HOW TO CLEANSE YOUR WARDROBE

Will Malott

When we have free time on our hands, many of us take to cleaning, re-organising and de-cluttering.

In 2020 Searches for a 'tidy wardrobe' increased by 5800% since January, and over 400 people a month are searching for 'how to organise your wardrobe' whilst they were stuck inside.

So, what are the best ways to cleanse and organise your wardrobe? 

Start with the easy stuff

Most of us wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. To help you choose, what to keep and to get rid of, the two most important questions to ask are: Do I love it? and Do I need it?

Top Tip: Start by getting 10 items you are sure to keep – then make all other decisions against those by considering the following:

1. Do I feel good when I wear it? or follow the philosophy of professional declutterer Marie Kondo, her premise is simple: hold an item of clothing – in your hand and ask yourself if it sparks joy inside of you. If it doesn’t, thank it for the service it has done for you and say goodbye.

2. Do I look good when I wear it?

3. Am I comfortable in it?

4. Is it out of fashion and not coming back?  And even if it did, am I likely to want the updated version?

5. Has my lifestyle changed? Maybe you used to work in an office but now work freelance from home, so you don’t need ‘office clothes.’

6. Does it hold any sentimental value?

7. Does it need cleaning or altering?

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Break it down

One way to do this is by type. Going through all the pairs of trousers you own first, followed by shirts and T-shirts and so on, this will help you to track the progress you’re making.

After you have seen what you wear and what you don’t, make four piles. One pile to giveaway, one pile to recycle (can not be mended), one pile to keep and one pile for mending and alterations. I should also mention the best time to do this is when you’re in a ruthless frame of mind. It’s a challenging task and the more unattached you can be, the better.

Then organising by colour can also makes it enjoyable. Not only do you manage to get rid of items that no longer serve you, you can already see your wardrobe more clearly and start creating outfits, identifying items that don’t go with anything else.

Next break it down by season and genre. Create work, casual, formal outfits and more, to identify what you do and don’t need. Additionally, at the end of one season and start of another, identify any pieces that didn’t come out of the closet over the past three months or use the clothes hanger principle - hang all your clothes facing one direction, as you wear and wash them, flip the hangers. At the end of the year, anything hanging the wrong way could be for the charity pile.

If the task seems too big to conquer, tell yourself you will do it for just 10 minutes. You may well find that once you get going, you end up continuing well past the ten-minute mark you had decided on.

Priscilla Du Preez

Enlist a friend

Challenges done with friends often don’t feel like challenges - set-up a video call with a pal or two and allow them to support you through it. It could be a friend who will challenge you and ask questions like “Are you really going to…?” or “What on earth are you still doing with…?”. It could be one who encourages and supports you to let go of sentimental things. Or they could simply make the process much more fun – grab a glass of wine and get going!

Other top tips for organising-

Organise drawers and cupboards in the order of how you get dressed – this will shave valuable minutes off ‘decision fatigue’ in a morning.

Take clothes out of the bedroom. Sometimes being in a different room can provide an objective angle, allowing you to part with clothes more easily.

Create a sense of continuity by using one style of hanger. It will make everything look tidier and therefore more spacious.

Use acrylic drawer organisers to organise makeup, underwear and other casual items

Clear It Out

So once the cleanse has occurred, what do you do with the additional clothes you no longer need?

Recycle – If they have dis-coloured or are damaged and you wouldn't wear them, it's not fair to expect someone else to so recycle using a Textile Recycling Facility.

Gift them – Give away to a charity or friends. It's only polite to give away clothes that are clean so put a load of washing on and then fold them neatly to give away. The same with shoes and handbags. Wipe them down with a baby wipes so others can use them.

Designer stores – If you have pieces that have a designer label and are in great condition then why not try and get some money back?  There are many great second-hand designer boutiques around the country. (They will sell your clothes on your behalf and take a commission on the sale.)

Alyssa Strohmann

Result

One thing for sure is once you've 'cleansed', you feel a weight has lifted and your wardrobe becomes a lot more manageable. Not to mention the visibility of being able to see what you already own often gives your wardrobe a new lease on life. 

This also might be a good time to think about how you want to shop in the future. Maybe you’d like to commit to a one-in-one-out or ‘buy less, buy better’ rule, or perhaps you’d like to try shopping more sustainably, buying more ethically sourced clothing and environmentally friendly materials, like organic cotton. Enjoy your new wardrobe.