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This a guest post by Christine Satterfield from i Dream of Clean.

I'm not sure which is worse: waking up on a Monday or trying to choose a smart outfit before you've had a cup of coffee. Whether it's a sassy suit for the workplace or your favorite yoga attire, Mondays and mornings are more tolerable when you know exactly what you're going to wear.

How do you know what to wear, you may be asking? Easy! By scanning your neatly organized closet and selecting an outfit that's at your fingertips. 

If your closet is anything but neatly organized, it's time to deep clean your closet. If that seems like a completely overwhelming task, don't worry. I'm about to give you some simple, easy-to-follow instructions:

1. Take everything -yes, everything- out of the closet. If you have more clothes than closet, the easiest way to slim the selection is to start with a blank slate.

    

2. Clean your closet. Wipe down the walls and vacuum the floor. Cobwebs and odors don't exactly give you the boost you need in the morning. If you have time, you might even want to give your closet a fresh coat of paint or install that EasyClosets organizing system you've been eyeing. If you've been thinking about fancying up your closet, this is the time.

    

3. Start the streamlining process. Before you add anything back into the closet, put clothes that are obviously old, ragged, beyond repair, don't look good on you, or are completely out of style in a donation box. Most people have at least a few items they will easily part with right away.

    

4. Put the BEST items back in your closet. You know those outfits that always get compliments? Those fully accessorized outfits that actually make you feel stylish? Or those suits that give you the confidence to conquer any challenge in front of you? Those should definitely go back in your closet first.

    

5. If you have new clothes (that you've actually been wearing...not the ones that have been hanging for two years with the tag still on them), but you need the right accessory to make it a "wow" outfit, make a note of the needed item. Then hang those clothes in the closet.

    

6. Try everything else on before putting it back in your closet. We all have clothes that have been in our closet so long we can't imagine them not taking up that space, but here's the thing: they're doing just that -taking up space. They are crowding our "good" clothes so we can barely find them. They make us feel like we have nothing to wear. That's why we need to try them on and ask ourselves some serious questions before putting them back in our closet. Put the item on, look in the mirror, and ask yourself the following questions:

    

   1. Does it fit properly? (Does it hang too low? Is it too small? Too big? Too long? Too short? Does it make me feel frumpy?)
   2. Do I even like it? Do I like it enough to wear it often?
   3. Do I have anything to wear with it? If not, how long have I had it? Will I really ever buy a complimentary piece?
   4. Do I feel GREAT in it? Or is it just so-so?
   5. Is it a duplicate? Do I really need 5 black shirts? Do I need 27 tshirts?
   6. Would I buy it again, in this condition, if I saw it in the store today? Think carefully about this question. It might be the most important.

If you answered "yes" to every question, then hang the item back in your closet. If you answered "no" then it's time to place it in the donation box. If you had mixed reviews, put it in a "maybe" pile. Once you've gone through all your clothes, start again with the maybe pile. It gets easier to streamline your clothes once you've filled your closet with only the best.

Just remember, a cluttered, cram-packed closet is usually full of ill-fitting, out of style clothes. It can be difficult to even find the outfits that look great on you because they are smashed in so tightly that you can't see them. But a clean and organized closet makes it easy and even fun to get dressed in the morning!

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