HOW DO YOU DECLUTTER YOUR WARDROBE?
Before we contest this, I want to suggest that you take the time to step back and focus on how you feel when you open (or step inside) your wardrobe. Do you feel in control or out of control? Are shoes mounded on the floor, or hangers weighed down with multiple items?
My husband and I decided, as part of a lockdown project, donating our surplus clothes to help the people in need will be an excellent decluttering exercise. The reward was having clean, organized and functional wardrobes afterwards while reaching out to the community in daring times.
A disorganised wardrobe causes stress and anxiety and can be very overwhelming, so let’s approach this step by step
1. Start from scratch and TAKE IT ALL OUT!!
Take everything out of your closet and throw it in a pile on your bed or bedroom floor. Go around your home and gather all your other clothing, including out-of-season clothing, coats, costumes, uniforms, scarves etc. If you don’t remove it all, chances are the same unworn clothes will be moved around the closet.
Before you go on to step 2 take a moment to look at all that space in your closet. How does it make you feel? Consider your closet a cherished or sacred space. Honour this space by only putting belongings back that will bring you joy!
2. APPLY THE 80/20 Rule
You may not want to admit it, but the majority of clothes you have probably go unworn. Research has shown that we mostly wear only 20 percent of our clothes. To cut down on the fluff, remove items you haven’t worn in a year. If you are unsure of certain clothing items, put it on the MAYBE pile.
TIP: Don’t hold onto something because you once loved it or it used to fit your lifestyle. Work in the here and now– what do you love NOW? What works for you NOW? And what makes you feel inspiring?
Donate your excess clothes to a charity and give others hope with your clutter!
3. Consider what really counts as CENTIMENTAL
Although being sentimental about clothing is understandable it’s important not to use it as an excuse.
Instead think of how they could be put to better use. Would granny’s old coat be happier gathering dust in your wardrobe forever, or finding new life after being picked up by a stylish student at a charity shop?
Remember, just as there is joy in holding on to certain clothes, even more so when you give these clothing items a whole new life.
4. Try on everything in your MAYBE PILE
Once you try on the clothes in your MAYBE pile, what’s your very first thought when you see yourself in the mirror?
TIP: Instead of asking ‘how does this make me LOOK?’ it’s easier to ask yourself ‘how does this make me FEEL?’ Throw all the clothing that does not make you feel beautiful, confident or like yourself on the charity pile.
5. Create a Holiday Box
If you think about it realistically, there aren’t many days in a year when you wear your kaftans, swimming clothes, skiing outfit, diving clothes or clothing you need for whatever holiday activities you might pursue. So having them clog up a sizeable chunk of your wardrobe just does not make sense.
Create a holiday box for these holiday clothing items. Clearly label it and put it on a high shelf so that it does not take up valuable everyday wardrobe space. What’s more, you’ll feel a real sense of excitement every time you reach up and bring your holiday box down for a trip.
6. Store OCCASION WEAR separately
Special occasion attire, just like holiday clothes, can be stored away from your everyday wardrobe – after all, a ball gown takes up a significant amount of room, and probably only gets worn once a year at most! When packing these special occasion items away make sure you use acid-free tissue paper to keep them in perfect condition. The box should be clearly labelled so that you know exactly what’s in there. Again store it on a high shelf or above a wardrobe.
7. Handbags and jewellery
Regarding your handbags, totes, & clutches; remember, what do you REALLY love? Which ones bring you JOY? Keep those. Discard the rest.
TIP: get rid of handbags you no longer use. Make a little money by selling them (Sale groups on Facebook, consignment stores etc.) and put that towards one you really love.
Jewellery is a tough one, because some pieces are sentimental or you think, “I might wear this one day’. It will probably take you a few tries but try to get it down to the nitty gritty – the jewellery that you wear daily and a few sentimental pieces. Bless somebody else with the items you won’t really wear again.
8. Shoes
This will be especially tough for all the shoeaholics out there!!
Be brutal.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you consider yay or nay…
• do you still wear them?
• do they fit? Do they feel good?
• do they work with your (newly decluttered) wardrobe?
• are they in great condition?
• are they in style?
9. Protect your clothes
It will be so much easier protecting the clothes that you cherish and wear regularly when you have created a clutter-free wardrobe. Once you’ve done your clear out, first clean the entire inside of the wardrobe or chest of drawers, ideally using natural cleaning products.
Next, add in some form of moth protection – cedar bales are a good choice.
Avoid wire hangers – these will misshape your clothes – and instead opt for skinny hangers which don’t take up too much room (wooden hangers can be very bulky).
10. Keep a close eye on your now CLEAN cupboard and ENJOY!!
Finally, make sure you don’t let your wardrobe get out of hand again. You could try a ‘one in one out’ policy; for each new item you buy to put in your closet, donate one item. Start regular trimming to ensure that everything you own truly deserves its place in your clutter-free wardrobe.
Now…Take a step back. You did it! How does it feel? Does a mostly empty closet make you feel happy?
“Our clothes hold the energy of who we were when we first purchased them. When we release clothes that no longer reflect who we are today, we expand our consciousness and become energetically lighter. “ Dianne Patrella