Cleaning Out Your Man's Closet: Four Steps to Tossing His Clothes Without Offending Him

I must first say that I am not the most stylish individual you will ever meet. I don't particularly like to buy entire outfits of the latest fad only to realize that it is out the next season and the money that I've spent is down the drain. I would not consider myself old fashioned or out-of-style either. I tend to buy and wear things that are more conservative and will last longer than the current trends. I buy basic clothes that will go along with a trendy pair of capris or wide-legged jeans (Are those still in?). I do know when to get rid of things that have been hanging in my closet forever, even if they were from the GAP!

My man was not necessarily out-of-style either, but a few years into our marriage I noticed that he did need to clean out his closet. He had shirts in there from years before and he still was wearing them. He had things that I didn't particularly care for and when I said something about one of his shirts he mentioned it being from GAP or some other cool store and that he got it for a deal! Okay, he didn't get the hint. I will have to figure something else out! I will formulate a plan to purge his clothes. This is what I did.

Four easy steps to clean out his closet:

Step 1

Never let him know that you don't like a specific item. He may be offended or even get his feelings hurt. Or he just may wear it every time he's with you just because you don't like it!

Step 2

Start gathering items together to donate to a local charity. Ask him if he has anything in his closet that he needs to get rid of. Show him all of the things that you are giving away and this may trigger something within him. Leave the pile or bag sitting in a place where he can see it. This will be a subtle reminder to him. He may just toss out the sweater that you hate or the bright shirt that looks so bad on him. If this doesn't work, move to Step 3.

Step 3

Slowly and very carefully start moving the items to the back of his closet or the side that he doesn't use often. Wait a few weeks or possibly even a month to see if he says anything about the things you've hidden (I mean moved!). If he doesn't mention anything in that time period, stick it in the give away bag right away! Put it on the bottom so he doesn't accidentally see it. Then donate those items as quickly as you can. You may want to do this one item at a time. He is less likely to miss things when they are not all gone at once.

Step 4

When he asks where his favorite shirt is, just shrug your shoulders and walk away. He'll just think it's in the dirty-laundry pile. If he asks you again and begins to probe into the situation, deny everything!

This did work for me. I finally got rid of two of his shirts that I disliked greatly. He did ask about them eventually, but I think it was a few years later. I did notice lately that he has some shirts that I don't like. I think I will start gathering some things for charity!