13 Tips for Decluttering Clothes
Photo of thick fabric by Karolina Ostrzolek on Pexels
Updated 2024.07.21
When you declutter your clothes, it’s easier to find what you’re looking for and stay on top of your laundry.
The end result is that you’ll feel comfortable and confident in everything you own, and you’ll love every outfit that you wear.
Decluttering your closet can also make it easier for you to get dressed, because there are fewer choices that’ll go into deciding what you’re going to wear.
With fewer choices about what clothes to wear, you may find yourself getting more creative with mixing and matching, and getting more use out of everything you own.
Below are a few ways to start decluttering your wardrobe:
Photo of clothing by cottonbro studio on Pexels with text overlay 13 Tips for Decluttering Clothes
1 - Take everything out of your closet
Gather clothing from your closet and anywhere else you have it stored in the house. Put your clothes, shoes and accessories in a heap on your bed.
Clean your now empty closet. Wipe down your closet’s shelves, sweep the floors and dust if your closet needs it.
2 - Put on some music
Use any high energy music of your choice to get your spirits up and play in the background as you get to work.
The goal is to have feel good music playing, as it will counteract any negative feelings associated with letting go, and help you maintain your momentum.
3 - Create keep, maybe, toss, donate, and sell piles
There are a variety of ways to let go of clothing. You can throw them out, donate them or sell them, all depending on the condition and value of the pieces.
Designate an area of the room for your keep, maybe, toss, donate and sell piles.
4 - Pick up each piece one by one
Inspect the condition of it and consider whether you would buy it now.
If it’s in good condition and you’d wear it now, put it back in your closet. If it’s in poor condition, you know it doesn’t fit, you no longer wear it or need it, place it in one of your to-go piles.
5 - Perform a a joy test
In the KonMari Method of tidying, you tidy clothing by holding each piece to your chest, noticing if it gives you a happy feeling. Keep everything that does, and discard everything that doesn’t.
6 - Try on maybe pieces
When you’re not sure about keeping a piece of clothing, try it on now and notice how you feel in it and if it fits. If you feel good wearing the piece and it fits, great - keep it. If not, let it go.
7 - Ask yourself a few questions
A few questions to ask when decluttering clothes are:
Does this make me feel confident?
Do I feel like myself wearing this?
Would I buy this same item again if I were shopping today?
When was the last time I wore this?
Does it fit today?
Is it stained or damaged beyond repair?
8 - Let go of ‘just in case’ pieces
If you're still holding onto clothing you acquired for a special occasion or work requirement, and you haven’t used it since then, let it go.
9 - Be decisive
You either love it, wear it and are keeping it or you don’t love it, don’t wear it, and need to let it go.
Trust your decisions on what to keep and what goes. Then, once you make that decision, stick with your initial, instinctual choice.
10 - Put keep items back in the closet with the hangers turned around
Hang the clothes you’re keeping backwards in the closet, with the hook facing out towards you.
When you wear each piece, hang it back in the closet normally. After about 6 months, notice which pieces still are hanging backwards and consider decluttering these.
11 - Remove toss or donate pieces from the home quickly
Once you’ve made your decisions, take your toss pile to the trash or recycle it into scrap for other projects, and take your donate pile to your favorite, nearest thrift store.
Start researching the prices and photograph the pieces you want to sell for Mercari and eBay.
12 - Organize your keeps by category
Put all your undergarments, pants and blouses together. Group your belts, shoes, accessories and formal wear. Keep all your pajamas and lounge clothes in the same general place.
13 - Revisit your closet’s contents seasonally
Every season, go through your closet. Fold the items neatly and switch out fall and winter items for spring and summer items.
Notice what articles you have plenty of, which items can be replenished, and what your favorites are. Keep your favorite pieces closer to the front of your closet and make a note of what items need to be replenished, if any.
Image clothing on shelves by Pexels from Pixabay
When you declutter your clothes, you’ll want to focus on getting rid of clothes that don’t fit, anything that’s unflattering or beyond repair, and shoes that hurt your feet.
Avoid calculating or worrying about the sunk costs on the clothes that you’re decluttering.
If you aren’t wearing it now, you’re not enjoying it or getting use out of it. Any money you spent isn’t giving you any value today anyway.
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