As we head into fall, I begin to put away my summer clothes and bring out my fall and winter clothes. This is usually the best time to go through and decide which pieces are worth hanging on to for another season and which need to be removed. I will be discussing the tips and tricks I use to clean out my closet. My strategy is to usually divide my clothes into 4 different piles. I make one pile for trash, one for donate, one for sell, and another for keep.

The clothes I place in the trash pile are those that have tears, rips, or stains that can not be repaired or cleaned. These are typically items that would not be worth donating. In the donation pile, I try to donate clothes that I no longer wear or that no longer fit me. There are so many places that you can donate your clothes to for those that are unable to afford their own. Especially as the colder months approach, winter jackets are one of the most needed items. I have a tendency to develop an emotional attachment with some of my clothes. It may be something that I haven’t worn for years but I keep convincing myself that I will wear it again one day. I really try to stick to the 1 year rule- if I haven’t worn it in a year, I get rid of it. Knowing that the items you may have trouble giving away could be going to someone who is in need helps to make it easier to make the decision to get rid of an item. One easy way to keep track of the items you have worn is to turn all the hangers to same way at the beginning of the season. As you wear an item, hang it back up with the hanger facing the other way. When the season is over it will be easy to find the items that you haven’t worn.

I also have a bad habit of thinking I need an item when I get it for a really good deal. I love a good sale and it sometimes causes me to buy things that don’t fit properly or that really aren’t my style. It’s typically those items that hang in my closet with tags still attached. That’s where the next pile comes in, the sell pile. There are tons of websites out there where you can sell your pre-owned and used clothing. There are even consignment stores and stores like Plato’s Closet that accept used clothing that is still in good condition.

I have had lots of success with the website Poshmark. It is so user friendly which makes it easier to make a sale. They charge no fees to list an item so if you list something that never sells you are not out any money. They do take 20% of every sale you make which may seem steep but they protect both the buyer and seller in every transaction. I have heard stories from people using other websites who have had trouble with the website always taking the side of the buyer or vice versa. I have actually had two instances in which an item I shipped was marked delivered by USPS but the buyer claims they never received the package. Instead of penalizing either one of us, Poshmark still paid me the money I was owed and refunded the buyer their money. It gives me confidence that when I ship an item I will not be conned out of the money because Poshmark fairly investigates each situation.

To get started with Poshmark, you simply sign up for an account, snap a few pictures of the items you want to sell and list them on your “closet”. It really is that easy. Make sure you provide lots of detail in your description of each item so that it makes each transaction smoother and cuts down on the number of questions you get from potential buyers. One of the unique aspects of Poshmark is that you promote your own items as well as the items of fellow sellers to help make a sale. The more you share, both your items and other’s items, the more people see your “closet” and the more likely you are to sell something. After an item sells, you will be emailed a shipping label that you simply print out and place on the package. Poshmark uses USPS to ship their packages and you can get free priority mail boxes from the post office to ship all your items in. When you are ready to cash out the money from the items you have sold, you can either request a check be mailed to your address or link an account so that the money can be directly deposited. Another option is to use the money from your sales  to purchase an item from another person’s closet. Poshmark used to be strictly for women’s clothing but has recently opened up to children and men’s clothing. It’s a great source to score some awesome deals on brand name items as well as buy new clothing from one of the many boutiques that are on Poshmark.

That brings us to the 4th pile, the keep pile. These are the items that you know you are going to wear the upcoming season. After cleaning out all the other items that you no longer need/want, you’ve got plenty of room to add new items to your wardrobe.