Closet Cleanout: What to Ditch for the Summer

We’ve all been there, holding on to a shirt you hope might fit again or jeans you pray will come back in style, but this summer we are going to tackle the chore of the century. It can be hard to know when something shouldn’t be in your life anymore, but summer is the best time to make yourself finally clean out your closet. Pick a blisteringly hot day, invite some friends over, and start tossing things out that are doing you no good. Here are the things you should ditch from your closet this summer.

“Take one, it’s free!”

These items can range from bags, t-shirts, hats, and sometimes hoodies (if you get a free hoodie, keep it). I remember walking on campus for the first time during my tour and being handed free things left and right. As an upcoming freshman, I was blown away by the amount of Ole Miss stuff I was about to leave with- FOR FREE. Now, on my daily journey of picking out clothes to wear, I am confronted by a stack of five or six Ole Miss shirts that I have washed and dried so many times that they shrank two sizes and most of their references are outdated. Part of the reason I don’t just toss them out is that I did not have to pay for them, but I have come to learn that just because things don’t come at a cost does not mean you necessarily need them. This can also go for random tote bags, bandanas, and accessories. 

Things too small

This one is going to be hard to hear, and trust me, it was hard to type. Summer inspires a lot of people to reach their body goals. As you aspire to reach your goal, items in your closet that once fit can often work as motivation to someday be able to wear them again. Although this may be true, how many summers have you been telling yourself this? I think it is time to finally pack it up, and here is why. It is way more beneficial to make room in your closet for things that you can actually use and that actually fit. Those tops you have convinced yourself will make their way outside someday will actually stay in the back of your closet until you decide they are not even in style anymore. Life is too short to hope something will work for you again, so I encourage you to bite the bullet. 

The Ex’s

Unfortunately, summer love isn’t always what it seems. We have all been there; your partner decides “the distance is too much”, “I am going home for the summer”, or “I don’t want to have a significant other during my first year of college”. I apologize, I know that last one really hurt for some of yall. As hard as it may be to purge yourself of their clothes, wearing their shirts to bed will only make it harder to move on. While they are off “finding themselves”, don’t find yourself sleeping in their shirts, crying in bed, or watching your Snapchat memories of them. All you need is a trash bag and Olivia Rodrigo on full blast. Most importantly, have a friend drop it off at their house because they don’t deserve to see that face one last time. 

Misfit items

Clothes get worn and torn, it’s no big deal. But at what point is it time to say goodbye? When you reach for something and decide against wearing it because of the condition it is in its time. That one bra hanging on by a single clasp with the pointy underwire that digs into your side needs to be retired. That shirt you impulsively cropped but keep because it was kind of expensive before you manically reached for the scissors. If you are anything like me, you have a plethora of socks that have been missing their pair since 8th grade- toss those too. Shoes can take up a lot of closet space without the right organization system, so if you haven’t worn them in the past year, let them go. Repeat after me: If the stain won’t come out, it’s time to throw it out.

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What to do with your clothes

After you’ve purged your closet of the items above, don’t just throw them in the trash. One of the best parts about cleaning out your closet is giving someone else new clothes. There are stores, such as Plato’s Closet, where you can get paid for the clothes you donate. Other thrift shops, like Godwill, accept donations but donators aren’t paid. By donating your clothes to a second-hand store, you can provide low-income families the opportunity to provide for themselves and their children. Red Cross is working on the ground in Ukraine to provide resources to those in dire need. Right now, an amazing way to show support to those in Ukraine is by donating your clothes through Red Cross, where they will be distributed to families who have been evacuated from their homes and have lost everything. Donating clothes helps protect the planet by keeping them out f landfills, where it takes years for clothes to break down. Landfills release harmful gases into our atmosphere and if you can’t help reduce the output of these gases, why wouldn’t you want to.

It’s the right thing to do, trust me.

The saying “out with the old, in with the new” will become your motivation to do so this summer. Don’t let the past hold you back from letting new, better things come into your life (and your closet). Ditching your old clothes helps make room in your closet for things you actually want, need, and will use! You will also be able to navigate what to add to your closet. There are so many positives that come along with donating unwanted items, and we could all use a little more good news these days. If you are looking to help with the ongoing Ukraine crisis, share this article with your friends to encourage them to donate as well. You can visit Red Cross for more information.