How To Declutter Your Wardrobe

declutter your wardrobe

To declutter your wardrobe is just as hard as unhauling books. I mean, getting rid of books is harder. And I will write a blog post about it. Later. I did it twice and OMG, it was difficult to make decisions. It can prove just as hard when it comes to decluttering your wardrobe. Because anytime there is an emotional attachment to something, whether because it was an impulse buy or because it was a gift, you always find excuses.

“I might wear this dress this summer.”

“If I pair this top with this skirt it might work.”

“I will wear this eventually.”

“I don’t know when I’ll wear this but I like the look of it so much!”

Or any other excuse. But then, things stay in your wardrobe, unworn, abandoned, neglected. If like in Toy Story, your clothes could come to life when you are not watching, I am sure they’d be complaining. And sometimes, it is good to declutter your wardrobe. To make more space, to remove old things, to start anew. 

How to declutter your wardrobe

1. Get everything out of your wardrobe

When you accumulate things, you tend to forget what you actually have in your wardrobe. Thus, trying to declutter your wardrobe while keeping everything on a hanger will not really help. Since you might not see everything you have, some pieces may stay hidden. Take every single piece of your wardrobe. Dresses, jackets, jumpers, shoes, underwear. Everything. Decluttering works better in an open space. You can put everything on your bed and then organize the space around you to separate your clothes in categories: keep, maybe, donate.

2. Ask yourself the right questions

Marie Kondo said you should ask yourself whether the things you possess bring you joy. Sure, I think it’s good to look at it that way. Although, it does not necessarily works for clothes. Some questions you may ask yourself:

  • Do you love that piece?
  • Does it fits you?
  • Does it looks nice on you? Is it flattering on you?
  • Do you feel confident wearing it?
  • How often do you wear it?
  • Is it in good condition?

If you answer yes to all of those, keep the piece of clothing. Keep in mind that seasonality plays a big role into how often you wear certain pieces over others. If you are not sure about some items, put them on and look in the mirror. Ask yourself some of the questions again. Then you will know whether to keep or toss.

3. Reorganize your wardrobe

Now that you have decided what to keep or not, you can put back your clothes where they belong. The clothes you decided to keep I mean. Since your wardrobe is now free of any clothes, you can also reorganize and decide what goes where. Also, you can fold everything neatly, make sure all your clothes are nicely sitting on shelves or hanger. Same for your bag and shoes. The thing with hoarding and accumulating is that at some point you do not have space for current or new things. Thus, as far as I am concerned,  I do not really bother to keep things organized and neatly folded. I just throw things onto the shelves and it ends up being a huge mess.  So, having less means you can keep it n ice.

4. Decide what to sell or donate

I barely ever toss things away. Because I feel bad about it. Especially when it is something I paid a lot of money for or that I worn just once. The only way I bin something is because it is old, damaged, full of holes. Otherwise, I either sell or donate. Every single time I have moved out of a flat, I have donated massive bags of clothes to charity. When I am not in a rush, I will list everything on Vinted, very often using photos of the pieces I did for Instagram. However, after a month or two,  if the things have not sold, I will donate them. Because I can’t keep them in my wardrobe forever,  hoping they might sell. Whether you decide to sell or donate, make sure the clothes are always in pristine conditions. If there is a stain, a flaw,  some damage, it it goes to the bin.

5. Be honest with yourself and keep your wardrobe decluttered

I can already tell your answers to the section 2 of this blog post will be influenced by your emotions. What about that dress your wore once at prom but you love it so much because it brings back memories? Surely you cannot toss it, right? Well, yes, you can. If you will never ever wear the dress again, see the light of day and occupy space in your wardrobe, then it is just wasting away. Because unworn clothes will also be damaged. By time, dust, moth, etc. Sometimes you will bring up the investment you made. Sure, it will hurt to sell or donate that designer bag but again, what is the point in keeping if you will never use it? Sometimes, you gotta be honest with yourself, forget about that ROI or those memories. It all goes down to whether something is bringing you joy. Chances are, if you do not use something, it probably does not.

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Shop my outfit*
You can get 15% off Shein with code 9TEA
Leather Jacket – Shein
Maxi Dress – Shein
Low boot – Shein
Cross-body bag – Shein

So, here are my top five tips to help you declutter your wardrobe. Let me know if you have any more and how you do it. Also, how often do you going over your wardrobe and do some cleaning up. Do you find it difficult to get rid of clothes, even those you do not wear?

Thanks a lot for stopping by. I hope you liked this post.

See you soon,
Love,
Corinne.

*Gifted items.

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3 Comments

  1. January 13, 2020 / 4:20 pm

    I need you to write the book de-cluttering post because omg I suck at it big time.
    These are excellent tips and I really need to de-clutter my wardrobe. What’s pretty shameful is that I can’t remember the last time I opened it, because the things I actively wear are hung on the back of my door or slung over the end of my bed.
    This outfit is AMAZING and I have so much love for that dress. You look incredible.
    Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

    • whatcorinnedid
      Author
      February 2, 2020 / 1:41 am

      The article will come! I had to make a choice: get rid of books to get more books. But yes, it is always difficult ahah!

  2. April 26, 2020 / 4:09 pm

    I need to have a big wardrobe clear out soon so I’ll be referring to this when the time comes!

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