5 Steps To Cleaning Out Your Closet For Fall

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Fall is coming! While adding new pieces to your repertoire is a must, it’s crucial to first clean out and reorganize your closet, taking stock of classic pieces from past seasons and stowing away current summery staples for next year. Ahead, five easy steps to follow for a well-edited wardrobe ready to take on chillier days ahead.

1. Donate or toss your summer pieces

Start by narrowing down your warm-weather wares. Pull out your summer items and create three piles: keep, donate/sell, toss. If it's a transitional piece you can wear into fall or it's something you'll wear next year, keep it. If it's fast fashion that you feel has been exhausted or you haven't worn it in the past three months, throw it into the donate/sell pile and take it to a charity or consignment store (check out our tips for consigning here). If it's raggedy or in otherwise poor condition, toss it.

2. Store non-transitional summer pieces

From the keep pile, separate your summer-only pieces from your transitional ones and store them away. For example, cropped off-the-shoulder tops, denim cutoffs, pom-pom sandals and straw hats won't work once September hits. Anything that blatantly screams exotic vacation, put away.

3. Bring out fall-centric pieces

Move fall items such as jackets, long-sleeve blouses, scarves and ankle boots out of storage. You want to replace billowy, breezy silhouettes with more polished shapes, and add back layering accessories for chillier days. It's important to do this now so they're top of mind and you can start incorporating them into your ensembles as you transition.

4. Organize by priority

It's now time to organize by importance and accessibility. Keep basics such as white T-shirts and tanks at the front to create a foundation. Then, add in the summery transitional pieces you can still wear into fall (you'll store them as the weather gets colder later on). True fall pieces should follow, in the order from lightest to heaviest weight, starting with thin knits and polished tops and ending with jackets and coats.

5. Clean out your closet and drawers

Get your disinfectant spray and duster out to clean surfaces, mirrors and drawers. Not only will it feel tidier, it'll also help clothes and accessories stay in better condition. Don't forget to fold everything neatly to prevent wrinkles, and use storage containers to create sections if needed.

Method, Sweet Citrus All-Purpose Surface Cleaner, $4, available at Target; Up & Up, Microfiber Duster, $5, available at Target; CB2, Beam Baskets, $30, available at CB2.