How to Organize Your Clothes -Tops-

The KonMari method encourages you to organize by category and not by room. The method also recommends that you organize your clothes first, which is probably the easiest category to start organizing for most people.

Having two little babies to take care of makes it that I don’t really have the time to organize all of my clothes in one go, so I decided to create subcategories within the category. If you do have the time, I say go for all in one go.

The list of subcategories for clothes are tops, bottoms, one-pieces, undergarments, season specifics, and shoes. By breaking them down like this, I didn’t get overwhelmed and I was able to do it while being a busy mom to two under 2!

This post was updated July 2019.

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Step 1

Pull out every single top you own and separate them into summer and winter clothing. I started with the tops that were in season since I already knew what I liked to wear and what I hadn’t worn for the season.

*Make sure you get every single top out from your closet, drawers, attic, storage, laundry, or anywhere else there might be more clothes.

After getting all of your tops out I asked myself the questions below. In the konmari method she simply asks if the item sparks joy, but I decided to go beyond that. Hold each item of clothing and ask the following questions.

1. Would I buy this if I saw it in the store right now?
2. Does it fit me? 
3. Have I worn this in the past year? 
4. Do I have more than one of these? (Do you really need 20 sweaters?) 
5. Is it damaged in any way? 
6. Does this look good on me?
7. Do I love it?

1. Would I Buy This?

If you saw this at the store and you wouldn’t buy it, then it is a good indication that you don’t really love it. It could also be that it is out of style too. If you answered no to this question then put it in your get rid of pile.

2. Does It Fit Me?

This can be tricky if you are pregnant or you had a baby recently. When I started decluttering my clothing my body wasn’t back to normal yet. I didn’t want to quite get rid of items because I wanted to wear my clothes from pre-pregnancy.

If you have been the same size for awhile and your body hasn’t or isn’t going to be going through some major changes by pregnancy or other issues then it’s time to let go of items that do not fit you.

Trying to lose weight? Make it a reward to treat yourself to new clothes that you love and fit the new you when you achieve your weigh loss goal. Unless the smaller clothing is there to motivate you, and helps you achieve your goal, then it’s probably best to get rid of it.

3. Have I Worn This In The Past Year?

Have you heard of the hanger trick? You simply hang all of the hangers backwards at the beginning of the year and as you wear something you hang them back up the right way. By doing this trick you will see what you haven’t worn that year.

Some do the hanger trick every 6 months instead of a year. I think it’s totally up to you though.

4. Do I Have Multiples?

Currently I have multiple black t-shirts that I love, so having multiples of something is not necessarily a bad thing if you wear them often and you love them. The problem comes in when you have the same item in every color or you just have a lot of something. Do you really need to have 20 sweaters?

5. Is It Damaged In Any Way?

Unless you have a timeline to fix the damaged clothing, it’s probably a good idea to just let it go. Plan a date to fix anything you want to fix so the clothing isn’t just laying around.

6. Does This Look Good On Me?

Certain styles do not look good on certain body types and certain colors do not look good on certain people. Have you heard of what color seasons look best on you? I have dark hair and dark eyes, so I look good in winter colors like navy, maroon, dark green, deep purple, and any other color that is dark. The colors I cannot pull off are the fall colors like orange, brown, and yellow. Because I do not look good in the fall colors, I never buy clothing in those colors.

7. Do I Really Love It?

The Konmari method uses the term “spark joy” which basically means something you really love. If you are having trouble knowing what really sparks joy, pick out your 5 favorite items that you must keep and cannot get rid of. Those items you picked out are the definition of spark joy.

As you go through your items, it’s okay to create a “Maybe” pile and sort through them again once you have gone through all of your clothing. You can always declutter and sort through your clothes again in the future too.

Step 2

After going through each top and asking yourself the questions from the above list, separated them in 4 different piles (KEEP, SELL, DONATE/RECYCLE, and TRASH).

• KEEP – Whatever you decide to keep make sure each item has a place. Jackets, blouses, and nice tops should be put on hangers and t-shirts can be folded into the drawer. 
• SELL – If they are name brand clothing, looks brand new, or never worn take them to consignment shops or sell them online.
• DONATE/RECYCLE – Goodwill or Salvation army are good places to donate. Make sure to check out any local places that could use clothing too! I donate a lot of my clothes to a family I know that doesn’t have much and really appreciates the clothes. 
• TRASH – If the clothing has stains or holes in them throw them away.

When I first cleaned out my clothes for the first time I was shocked to see I still had clothes from middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL!! It was definitely time to let those clothes go.

I got rid of four bags full of just tops the first time I decluttered my tops! As I gave away, donated, or threw away tops I no longer wanted, I felt lighter and happier. Although I cleared out a bunch of tops, I still felt like I had too many tops. If you feel the same way don’t worry! The more you declutter the better you will get at it.

My ultimate goal is to have a capsule closet which I am still working on currently. As I mentioned earlier I declutter often and do all of the steps every year. Each time I do it, I notice I get better at knowing what to keep and let go.

Now it’s time for you to organize your tops! Do you find it hard to organize and declutter your clothes?