Every six months, I get out my seasonal clothing and donate a few pieces. Something about quarantine had me wanting to do a more hardcore version of spring cleaning than I usually do. I used the Marie Kondo method of decluttering about four years ago, but I knew it was time to repeat the process.

I learned a lot about myself and my clothing by spring cleaning my closet. The pieces I decided to donate showed me I wasn’t shopping sustainably in the past and I didn’t even like some of the clothes I owned.

To spring clean my closet using the Marie Kondo method, I put every item of clothing I own onto my bed (both seasons even if you rotate your clothing). Then you hold each item in your hand and ask yourself if it sparks joy. In the end, I had three trash bags of clothing to donate that didn’t spark joy. Here’s what I learned from spring cleaning my closet:

The Essentials Missing From My Wardrobe

By sorting through every item of clothing I own, I realized how many essentials I was missing from my wardrobe. I have a lot of fancier chic pieces that I love, but on the regular, I dress pretty casually as a college student. I am missing a lot of casual summer clothes that can be restyled multiple ways. Here’s a few pieces I’m missing in my wardrobe:

–T-shirts (and graphic tees for a cuter look)

–Running shorts (my old pair were chewed up by a dog I housesat)

–White button up blouse

–Pants and shorts in general (I hate shopping for those items because it’s such a gamble whether they’ll fit)

Some Essentials Need to be Replaced

Because I inspected every item of clothing, I realized that the white t-shirt and the black leggings I wear regularly (especially in quarantine) had lived their lives. My black leggings from The North Face have served me well for 6 long years and now they’re becoming see-through on the knees and butt lol. My white t-shirt is stained and has little holes in it from picking up my cat with her velcro claws. These pieces are essentials to me because I wear them so frequently. They need to be replaced because they just don’t look so hot anymore.

Fast Fashion Doesn’t Last

I didn’t buy a ton of clothing in high school, but when I did shop, I always shopped at brands like Forever 21 because that’s what I could afford. Most of the super cheap pieces I bought wore out quickly. The pieces I had remaining fit poorly, were unraveling, and were see-through. This ASOS body suit I wore in a blog post a year ago ripped the third time I wore it. 

Because fast fashion is so trendy, it can also look outdated a year later. I’ve decided I’m never shopping from Forever 21, ASOS, or H&M again because it’s just a waste of money and extremely damaging to the environment. Over the past year or so, I’ve made an effort to buy higher quality pieces that will last for many years to come.

If it’s Uncomfortable, it Needs to Go

As I held each piece of clothing in my hands, I noticed that there were a lot of clothes I just hated wearing. I hated wearing mini skirts that had to be pulled down when I was sitting because they were so short. I basically got rid of any clothes that had to constantly be adjusted when I was wearing them because when I thought about it, I always felt ultra self conscious in these pieces.

Don’t Make Excuses for the Clothes You Never Wear

Even though I donate clothes every six months, I held on to a lot of clothes because I thought “I’ll probably wear that later”. These pieces I was making excuses for hadn’t been worn in YEARS and I was never going to wear them. If you don’t love it the first time you put it on, you’re not going to love it later.

Organizing By Color and Item is Effective

The first time I “Marie Kondo-ed” my closet, I organized all my clothing by item and color. That was about four years ago and I am still abiding by the same system because IT WORKS! Color coordinating a closet sounds time consuming, but it’s a task you should only have to do once. If you hang your clothes using this system every time you do laundry, the clothes will hang up in relatively the same spot as they always do. This system ensures that you know where every piece in your closet is when you’re looking for it.

Outfit Details:

Similar Abercrombie and Fitch Blouse (on sale for $30)

ASTR the Label Larson Pants (on sale for $88)

Similar GC Shoes Heels ($50)

Are you spring cleaning your closet this year? Do you have pieces in your wardrobe that don’t “spark joy”?