The 30 Minute Closet Edit You Can Do This Week - The Everyday Style School

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 30 Minute Closet Edit You Can Do This Week

Podcast Information:

Title: The Everyday Style School
Host/Author: Jennifer Mackey Mary
Description: The Everyday Style School inspires women to love their daily appearance by offering practical style advice tailored to real lives, bodies, and budgets. From understanding body shapes to decluttering wardrobes, the podcast provides actionable tips for effortless dressing.
Episode: The 30 Minute Closet Edit You Can Do This Week
Release Date: May 22, 2025

Introduction to the 30-Minute Closet Edit

[00:00]
Jennifer Mackey Mary opens the episode by addressing a common problem: the overwhelming task of updating closets with each changing season. She acknowledges that many women end up managing more clothes than they actually wear, leading to clutter and frustration. Jennifer introduces her solution—a streamlined 30-minute closet edit designed to simplify the process and enhance wardrobe efficiency.

“There are things you can do to make the whole process easier and your wardrobe better.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [00:00]

Why a Quick Closet Edit?

Jennifer emphasizes that this closet edit is not about a comprehensive overhaul but rather making quick, effective decisions that set the stage for a smoother seasonal transition. She underscores the benefits of this approach, including saving time, reducing clutter, and increasing the likelihood of wearing more existing clothes, which ultimately saves money.

“You're not going to try on anything at all. This is meant to be all about quick decisions.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [04:30]

Preparation Steps

Before diving into the edit, Jennifer advises organizing the closet to streamline the process. She suggests grouping similar items together—tops by sleeve length, bottoms by hem length—and eliminating trash such as empty shoe boxes and broken hangers.

“If your closet isn't already organized the everyday style way...set a timer for 30 minutes and just reset your closet.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [03:00]

10 Steps for an Effective Closet Edit

Jennifer outlines a clear, step-by-step guide to conducting the 30-minute closet edit:

Gather Current Season’s Clothes
Collect all items for the current season from various places like the car, laundry room, and gym bag. This ensures a comprehensive review and prevents forgotten items from lingering in the closet.

“Get all the shoes too. Collect it all so that we're dealing with the whole wardrobe.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [05:45]
Empty Handbags and Totes
Clean out bags to keep them in good condition and prevent unwanted items like tissues and old medications from accumulating.

“Future you will thank you for a clean slate next year.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [06:30]
Touch and Inspect Clothes
Without trying on anything, inspect each item for wear and tear. Remove any clothes that are visibly worn out to avoid storing items you won’t wear.

“Managing clothes you're not going to wear isn't a good use of your time.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [07:15]
Identify Items Needing Repair or Tailoring
Take out clothes that need minor fixes rather than storing them. If an item isn’t worth repairing, it should be donated instead.

“Don’t move and store clothes that you can’t or don’t want to wear.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [08:00]
Make a List of Needed Items
Note down any essentials you need to replenish, such as stained white tees or tanks. This proactive step helps maintain a functional wardrobe without last-minute shopping stress.

“Make a note in your phone to replenish them.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [09:00]
Prepare Items for Storage
Ensure all items to be stored are clean, especially light-colored pieces, to prevent stains from setting during storage.

“Washing them before storing them away seems like a small price to pay.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [10:00]
Remove Items That Make You Feel Bad
Discard clothes that cause physical discomfort or emotional dissatisfaction, such as scratchy sweaters or frumpy dresses.

“Leave it until your next real closet edit. We're just looking for easy Casualties here.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [11:15]
Eliminate the 'Someday' Stash
Get rid of clothes kept for hypothetical wardrobe emergencies. Jennifer argues that such emergencies are rare and overrated.

“Nothing's gonna happen. There is no situation in which all the things you like to wear are ruined.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [12:45]
Dispose of Items Kept Out of Guilt
Let go of clothes you’re holding onto due to sentimental reasons or the money spent on them. Jennifer advises donating or selling items instead of storing them indefinitely.

“Clothing guilt usually comes in two forms. Number one, guilt because someone gave it to you...”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [14:00]
Remove Items That Require Becoming Someone Different
Discard clothes that demand significant personal changes to be worn comfortably, such as needing weight loss to fit.

“Don’t just keep moving it and moving it. Unpacking, unpacking is a ton of physical and mental energy.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [15:00]

Bonus Tip: Prepare for the New Season

As a final step, Jennifer recommends gathering all items for the upcoming season before the old season's edit begins. This proactive measure prevents missing out on necessary pieces and ensures a seamless transition.

“Go on a little treasure hunt and make sure you have everything in all the little hiding spots for the upcoming season.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [15:10]

Conclusion and Encouragement

Jennifer wraps up by reinforcing the benefits of the 30-minute closet edit, including reduced time spent on seasonal changes, decreased clutter, and an enhanced wardrobe. She encourages listeners to commit to this routine to create more space and efficiency in their daily lives.

“By being intentional at the end of each season, you can create more margin in your life.”
— Jennifer Mackey Mary [15:25]

Key Takeaways:

Efficiency: A quick, organized approach to seasonal closet edits saves time and reduces stress.
Clarity: Removing unused and problematic items clarifies personal style and increases the likelihood of wearing what you own.
Maintenance: Regular, intentional wardrobe management leads to long-term benefits, including financial savings and a more enjoyable dressing experience.

This episode serves as a practical guide for women looking to simplify their wardrobes and make smarter fashion choices without the need for extensive time investment.

Transcript

A (0:00)

When a new season starts, does updating your closet mean just pulling out what you've stored in other places and packing away what you don't have room for? That's what most women do, and over time you end up managing more clothes than you actually wear. I know that the changing of the wardrobe can be a daunting task, but there are things you can do to make the whole process easier and your wardrobe better. Today I'm going to share my 30 minute closet edit you can do to start the next season off on the right style foot. Let's get started. Foreign hello gorgeous. Welcome back to the Everyday Style School, the podcast that gives real life style advice to real life women. I'm your host, Jennifer Mackey. Mary I'm a wardrobe stylist who's been dressing everyday Women for over 25 years and I'm the founder of Everyday Style where we are on a mission to inspire women to love the way they look and give you the tools to make getting dressed easy. Like many of you, I don't have a huge closet with enough room for a sofa and a fancy center island. Although life goals, right? That'd be nice. In fact, I don't even have enough room for all of my clothes, probably like many of you. Which means that I have to do the dreaded task of changing my clothes over a couple of times each year and digging out the things I need now and putting away the things I won't use for months. This is honestly one of my least favorite tasks, and I will admit I put it off as long as I can. But there comes a point where I am digging in bins or visiting my office closet for off season clothes more than I'm actually getting dressed in my own closet. And that's my cue to make the switch, which is what I did last weekend. Although this isn't a task I love, I found a way to make the process less painful and refine my wardrobe at the same time. And in this episode, I'm going to share my secrets with you. Now. If you're thinking there's no way I can edit my closet in 30 minutes, you're right. I don't care how small your wardrobe is. Doing the kind of closet edit that requires you to try on everything you own and ask yourself all the questions you need to make good choices probably can't happen, which is why we're not talking about that. In fact, you're not going to try on anything at all. This is meant to be all about quick decisions with the goal of Setting future you up for success. If you do this edit at the end of every season or whenever you change over your closet, you'll find that over time, switching out the clothes is much, much easier and and you'll even end up wearing more of what you already have, which saves you money. This also might take longer if your closet isn't already organized the everyday style way with like items grouped together, tops grouped by sleeve length, bottoms by hem length. If you need to do that before you get started, set a timer for 30 minutes and just reset your closet during this time. Also take out all the trash like shoe boxes that don't have shoes in them and empty shopping bags, broken hangers, all that kind of stuff. It's just give it a quick little refresh. The rest of it though, you should be able to tackle in about 30 minutes. Like I said, you're not trying anything on and you are only focusing on the current season transition. So right now we're heading from spring into summer, which means that I'm not even going to look at the winter sweaters that I have room to keep in my closet all year round. I. I'm only focusing on editing spring clothes. In a few months, I will only focus on summer things. And to be clear, this doesn't replace an actual closet edit. You gotta do it, you gotta put in the work, you gotta try all the things on. But this is just to make the process of changing your closet from one season to the next easier and more successful. So here are 10 things you should do at the end of every season. Number one. This one might seem obvious, but gather up all the things for the current season. I don't know about you, but I can be a little bit scattered with my clothes. Like I will take a jacket off in the car when it gets too warm and then the jacket will live there for a few weeks. Or I will have shoes in multiple places depending on which door I came through when I came home. Skipping this step kind of reminds me of when the Christmas season is over and I'm trying to pack up all the holiday decorations and inevitably there's that one mug or a bathroom rug that I was washing that get forgotten about. And then there's just like a random holiday decoration here and there and floating around the living room for months or stuck in random boxes. Often I forget about those things when it comes time for the next holiday season and I only discover it after Christmas is over and, and I wish I had remembered where I put it. I wish that I had had it right you can avoid that by looking in all the places that you might have clothes like your laundry room, your car, gym bag, whatever. Get all the shoes too. Collect it all so that we're dealing with the whole wardrobe. Number two is empty your handbags and totes. If you're anything like me, your bags become catchalls for everything from ref receipts to random bracelets. Doing this will keep your bags in better condition. And while it might be fun to find money in a coat pocket or a bag when the weather turns cold again, it's a lot less fun to find tissues and a random dusty Advil. That's just kind of gross, right? Future you will thank you for a clean slate next year and you never know what you're going to find. Once I found a pair of prescription sunglasses in a tote bag that I had taken like on a on a weekend months earlier and I thought I lost them, but nope, there they were when I cleaned out the bag. So this is a good one to do. Number three, next up, finally touching the clothes. Look for anything worn out. We are not trying anything on in this mini closet edit, but I do want you to look at the season's clothes before just packing them up. If something has clearly seen better days, why pack it up and store it only to not want it in a few months? This is one reason the changing of the closet is so daunting. Managing clothes is a lot of work, and managing clothes you're not going to wear isn't a good use of your time. Along with that, look for number four items that need to be tailored or repaired. If you didn't wear a fabulous pair of pants all season because they needed to be hemmed, don't pack them up and hope that future you makes time to do it. No, pull them from your closet now and put them in a bag to be tailored to go to the tailor now. If you're like, well, these pants aren't worth hemming, take them out and put them in the donate pile. You're not going to grow 3 inches this year and you're not going to value those pants more next year. Again, don't move and store clothes that you can't or don't want to wear. Number five is an ongoing one and you know I always have a note on my phone of clothes that I'm looking for, but number five is make a quick note of what you need for the season or for next year. If you pulled out all of your white tees and tanks because they were stained by sunscreen, and self tanner like I did last fall. Make a note in your phone to replenish them. Sometimes you can use the end of the season sales to restock these items, but I only do that when it's something unique or different, like a dress or a cute pair of shoes. I know that staple pieces and basics like tees and tanks and shorts. They'll be around and they'll be on sale next year, so I wouldn't bother with those. Next up, number six is Prep your items for storage. For items you won't be wearing in the upcoming season, make sure they are clean before storing them away, especially your light colored pieces. Trust me on this, there is nothing more disappointing than pulling out your favorite white linen pants for the season only to find spots that have mysteriously darkened during storage. Even if something looks clean, invisible oils from your skin can oxidize over time and create stains. If you've ever pulled out baby clothes that you stored from one baby to the next and thought why the heck did I keep this? This looks terrible. This is why. This is what happens. Stains do come up over time, so if you're not sure something's been washed since it was last worn again, especially those light color things, it's better to be safe than sorry. I know this step seems like a huge pain in the butt. Who wants to do more laundry? Not me or but when you get to the point of loving the clothes you own, washing them before storing them away seems like a small price to pay to keep from having to replace them. Number seven and no laundry is required for this one, is to get rid of anything that makes you feel bad, either physically or emotionally. A scratchy sweater, a tee with a neckline that chokes you, a dress that always makes you feel frumpy and washed out. I would bet good money you're not wearing these things anyway. And for most people it's just part of the winter wardrobe or the spring wardrobe. So when it comes time, we just pack it up with the rest of the stuff, right? But what if you just didn't? What if you just didn't do that when you unpack those bins next year? Would you miss the dress that made you feel frumpy? Nope. Would you miss the sweater that gave you a rash around the neck? Absolutely not. Remember, there's no trying on here, so if you have to put it on to see if it's scratchy or to see if you feel bad about yourself in it, leave it until your next real closet edit. We're just looking for those easy Casualties here. Number eight is along the same lines, and that's dealing with your someday stash. These are the clothes you're keeping in case of a wardrobe emergency. Like in case all of your good clothes are somehow washed away in a flash flood and all that's left behind is some ill fitting jeans. Well, I guess at least you'll have something to wear. These wardrobe emergencies never ever happen. And there's no point in managing clothes you don't wear. Think about how much easier these closet changeovers would be if you just had to deal with the things that you really wear. If you were super ruthless, could you eliminate the closet changeovers altogether? That's a question for another day. But for now, don't make those someday clothes a problem for future you. Just deal with them now and realize nothing's gonna happen. There is no situation in which all the things you like to wear are ruined, so now you have to wear the things you don't wanna wear. It's never happened in the history of ever, so don't do it. All right. One more easy thing to get rid of is number nine. Anything you're keeping solely out of guilt. Clothing guilt usually comes in two forms. Number one, guilt because someone gave it to you, or number two, guilt because you spent money on it. If somebody gave you the gift of clothing, their part in the exchange was over when they gave it to you. And if you're worried they're going to ask about it, wear it once, take a picture, send it to them, and then donate it. Just because someone gave you something doesn't mean you have to manage that thing for the rest of your life. That's not a gift, that's a burden. The other guilt, which is more common, is hanging on to things we spent money on but aren't wearing. The thing is, the money was gone the second you bought it or the second the return window ended, and no amount of hanging onto those things will bring your money back. It's gone for good. The best thing you can do is sell it on ebay or Poshmark while it's still in season and in style. Don't pack it up and store it and unpack it and move it for a few years before deciding to let go of it. Every single year you pack it up and hang it back up, it loses even more value. So get it out sooner rather than later. That is the only way you're going to get any of the money back. All right, finally, number 10 is to get rid of anything that requires you to become someone different. If all you need to do to wear those summer dresses you keep packing up and rehanging is to become a person who likes to wear dresses in the summer, let them go. If all you need to do to start wearing that black sweater you stored is become a person who looks good in black, let it go. If all you need to do to wear 80% of your closet is lose 20 pounds, well, I can't tell you to let everything go, but I would advise you to pack all that stuff up separately and not deal with it again until you can wear it or until you're ready to let it go. Don't just keep moving it and moving it. Unpacking, unpacking. It's a ton of physical and mental energy to spend on clothes that you can't wear. And. And I know you've got better things to do with your time. All right, one last bonus tip before we wrap up. Go find everything for the new season. Just like find everything for the current season, gather everything for the new season. It's like my Christmas mug. You don't want to find things halfway through or at the end of a season, things that you could have been wearing and might even spend money to replace. Go on a little treasure hunt and make sure you have everything in all the little hiding spots for the upcoming season. Over time, doing this 30 minute mini closet edit at the end of each season will result in less time spent changing over your clothes. It will result in less clutter, and it will result in a better wardrobe, which seems like a pretty good use of 30 minutes to me. I hope today's episode inspires you to set a timer for 30 minutes and get to work. If you are at the point where you've got to change clothes over before the start of the season, go for it. Don't forget to do the same thing in three months or whenever you need to change it up for for storage space. And I also hope that this episode encourages you to think about the time you spend managing clothes you don't really like or wear. It's not a good use of your time, it's not a good use of your storage space. And by being intentional at the end of each season, you can create more margin in your life. That's all I've got for you today. Thank you so much for listening and remember that your everyday matters. So get dressed for it.