Do you feel your closet becoming cluttered? Do you find you have more clothing than you wear? A sure-fire way to feel refreshed and unburdened is to clean out your wardrobe!

Earlier this summer, I went through my bureau and closet and donated approximately 50% of their contents to charity organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army. The majority of what I got rid of was clothing that, although still looking cute and stylish, was not worn very often-- due to the evolution of my personal tastes since I'd bought an article, the texture of an item's fabric, etc. For example, in the past year, I've moved away from brightly colored tops, making my ninth grade wardrobe buys no longer relevant: those pieces were the first to go.

All I can say is, giving things away never felt so good. After I finished gutting my closet and stuffed the pile of discards into a bag, the feeling of space and freedom and confidence was wonderful. Minimalism is definitely the way to go for a healthy frame of mind; I completely understand the draw of "less is more."

Now it's your turn to deep-clean and re-organize your wardrobe. Not sure where to start? Here are a few simple questions to get you started:

1. Hold up the first piece in your closet/dresser drawer. Is it damaged (stained, ripped, etc.)? If the answer is yes, and you don't want to/can't fix it, put it in the trash pile. If not, move to question 2.

2. Does the article still fit your style? Is the color/pattern/shape still something you like to wear? If yes, move on. If no, it should go to the donate/sell pile.

3. Is the material comfortable? Don't waste closet space on clothing you don't enjoy wearing. If you're not going to wear it, don't keep it. It doesn't matter if it was expensive, a gift, or the "it" article of the season. Please yourself. Don't force yourself to wear something that will irritate and distract you from the activities of your day, and don't let clothes sit in the back of your closet that could be worn and loved by someone else. Life is too short to be spent in an outfit you don't love.

4. Does it fit? Yes: move on to number 5. No: donate/sell.

5. Have you worn this in the past year? If no, it's unlikely you'll wear it in the next year.

6. Can you make an outfit with this article? Think of two outfits which could use this piece. If you cannot, place the piece on probation, and donate/sell it after a month or so if it goes unworn during the probationary period.

7. Will you wear this item in the upcoming season? If it's a sundress and winter is approaching, the answer is probably no. If yes: put it into the keep pile and return it to your wardrobe. Congratulations, the piece has passed the test! If not, store it away and get it back out for the proper time of year.

Pro Tip: Try to avoid keeping things based on nostalgia alone. If you're keeping a t-shirt because it went with you to Paris, remember: YOU went to Paris, too. Don't hold onto useless things for artificial reasons.

I hope you find a closet detox to be as liberating as I did. Share your experiences with us in the comments below!