How to declutter your wardrobe? Well, I’ve got some handy dandy tips and tricks for you to get started right away. In this article and the video that comes along with it, I’m sharing my declutter process. It’s very practical and easy to follow, so I hope it helps you declutter your wardrobe too. I personally don’t like declutter strategies that are too extreme, because I see it as a process that often takes a few days. To be honest, I’ve decluttered my wardrobe three times since I’ve become a minimalist. Let’s just say: ‘Trust the process and declutter away!’
Step one: Do your laundry
It’s funny how many people forget this step, including myself. The first time I decluttered my wardrobe I completely forgot about it. I ended up missing clothes I still needed and clothes that I didn’t need at all. But I didn’t know that during my declutter process, because there were many items still in the laundry basket. Therefor step one is all about doing your laundry. Everything needs to be washed, dried and ironed. This also helps you see how many clothes you actually have, as you literally go through every item.
Step two: Organize your closet
You might wonder why I advise you to organize your closet before you declutter your wardrobe. Well, organizing first helps you create an overview of every piece you own. When you have a lot of clothes, you often don’t even remember what’s in your closet. There’s a big chance you’re going to re-discover some really cool pieces. Organize your closet with all of your now very clean clothes. You can do it by type, color, length or any other way you like it. This step helps you understand what you have and where it should go in your closet.
Step three: Time to declutter
Yes, we are finally going to declutter your wardrobe. Start with making three piles so you can sort through the discarded items. Pile number one is the Repair pile. This pile holds items you want to keep but need some reperations. Pile number two is the Second chance pile. Here is where you put items you might want to give another go. Pile number three is the Get rid of this pile. This is where you get tough on yourself and put items you will never wear again. If the items in this pile are still good, give them away. Are they broken, stained or beyond repair? Throw them out, no excuses here!
Step four: Make a list, find the missing links
Now that you’ve decluttered your wardrobe, it’s time to find the missing links. Meaning that you now probably miss a few key pieces for your wardrobe. So yeah, you get to shop a little! Because you do need a wardrobe you can actually use because it has all of the basics. If you miss any of those, write them down on your list. Those are the items you are going to invest in to build your dream wardrobe. This is also the time to check your style. Does your wardrobe contain pieces that truly show your style? If not, write them down so you can invest in those items later on.
Some extra tips
Decluttering your closet can be really hard. I’m not just talking about the physical part, where you have to take everything out and sort it all. It’s the emotional attachment you might have. I just want to tell you that you should not get angry at yourself or people you know, for not being able to let go of everything at once. Sometimes it takes a while to say goodbye to clothing items that remind you of special times. Put them in your Get rid of pile and store them away for the time being, if you’re not up to throwing or giving them away yet.
My last extra tip is to get rid of clothing immediately once they hit the third pile. If you have no emotional connection to the clothing items in here, give them away the same day if you can. Bring it to a secondhand store or gift them to a neighbor. Just make sure you actually declutter, not just store the items in another place. An even better idea is to sell the items so you can get some of your money back. You can invest that money back into your wardrobe, by buying pieces you actually like and need.
These four simple steps will help you declutter your wardrobe within a day or two. I took a little but longer because I got buried in work. I ended up washing, drying, ironing, organizing and decluttering everything in three days total. So don’t worry if you haven’t done all of this in one day. It’s a process and you’re allowed to go through it at your own pace. The fact that you’ve read this article and are making plans to declutter is already a good sign. Let me know what you think of these four steps and declutter your wardrobe today!
Let’s declutter baby!
Kaya-Quintana
P.S. Stay tuned for part two on how to create a capsule wardrobe from scratch!