Clean Out Your Closet

 This post was inspired by the suggestion of a friend. Any suggestions you have? Let me know!

Hubby's closet - labeled for ease of reference

I'll admit it, I'm not really fashion-oriented, or fashion-conscious even. I'm not a huge fan of shopping, though I do like to get nice clothes from time to time. All in all, the days I go shopping in a year add up to maybe 7 altogether. That is, whole afternoons dedicated to shopping, for example.
Yet, even if I don't buy a lot of clothes and try to avoid buying them, they still seem to accumulate out of nowhere. After a mere two years in China, the pile of clothes that fills up my closet has quadrupled, I kid you not! There's at least 4 times as many clothes in there as when I unpacked that first Wednesday in August 2009.
Luckily, I've taken some time here and there, a couple of minutes, to organize the stuff and throw away unwanted items.

Clear out a section in your closet. Just empty it completely! If you have ten minutes or so, do the whole closet at once. Then, decide on a system. I hang up my jackets, skirts, dresses and shirts that I like to keep neat. I have a pile for tank and spaghetti tops, short sleeves, long sleeves, sweaters, pajamas, shorts, and pants (so 6 piles). Everything that doesn't fit there, goes in a 'rest' pile. 
Every time I clear things away that I don't need. I recently wore out three pairs of jeans, and I'm just going to throw them out. I won't pack them to go to the States, not worth it. So they don't belong in my closet anymore.
Anything that is somehow ripped or has a button missing, also does NOT belong in your closet! It belongs on your 'to fix' pile. You won't wear it 'till it's fixed, so it's just gathering up space for now. 

When you put your stuff back in piles, look at what you wear most often, and what you wear least often. The stuff you wear least often could be considered for possible disposal. The same goes for anything that's stained/irreparably damaged/too small/too big. Get rid of it!

As a last step, try to make your wardrobe seasonal. I removed my winter clothes for the next following months, since I won't need them anymore and my closet looks much neater with less stuff in it. I've also taken out the summer clothes I'd put away. It's like rediscovering your clothes when you take them out for the right season.

My closet - in need of some 5 minute organizing

I find that a neat closet saves me quite a bit of time every morning, when I pick out my clothes. It makes it easy to find everything and to put your clothes back when you finish the laundry.

How do you organize your wardrobe? Do you go by color? Season? Style? Occasion?
Do you prefer just keeping things at random?