Project 333 - The Ultimate Closet Clean Out

Piles of empty hangers after cleaning out a closet.

Do you need help cleaning out your closet? Do you struggle to grasp just how many clothes you have? Whether or not you are building a capsule wardrobe or following Project 333, these steps will help you clean out your closet once and for all.

What is Project 333?

If you’re like me you’re thinking it’s some sort of non-profit but it’s actually a challenge to have 33 items in your wardrobe for 3 months. Capsule wardrobes have been around for a long time and Courtney Carver started Project 333 ten years ago so I know I’m late to the game but I wasn’t ready to start a wardrobe challenge like this before I knew my personal style.

How Do I Start Project 333?

I recommend reading the book before you start. If you’re doing this challenge to save money and can’t afford to buy the book, many libraries offer it on their digital lending apps.

Ok, Really, How Do I Start?

Closet Clean out

The first step is to gather all of your clothes and place them in one location. Carver suggests placing them on your bed so you’re motivated to clear it before nightfall, so that’s what I did. And she means ALL of your clothes, even accessories and jewelry. In the book she tells you not to worry about categories but I have obsessive tendencies so I ended up placing like items together as I laid them on the bed. This did make it easier for me later, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it now.

Large piles of clothes — How is all this stuff mine?

Coffee Break

After all of your clothes are on your bed, take a break. I sat down with a cup of coffee and jotted down some feelings. My first feeling was disgust. How could I have this many clothes and not even know it? My physical closet is very small and over the years my clothes migrated to other places so I never had a complete picture of all of my clothes. Admittedly, I didn’t include my workout clothes in this pile because they are not included in the 33 items so this is not technically all the clothes I own. I also felt very privileged. I was able to purchase every item of clothing on the bed; even if the individual items weren’t expensive, the amounts add up.

I can’t stress enough how important taking a break is. If I hadn’t stopped for a cup of coffee and some water, I’m not sure I would have been able to continue, or I would have burned out quickly.

Sort It Out

Once you have hydrated, maybe eaten a snack, and processed a few of the feelings you had, go back to your pile of clothes. No, it didn’t get smaller while you were away, but it’s ok, this is when the closet clean out really starts.

Get 3 boxes or designate 3 spots on the floor. One for keep/love, one for maybe and one for trash/sell/donate. I have limited floor space in my bedroom so the “keep” items stayed on the bed. Now you can pick up each item of clothing and make a quick judgment: do I love this, am I unsure about it, or do I want to get rid of it? Place the item in the designated spot. Do this with each item until every item is in one of the piles. Don’t think too hard, just go with your gut reaction. It’s ok if one pile is larger than the others or if one is completely empty. Again, you don’t need to do this by category, but I did it in this order:

Jewelry and hair accessories
Accessories – scarves, hats, purses, etc.
Bathing suits
Jackets/coats
Cardigans
Dresses/jumpsuits
Pants/skirts
Sweaters
Tops
Shoes

Organized piles of clothing — Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Maybe, Donate, Keep, Jewelry to keep

Lunch Break

Take another break. Seriously, you need it. Eat some lunch; if you have any sports drinks in the house, drink one, because we’re not done yet. If your bed is clear at this point, maybe take a power nap or go outside for some fresh air.

Sort It Again

This next step is when you will be more discerning. Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself if you’re on the fence:

Would I buy this item today?
Will I wear this item in the next 3-6 months?
Is it a duplicate or do I have something similar?
Can I create 3 different outfits with it?
Does it fit me right now?

(Some of the questions are straight from the book and some I came up with after attempting many closet declutter sessions in the past.)

Box up seasonal items that you won’t need for the next 3 months and also box up your maybe pile. Put both boxes out of sight. At this stage you should also figure out if you are going to sell any of the clothes you don’t want to keep. If so, sort out which ones to sell and which to donate/trash. Donate, sell or trash the items as soon as possible so they are out of your house.

These are my ‘to keep’ items. I used to struggle to fit new items on the rack, now I have empty space.

At this point you are probably exhausted, I know I was. Your bed should be clear and your other clothes are boxed up and out of sight. You can either get to work on your 33 items or you can take a much needed break. Since this post is already getting long, I’m breaking this post in to 2 parts: the closet clean out and the 33 items. Check out the next post to see how to choose the 33 items, what’s included and what I chose for my 33 items.

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Project 333 – The Ultimate Closet Clean Out