'A great way to silence the voice in your head' – decluttering my closet with an app easily revealed exactly what I needed to throw out, guilt-free

I am that type-A friend. I have a spreadsheet for everything and don’t go anywhere without a to-do list, so when I discovered I could use a data-led approach to declutter my closet using an app, I dove straight in.

The concept is simple, albeit a bit time-consuming overall. You use a wardrobe app (several versions are available on app stores) to document all your clothing pieces, and then tag them whenever you wear them.

After a few months, you have the perfect picture of what you use and what needs to go to (eventually) to declutter clothes fast. Here’s why I love it – and why the experts urge caution.

I tried decluttering my closet using an app

So far as decluttering methods go, this is one of the more time-consuming. You have to take pictures of all of your clothing, categorize them in the app, and then stick to the routine of tagging them every time you wear them.

To make this easier, I decided to start off by doing a light declutter, taking everything out of my closet, snapping a picture in the ‘Whering’ app, and getting rid of items that I knew I didn’t want or were damaged right off the bat.

This saved me some time categorizing.

My folding laundry basket, from Wayfair, made it quick and easy to section off the clothing that I wanted to clear out, and the items going back into the closet were hung on slimline velvet coat hangers, from Walmart, to keep them neat while saving space in my tiny closet.

Over the next few months, I lived my life as normal, working from home, going out on day trips, going to the gym, and seeing friends. I hopped into the app each day at bedtime to check off any items I wore. At the end, I had a nice digital representation of the clothes I reach for constantly – the types, colors, materials, and so on that I naturally gravitate towards.

I was also about to create outfit portfolios, giving me a better chance of using pieces that I usually ignored or forgot about, and giving me a bank of inspiration for the next day I feel like I have nothing to wear. The rest of the items, however, were then very good contenders for decluttering.

Image 1 of 4

There were, of course, some caveats to this method. In day-to-day life, I don’t have much reason to don my fanciest dresses, for example, so they weren’t a category I considered for this shorter trial. Similarly, I only focused on cooler-season clothing that matched the dismal weather outside, leaving my warm summer clothing in vacuum-sealed bags from Target, for another trial-by-app later in the year.

The items I didn’t wear despite being in rotation were pulled out of the closet again, many of which are going straight into a bag for donation. The clear out was seamless, and I barely had to think about the vast majority of the items that were being pulled off of hangars.

Some other garments that I still wasn’t sure about were added to a box for the expiry decluttering method – giving them another few weeks to be used, or eventually be donated too.

Who it works for

David Hurless, director of operations at Stor-It, shares, ‘I think this decluttering tip is fascinating, and really speaks to where technology is being adapted to optimize everything that we do. This is such a brilliant way to take the guesswork and uncertainty out of decluttering and making space.

‘I think something that happens with our belongings is we talk ourselves into keeping things for one reason or another. What a great way to silence this voice in your head, with being able to look at your phone and see definitive data that says you haven't worn something in the last year.’

It isn’t just good for decluttering without feeling overwhelmed, either. David adds, ‘I think another thing that this could do is help someone shop smarter. When you know that you have three flannel shirts you rarely wear, and do not need a fourth, then you could easily avoid the back and forth on whether you need something.’

If you are not as pragmatic, or prefer a little less structure to your day, however, this closet decluttering tip may not be for you.

Meghan Cocchiaro, professional home organizer and owner of Organized by Meg adds, ‘I think the data-led closet decluttering method is overkill and may be a waste of time. In a world where we are tracking more and more of our lives (our steps, our macros, our moods, etc), tracking our closets seems totally unnecessary.

‘There is a much simpler way to assess what you are and are not wearing – simply by physically grouping the items you wear most often, together, away from those you are not. Then after a few months, or a new season, or the following year, if there is any clothing that hasn't been worn at all or very rarely – those should be removed entirely from your wardrobe or moved out of your prime real estate area.’

Closet organizing essentials

Meet the experts

Meghan Cocchiaro

Meghan is a professional home organizer bringing peace of mind to busy families in the greater Denver area, specializing specifically in working with busy women who juggle careers, families, and their passions.

David Hurless

David is the director of operations at Stor-It and has been there for 17 years.

No matter how much you declutter, how easy it is to get ready each morning will really come down to your closet organization ideas.

Keeping like-with-like and splitting your pieces by season or occasion will make grabbing exactly what you need each day quicker and easier.