How To Clean Out Your Wardrobe

How organised is your closet right now? I will admit I am a bit of an organisational obsessive, and like to keep my wardrobe completely clean and organised at all times, but it’s a constant work in progress to keep it well-edited too. I tend to do a really big clear-out in January of every year, and then smaller organising sessions a few times during the year at the start of each season. Because I’ve just done my seasonal winter-to-spring wardrobe changeover and re-organised everything I have, I thought I’d share all the closet-taming tips I’ve adopted over the years in case any of them are also helpful to you.

The best way to ensure you actually love + wear a majority of what you own and ensure you don’t have those ‘I have nothing to wear!’ moments is to 1) only keep what you truly love and want to wear, 2) only keep out seasonally-relevant pieces, and 3) ensure everything is well organised and easy to access.

Whether you have the walk-in closet of your dreams or a small apartment-sized wardrobe like me, the same rules will apply.

TO GET STARTED

Before you begin…

Schedule it in

I will either 1) pick a weekend when I’m at home and dedicate an entire morning to the task, or 2) schedule in an hour every evening for a week. Each time I do a clear-out it takes less time than the one before, but I still like to allow more time than I think I’ll need.

Bring in help if you need it

If you know you have attachment issues or are not good at being ruthless and seeing this task all the way through, recruit a friend to be a fresh set of eyes and help you make the tough decisions. I’m always the person my friends ask to help do this (I love it), and have even had an organising date with my friend who recently moved via Skype, since we can’t do it in person right now.

Make it a happy experience

Although no one likes having to confront realities of past fashion mistakes such as ‘what in God’s name made me spend so much money on something I’ve never even worn’ (and other adventures in wardrobe organising), this should overall be a fun activity. You’re playing dress-ups, spending time getting re-acquainted with your hard-earned treasures, and in the process curating a wardrobe that really works for you and your lifestyle. Put on some upbeat music, make a cup of tea, make a few snacks, and light a candle so you actually want to stay put in your wardrobe until the job is done.

Gather a few supplies

You shouldn’t buy any organisational tools until after you’ve had a thorough clear-out, but it helps to have a few things on hand. A pen and notepad (to make a note of any repairs which need doing or any gaps you identify as you go along, which can form the basis of your shopping list), your phone’s camera (to snap a quick picture of an outfit you’re unsure of from a few different angles – sometimes it’s easier to be objective from a photo vs a mirror), and a damp cleaning cloth to dust each section as you empty it out.

Designate 5 zones for the piles you’re about to make

You’ll need to designate a temporary spot for five piles you’re about to make as you go for the following categories: ‘maybe’, ‘to store’, ‘to clean / repair’, ‘to sell / donate’, ‘to recycle’ (anything you’re keeping can go straight back in it’s proper place). It can be some empty boxes, large tote bags, or just a clear space somewhere on your floor or bed to pile things as you go; then you’ll deal with these piles as the last step.

TO CLEAR-OUT

Now for the fun part. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Pull everything out

Although the queen of tidying up Marie Kondo would have you pull out every possession at once, in my opinion that is a fast-track to feeling overwhelmed + paralysed. Instead, I prefer to work methodically in sections, category by category. If you’re taking the approach of doing an hour each evening for a week, you can do one section per day, or aim for one section per hour if you’re doing everything in one day. I like to start with something easy like my t-shirts or underwear, and pull everything out of that drawer at once and pile it all on the bed to work through piece by piece. While everything is out, clean out that empty area with a damp cloth to get rid of any dust, etc.

Try every piece on

To do this properly, you really need to go through every single item you own and consider each one by one. Often you might think you love something, but when you try it on you remember that it’s actually really unflattering or uncomfortable or doesn’t go with anything else you own, so you never end up wearing it. This step is the most crucial, so try everything on – from your hats to your underwear – and ask yourself the following questions…

Ask the tough questions

When considering each piece, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I really love this? Does it still spark joy + make me feel great when I wear it?
• Do I actually still wear this often? Have I reached for it in the last 6 months? 
• Is it comfortable? Does it feel lovely to pull on + easy to wear?
• Does it still fit both my body + my lifestyle?
• Does it still match my style + go with other things in my wardrobe? 
• Is it still in good condition or, if not, can it be easily fixed? 

If something passes on all counts, you can put it straight back in your wardrobe. If the answer is ‘no’ to any of the questions above, that’s ok – but let it go. Maybe you bought something at a different time in your life and your body, style, or wardrobe needs have evolved. Maybe you bought it because you a fashion magazine or former boyfriend told you it’s how you should look, but it was never really ‘you’ to begin with, or maybe it just no longer reflects how you want to look and feel. Maybe it’s that you love how it looks, but it’s so high-maintenance (e.g. a shirt that constantly pops open at the front or is dry-clean only, a skirt that only goes with one thing in my wardrobe, a sweater that should be cosy but is actually scratchy to wear, or heels that are too high to actually walk in) that you never actually wear it. I know it’s hard to not feel guilty about money you spent on things you’re no longer wearing (or never wore to begin with), but you’re not getting a better return on your investment by letting it just sit there taking up precious space in your wardrobe. You have permission to just let it go. Or more specifically, put it in one of those piles you designated (see below).

Only put back what you love

My number one secret to a happy wardrobe: only keep things you still love and use, and don’t feel guilty about letting go of the rest. It is far better to own 20 things you genuinely feel great in vs 200 items you never actually wear. Because the less your wardrobe is crowded with things you don’t wear, the more you’ll like getting dressed each day and the more you’ll actually wear the pieces you love (instead of saving them for ‘special occasions’ and instead always reaching for the things that make you feel drab).

Create an organisational system that works

While you’ve got everything out, now is the time to come up with a system that works best the space you have – and most importantly, one you can stick to so that it’s easy to stay organised. My general principles are:

• Buy a set of sturdy, matching hangers. Good hangers hold the shape of your clothing properly, and a matching set means they’ll fit together and look better too. I personally like wooden hangers so bought a few packs of these years ago, but if you need more space, these slimline velvet hangers are pretty and allow you to fit the maximum amount of pieces possible.
• Keep all items from the same category together (all jackets hanging together, all casual tops + t-shirts in the same drawer, etc). That way you can see if you’re buying too many of the same item, and where the gaps are.
• Sort by type, length, and colour. This is both aesthetically pleasing and practical, as you can clearly see what you have, and go straight to that section when finding what to wear each day.
• Introduce a ‘one in, one out’ policy (or a ‘two in, one out’ rule if you’re trying to build your wardrobe or have more room to spare). Unless you have unlimited space, it helps to give yourself a rule that for every item you buy, you must part with something comparable. For me, it means I carefully consider every purchase, no longer impulse buy, and don’t accumulating things I don’t really need if I already have a similar item that better serves the same purpose.

TO FINISH

Now with those five leftover piles you’ve made…

Carefully store the sentimental + off-season pieces

Storage rule number 1: ensure everything is completely clean + spotless to avoid permanent stains or moth damage (moths are only attracted to sweat, not clean fibres). So if you can’t remember if something has been worn since you last cleaned it, throw it in the wash to be safe. De-pill all your coats + knitwear (I love this inexpensive gadget, which is gentle on even the most precious cashmere), and gently wipe all your bags and shoes with a damp cloth to remove any dirt or marks and keep them looking new for longer. I stuff my out-of-season footwear with tissue paper and pack them away in their original boxes under by bed (not ideal, but it’s the only place they’ll fit), nest all my straw hats and baskets bags inside each other, put all my other bags into dustbags and tuck them into a box at the top of my wardrobe, and tuck my other accessories (things like winter hats / gloves / scarves / thermals, and summer swimwear / spare sunglasses / straw hats) into another box. Lastly, all my clothes go into a large suitcase along with a few bars of nice soap (which will make your clothes smell lovely whilst also repelling any moths or insects), which then lives in my hallway utility closet when not in use.

Deal with anything which needs attention

Now with anything that is still in good shape but which needs mending, tailoring, laundering, dry-cleaning or re-soling, make it your task to deal with those things this week. Catch up on laundry + simple cleaning + repairs yourself, and send everything else to the dry-cleaners or cobblers as soon as you’re able.

Give yourself a deadline for the ‘maybe’ pile

Revisit anything that ended up in the ‘maybe’ pile again at the end of your clear-out, when you’re hopefully feeling more ruthless than when you began. With anything that you still really can’t decide on right away, give yourself one week (two at most) to deal with it. I like to leave all my ‘maybes’ hanging on the front of my wardrobe drawers for maximum annoyance so I’m more motivated to get rid of them quickly, and also so those pieces are front of mind when I’m getting dressed each morning. Do whatever works for you, but just leave them out somewhere obvious rather than putting them back in your wardrobe. Then before your deadline, wear each piece for a day, send a picture of it on to a friend for a second opinion, and again ask yourself the same questions as before. If it still fits well and truly makes you feel like the best version of myself, then put it back in your wardrobe and vow to wear actually wear it more often. If it’s uncomfortable, no longer works for your lifestyle, you haven’t reached for it in the last year, or it makes you feel anything but fabulous, then into the following pile it goes…

Sell + donate anything in good condition

If there’s anything you want to part with that’s on the more expensive side, you can try listing it on a resale app or site such as Depop (you can see my page here), Vestiaire Collective (see my page here), eBay or the Real Real. Just make sure you give yourself a deadline and list them soon after your clear-out so that those items don’t then become excess clutter. For any pieces that are still in good condition but not worth trying to re-sell, ask your friends or family if they’d like anything, or bag the whole pile up to take to your local charity shelter or charity shop (for now, put the bag somewhere out of the way until charities re-open to donations). I find it’s easier to part with things I’m not wearing or don’t really need if I know it’s going to a new home.

Recycle the rest

Here’s a not-so-fun fact: less than 1% of the materials used to make clothes are recycled each year, which means that thousands of tonnes of textiles end up in landfill. I make a point to recycle everything that is too worn to re-sell or donate so that nothing goes to landfill. H&M are really leading the way on this and have recycling boxes in every store and will take any clean textiles – from old clothes and odd socks to worn out sheets and coffee-stained tea towels. I always have a cloth tote bag hanging in my utility closet so I can put things straight in there as I ‘retire’ them, and then drop it to my local store whenever it’s full.

And that’s everything! Keep what you love, say goodbye to the rest, and vow to be mindful about how you shop in future.

Let me know if you’re going to tackle this task, and please do share any great tips you have that I might have missed. Happy spring cleaning!

Love, Briony xx