Is one of your goals for 2022 to declutter your closet? It was definitely one of mine. I was so excited to do it that I actually did it a month early, in December!

I’ve had a lot of closet declutters since 2015 when I first discovered minimalism. As a former shopaholic, I had A LOT of clothes. But since then, I’ve had this ultimate goal to have a minimalist year round wardrobe. At first, I wanted to have no more than 50 items total, but I no longer have a number goal. Now, I’m aiming for contentment.

Am I there yet? Not entirely, but I get closer each time.

And to help me get there, I’m always trying to come up with strategies/questions to help me let go of items that I don’t need. At first, I didn’t really need anything to help me declutter clothing…I had so much that I didn’t wear/like. It was easy.

But as my closet got smaller and smaller, it became harder and harder to let things go.

Maybe you’re reading this and wondering why I strive to have less if it’s gotten more difficult to let things go. For me, owning less means more peace and freedom in my everyday life. If fewer pieces of clothing gets me a little more of that, I’d say that’s a fair exchange!

8 Questions to Ask While Decluttering Your Closet

1. Have I worn this in the last 6 months?

I like to use 6 months as a time limit for if I’ve worn something. I live in a place with extremely different cold and hot seasons. As a result, I am now working towards a 2 seasonal capsule wardrobe. Each capsule has a duration of around 6 months. So most of my present capsule clothing will be covered under this question. Anything that isn’t will be covered by the next…

2. Will I wear this in the next 6 months?

If I’m assessing all of my wardrobe in a particular declutter, this is a question that I ask myself for the clothing that I’m not currently wearing. Some are a definite “yes” and some are a definite “no” (the items I didn’t wear or didn’t really enjoy wearing when it was weather appropriate to wear them). As for the maybes, I keep them. I make a note in my wear tracker to declutter them if I don’t use them.

3. Do I love this item? If not, is the item functional?

I want to love every item in my wardrobe. Especially the items that I wear out into the world. I believe that clothes have the power to make a day better or ruin it.

I have this long black sweater dress that I love to wear with a statement belt and my platform Dr. Martens boots. I feel amazing when I wear that outfit and I want to feel like that (or close to it) in everything I wear. I use this feeling when evaluating how I feel about other items in my wardrobe.

But what about the items in our wardrobe that we don’t love but know we’ll need?

Then, ask yourself if they’re useful? I have a pair of overalls that I was going to declutter because I didn’t love them but they make for great painting clothes. I also don’t love my winter boots but they are very warm for those days when I have to be outside in the cold. So keep items that you don’t love, as long as you actually use them.

4. Do I have similar items that I wear more?

One main example that I can think of here are t-shirts. A lot of people seem to end up with a lot of t-shirts in their wardrobe. But how many do we really need to own? Unless you wear a “uniform” that involves black t-shirts, you probably only wear 1 or 2 on a regular basis. Let the others go.

5. Does this item fit me? If not right now, is this an item I rely on if I gain/lose weight because of normal fluctuations (monthly/seasonal)?

I feel like this is a big one. I think that a lot of us hold on to items that no longer fit us. And I mean the items that we have no hope of getting into without unsustainably dieting or exercising. I’m also talking about items that you may have worn before a conscious weight loss effort.

Remind yourself that bodies change and that’s okay. People change. Holding on to clothes that remind us of past versions of ourselves is sometimes not the best thing for our psyche.

But if you have a few items that you rely on when your weight fluctuates due to your period or if you gain some extra weight during the winter that you drop in the summer, hang on to those items. Most likely, these items would have been identified with questions 1 and 2.

6. Is this an item that is part of my “fantasy life” wardrobe?

I think we’ve all bought “fantasy life” items a time or two…or fifteen!

It’s those items that you see and are immediately in love with. You HAVE to have it, but you have no clue where you’d wear it. And then it just hangs in your closet. Unworn. Sometimes, with the tags still attached.

We all have different lives that we fantasize about living. And sometimes, we buy clothes that match that fantasy life. But when we buy/keep these items, they just end up being a huge waste of money and resources. The best approach with these items is to let them go.

If you do end up living your fantasy life someday, repurchase similar items. Chances are, you would anyways.

7. Do I feel really good/great when I wear this? Or is it too tight/loose, itchy, hot, etc?

I mentioned in step 3 that I believe that clothes have the power to make a day better or ruin it. And I have had one too many days ruined by uncomfortable clothes.

I recently decluttered a grey mohair cropped turtleneck because I found myself feeling agitated by it when I wore it. As a result, I projected that agitation outwards and I was definitely unpleasant to be around. My mood ended up ruining a perfectly nice outing with my family.

I no longer have time in my life for things that make me a worse version of myself.

8. Would I want to take this with me if I were moving into a smaller space?

This question was borne out of a desire that I have to downsize my house someday.

I have lots of closet space now in my spacious, modern house. But I have plans to move into a historical home with gorgeous detailing and, ultimately, smaller closets.

So this question has become the gatekeeper of the closet. Every time I do a declutter, once I’ve gone through the other 7 questions, I ask myself this one last question…

Would I want to take this with me if I were moving into a smaller space?

And if the answer’s no, it’s time to go…see what I did there? 🙂

So, those are the 8 questions that have been helping me to declutter my closet lately. Are they making you want to declutter your closet now?

Do you have any that you would add? Share in the comments below!

And don’t forget to pin the following image so you can refer back to it the next time you declutter your closet.