in its original design can actually be shredded into this fiber stuff they use in cars. The proceeds go to a non-profit to help with sustainability worldwide.

In the event you have clothes that are really nice and you are concerned that they will be not cared for, I have found that thrift shops such as Hospice process their donations on site. So you can actually bring clothes in on hangers and they will be hung for sale and greatly appreciated by those that shop there.

Not so much
by: Anonymous

I see where people have gotten rid of 8 or more garbage bags full of clothes. If I got rid of that much I'd be left naked! I just cleaned out my closet and only had one garbage bag and a small box of clothes to get rid of. And I thought I had a lot of clothes. Apparently not compared to some people!

Quilts, anyone?
by: Anonymous

I regularly purge unwanted clothing items. Lots regularly go to our local pet charity thrift stores, but I do hold onto things like jeans, full skirts and garments made from interesting cotton/linen. I have made shirts & jackets from pieced fabrics constructed of these and get stopped regularly asking where I purchased such intricate handmade items. I also save garment fabrics for quilts. T-shirts as well as cottons can be used for braided or rag rugs. And you can always make tote bags from heavier weight fabrics. Never overlook re-using or upcycling old clothes. Learning to sew opens a new world of creativity and saves money.

Consignment
by: Anonymous

I take mine to consignment stores. I have quite a bit over the years and they do all the work.

Stained clothing
by: Anonymous

Thrift stores, the larger ones, sell stained clothes, the elusive lone sock, and other clothing to places that make rags out of them (like mechanics use).

Emotional
by: Anonymous

Many here comment on what is essentially an emotional / psychological "tie" to the clothes. Can you accept the days you used to wear something are past? Thank the clothes for the nice experience, then, but today it's time to move on. For those not wanting to "fill up landfills" - social guilt? So your house becomes a landfill now, by keeping stuff that's just not viable now? It's ok to send to landfill - not everything is meant to be useful to 10 other people after you. Purge your house, release the invisible burdens these material things hold on us. Many worked hard to earn the money to have it - it's ok to also donate or sell the item. Consignment shops know what sells, and what does not. It's a reflection of what market will bear. This is not emotional - it's business. If you're bound by "thoughts" - accept them, and release yourself from them. Determine if you are over-buying, or not purged in 5 years?! I am also surprised by 8 large bags from one closet. You're living in a huge house, to have space for that! LOL We get busy, things pile up, etc. Purge a little now, a little more in 3 months, etc. I've been following this page for 15 months - I am on round 2-3 of some purges - because I struggled the first time. Come back to it, it gets easier. You won't be able to remember what was tossed 3-6 months ago!

I love the 365 declutter missions!!
by: Megan

I have been doing the 365 declutter mission since April. When I downloaded the year calendar I even was doing more than one mission a day to catch up. I just did the declutter my clothes mission. I have 5 trash bags full of clothes to donate! I have even included my son in this with his daily chores and it is working great! My house looked like it could be on an episode of hoarders when I started it. Now it feels good to come home and see it is making a big difference a little at a time! I don't know how to post pics on here or I would!

Response to Megan re how to add pictures
by: Taylor

Hi Megan, thanks so much for your kind words about the Declutter 365 missions! They make me smile, and I'm so glad you're getting great results with them. You can add some pictures that you'd like featured on the site in the hall of fame section of the site. For clothes, you can go to this page and fill out the form at the bottom of the page. I can't add all the pictures because of time, but I do choose some of the best to help inspire everyone as they do the tasks each day. In addition, I encourage you to share your pictures on my Facebook page or within the Declutter 365 public group (in the comments of the posts in that group)!

Can't Part with Dress Clothes
by: Karen

How about making a donation to your local high school theatrical department? I am certain they'd appreciate any older clothes for costumes!

Old wedding dress
by: LM

Any suggestions on what to do with a wedding dress - was cleaned and stored properly for over 40 years. Donation places only want new ones.

Response re question about old wedding dress
by: Taylor

Great question, about where to donate your wedding dress. Here is my article all about ideas for where to donate or otherwise declutter your wedding dress. Hopefully it can help!

Lent
by: Ej

A friend hooked me on to this idea for Lent Season. Get a large garbage bag and each day for 40 days put a piece of clothing in the bag and donate! You manage to get rid of 40 things and helping others!

donations
by: Cheryl

Please do your homework about donation places if you truly want to help needy people. Some of the donation canisters sitting around in parking lots - go to their websites to see where the items go. Some are legitimate, some are not. Don't just assume that because the city lets them park their canisters there, that they are good. The Salvation Army has been around since 1865 and is solid in helping those in need. They will even come to your house to pick up your items. Goodwill is also excellent.

stained clothes
by: Anonymous

I have a lot of old clothes that are stained, ripped or worn out. I called all over the place & the local donation places don't want them either. They have enough of their own items to get rid of. I just hate putting it in a landfill. H&M will take textile recycle, just drop it off. I'll have to drive an hour to do that but oh well.

Number 5
by: Anonymous

I disagree with Number 5. If you're washing them, you're wearing them, so why get of them??

black bags
by: Anonymous

Charities don't like black bags for clothes because there is a coating on the inside of the bags and they have to wash the clothes to remove it.

Old Wedding Dress
by: Cindy

My hair stylist took both her wedding gown & her MIL'S wedding gown & made a beautiful christening gown that all 16 of her grandchildren wore! I think that is such a wonderful thing to do with an old wedding gown. Most young people don't want to wear their Mother's or Grandmother's wedding gowns these days, and this is such a special way to use it.

Underwear
by: Anonymous

What about underware and lingerie? Is it inappropriate or unsanitary to donate undergarments?

Donation to homeless shelter
by: Anonymous

Our local homeless shelter takes clothes in any condition as they can make money on the clothes that are not in condition to wear. They have even had garbage pickup companies help them pick up clothes that are bagged separately and tagged for it. It saves filling the landfill also.

Organizing Outgrown Clothes and Handing Them Down to Younger Siblings
by: Kim

Although it has been a long time since I needed this system, my system for handing down clothes to the younger siblings worked really well. I had a box on the shelf of each child's closet, and the box was labeled "Too Big." The youngest child had that box plus one more, labeled "Too Small." We had them in their rooms so the process could take place effortlessly in the morning as they all got dressed. If anyone ran into an item that they had outgrown, we put it in the next younger child's "Too Big" box. (The youngest child's outgrown items went in her own "Too Small" box. This box was donated every so often when it filled up.) Then each season as we were going through each child's things to see what more we needed, we 'shopped' in their own "Too Big" box before going out and spending money. It was so easy and eliminated the chance of forgetting what I intended for an item by tossing the item in a pile or in the laundry and trying to remember later. The whole process took place right where we were dressing, and we didn't need to devote a chunk of time for going through every article for each child.

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