Marina | February 19, 2014 | Fashion |

Closet cleanup, wardrobe revamp, closet update, wardrobe detox – whatever you want to call it, you know it’s something you need to do but keep putting off. It may not seem like much of a big deal but doing a wardrobe detox can do you lots of good, not only style-wise but money-wise too. Cleaning up and getting rid of stuff may seem difficult at first but once you get into the groove, it’ll be a piece of cake. Here are some useful tips for a successful wardrobe detox.

• Take it all out – the first step to a successful wardrobe detox is to take all the contents of your closet out. This way, you have a better view of all the things that you have inside. It may take some time to haul everything out of your closet but if you want a thorough clean up, this step is a must. Aside from letting you get a good view of everything, this step also gives you a fresh blank closet to start over again with.

• Invest in storage boxes or bins – ideally, what you keep in your closet should only be those that you are currently wearing. This means no summer clothes in your winter wardrobe and nothing that’s too big or too small for you to fit into. However, this does not mean you should throw away clothes that you don’t currently wear. Invest in stackable storage boxes or bins (to maximize closet space) and keep the items that you aren’t currently wearing in them so that you can easily take them out when the time comes for you to wear these pieces. It would also be a great idea to sort currently unusable clothes by season or by size.

• Evaluate your lifestyle and see which clothes fit in – is your wardrobe full of evening wear but you rarely go to evening events? Or maybe it’s packed with formal dresses and suits from your previous work where you had to dress up in corporate outfits but now you are allowed to dress more casually in the office? Evaluate your lifestyle and see which clothes fit in to the life you currently live.

• Learn which colors work for you – do warm colors work well for you or do cooler tones make your skin glow more? Is there a certain color that makes the color of your eyes pop when you wear it? Do you think you look better with pastel colors? Or are you the kind who likes to make fashion statements with bold colors all the time? Knowing which colors work for you can help you heaps when trying to decide which pieces to keep and which ones to toss. Of course, don’t forget to keep basic and neutral colors for mixing and matching or for taming down super bold colored pieces.

• Let go – yes, you may have had lots of fun times when you wore that moto jacket and you may have worn that dress when you first met the man you now love more than anything and anyone but if they’re no longer wearable (faded, ripped, etc.), you should let them go. Also look for clothes that don’t fit anymore or those that don’t work for your body type and get rid of those too. This will free up some space in your closet to accommodate new items.