The idea of decluttering your entire walk-in or reach-in closet might feel overwhelming. You know there are clothes lurking in the corners of your closet that you haven’t touched in months—maybe even years. There are extra hangers crowding your closet rod and each time you rummage through your drawers for a fresh pair of socks, you inevitably pull out one or two orphans or a pair worn thin.

Before you take on cleaning out your entire closet, which, we admit, does take a chunk of time, here are some odds and ends you can get rid of in just a few minutes to instantly make it feel a little more open.

Extra hangers—especially metal ones

The metal hangers your freshly dry-cleaned clothes hang on aren’t good for your garments—and they can bend and warp under the weight of a nice dress or suit. Remove them, and any other extra hangers from your closet, to instantly add hanging space. Your dry cleaner may even take back the hangers and reuse them.

Orphaned gloves

As much as you loved those cute wool mittens, if you lost one last winter, it’s time to part with the orphan. They’re only taking up much-needed room in a closet basket or a drawer.

Worn out belts

Leather belts that are cracked, worn out or completely out of style are likely taking up space in your closet or drawers. And if you work in an office that’s gone casual, you might not have much use for some belts anymore. Donate those that are still in good condition but not worn, and toss out the others. (While you’re at it, you should replace your belt storage with a slide-out belt rack.)

Single socks or those with holes in them

Socks wear out quickly—others often mysteriously go missing after a dryer cycle. While it’s okay to hold out hope you’ll find a missing sock for a few laundry days, if you can’t seem to reunite it with its match, it’s time to move on. Pitch them in the trash or upcycle them.
Broken jewelry

Sorry to say that if you haven’t fixed that broken necklace in two years, you probably won’t wear it. Review your jewelry when you get a spare 15 minutes and declutter your jewelry storage by getting rid of anything that’s broken.

Worn out undergarments

Underwear and bras can wear out quickly—but when you’re quickly folding laundry, you might not take the time to inspect everything and discard anything in bad shape. Go through your undergarments drawer and throw out your old underwear.

Extra buttons

If you’re anything like me, you have a small box overflowing with spare buttons the thread from knits and sweaters past. How often do you use actually use that spare button? If the answer is “not often,” then pitch them. The same goes for spare buttons that fell off clothing and weren’t replaced. Time to say goodbye.

Broken sunglasses and other accessories

Free up space on your dresser, near your vanity or in your jewelry armoire by finally getting rid of those broken sunglasses and accessories. The likelihood of you fixing them is little to none.

I hope these tips help your space BLOOM in Baltimore, Maryland and beyond! And a special thanks to closetworksinc.com for this fantastic guest blog post.