By Jessica Pruitt, Buffalo Exchange HQ
Whether you’re a packrat or a minimalist, cleaning out your closet is a job and a half. All those decisions, all those pants you have to try to squeeze yourself into, the new 6-inch layer of clothing carpeting your bedroom floor…yeah, on second thought, think I’ll go for an episode of GoT and a glass of wine instead. Fortunately, with a few organizational hacks and little help from your friends, you can get your closet sorted with enough time to make it down to Buffalo Exchange, where you can sell your past favorites for cash or trade. Win, win and win!
Roast Your Closet

It’s no secret that we all get by with a little help from our friends, so when it comes to cleaning out your closet, don’t go it alone! Invite a group of your besties over for a closet “roast”. Have each person pick out their least favorite item in your wardrobe and style it into an outfit. Then, do a runway show of these looks, first setting your friends up with sharpies and paper so they can vote Olympic ice skating-style.
Ultimately, it’s your opinion about the item that counts, but this can definitely help you let go of items you’re holding onto for sentimental reasons or that you’re just on the fence about. Repay your friends by plying them with cocktails and takeout. Once you’ve decided which items to keep and which ones to sell, head down to Buffalo Exchange to trade your past favorites for new ones!
Cleaning Out Your Closet with Marie Kondo

Ever since Marie Kondo published her take on all things organization, closet cleaning experts have been recommending that you start by removing ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING from your closet. If you haven’t cleaned out in years, this is a solid approach. It forces you to evaluate every item, rather than just skimming off the top, and gives you the chance to make your closet shiny and new (i.e. no more dust bunnies, shriveled apple cores and T-shirts from middle school hiding out behind your winter coats).
If you’ve moved on to the “maintenance” stage of closet organization, instead remove any items you don’t feel 100% sure about keeping and pile them on your bed. Need a little extra motivation to get started? Go shopping! It’s always easier to say goodbye to pieces you’re no longer wearing when you have new favorites to replace them with.
Try Wearing Your “Maybes” One More Time

This is my personal favorite method for cleaning out your closet. Start by pulling out any items you’re on the fence about – whether they’re in the never-worn-it, bored-of-it or forgot-I-had-this category. Over the next week, challenge yourself to wear each one of these items. Try mixing it up by adding a belt or a layering piece or even just a different pair of shoes. Best case scenario, you come up with a bunch of interesting new outfit combinations and discover some new go-tos. Worst case scenario, you kind of dislike your outfit for the day. But hey, even this is a win because you’ll be able to toss the offending item in the sell pile without hesitation.
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