Are you looking for an easy way to declutter your clothes? One where you’re not confronted with huge piles in front of you, leaving you completely overwhelmed?
Have you tried the wardrobe decluttering method from Marie Kondo? The one where you remove everything, pile it on the bed, and go through it piece by piece, asking if it sparks joy?
I’d like to start by saying I am in no way criticising this method, or Marie Kondo. I think she’s fabulous, and her method has worked for so many people over the years. But there are many people who can’t cope with piles of stuff and for whom this method leads to procrastination, due to overwhelm.
There’s no right or wrong way to declutter and we have to find the method that works best for us.
Staring into the Abyss that is The Wardrobe
Like many people, although I’ve tried the “emptying the wardrobe” method several times over the years, it’s just too much. I can’t cope with it. I’ve always preferred just doing one drawer or one section at a time – maybe shirts and blouses one day, knitwear another, and so on. It feels like less work and it’s certainly a lot easier – and I’m all for an easier, simpler life.
What I’ve found recently is, I open my wardrobe, look at the clothes, but still end up wearing mostly the same few garments time and again. I know I’m not the only one. It’s documented that we wear just 20% of our clothes for 80% of the time.
My ultimate goal is a capsule wardrobe. I don’t own one right now, but I also don’t have an enormous quantity of clothes as I’ve pared them down consistently over the years.
What Can you Do Instead of the “Everything On Deck” Declutter Method?
Firstly, this is a much slower way of sorting your clothes, so don’t expect to have it done and dusted in a couple of weeks. You can, but you probably won’t have the time, unless you choose to do it when you have a couple of weeks at home for a staycation. That said, this method doesn’t stop you leaving the house, carrying out your normal routine, going to work, etc.
To start, you’re simply going to take an item from your wardrobe that you haven’t worn for a long time, and you’re going to put it on. Try to choose something that you’ve thought about getting rid of in the past, but something – you don’t know what – made you return it to the drawer or hanger again and again.
The Next Step
Wear the item for at least a couple of hours or half a day, or better still, all day. And then ask yourself some serious questions about how it makes you feel.
- Is it comfortable?
- Does it fit you well?
- Does the colour suit you? What suited you in the past may not suit you now; our colouring changes over time
- Have you had it for a long time?
- Does it still suit your lifestyle? Your lifestyle may well have changed since you bought the item
- Does it go with other items in your wardrobe?
- Do you actually still like it? It’s OK if you don’t
- If not, why not?
Getting Real About your Stuff
Get as specific as you can because you need to work out why you haven’t been able to let it go before. It may be that it’s an expensive item such as a coat. The thing is, that money is spent whether you keep the garment or not, therefore the cost shouldn’t come into it. Yes, it may feel like you’ve been wasting money on things you’ve never worn but you know what? That’s fine – we’ll deal with this shortly.
As you’ve now spent time actually wearing the item, rather than just picking it up and looking at it, you’re far more likely to be able to make an informed decision about it. When you come to take it off, take a good long look in the mirror and decide, once and for all, if it works for you. If it doesn’t, then immediately decide if it’s for donating or recycling.
Letting it Go
Now you can either put it in the wash (prior to popping it into a charity bag/donation box once it’s laundered) or add to a bag ready to dispose of at a fabric/clothing recycling* point. It goes without saying that we should never give clothes to charity if they aren’t good enough for us to wear.
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
If you’d like to wear another item today, by all means go ahead. Or you can just wait and do the same again tomorrow. Taking your time will help you avoid any stress, so don’t put an unnecessary time limit on yourself. I’m here to tell you that you’re allowed to stop, breathe, let one thing go, and then repeat another day.
If you do find that you want to do more than one item a day, that’s great. Just don’t feel pressured. If you do one item every single day, that’s around 30 each month. Imagine how much space that’s going to create in your wardrobe, with absolute minimal effort!
The great thing is, once you start your slow declutter, in a relatively short space of time you’ll begin to see a difference. This means you’ll also feel a difference: less stressed, perhaps, or maybe just a bit more relaxed. And this feeling can spur you on to tackle other areas in your home (or life) where you’ve been procrastinating. But again, it’s fine if you’re not inspired straight away. Just take your time.
Declutter those Expensive Items, Once and For All
Don’t beat yourself up about past spending patterns because you can choose to change how you’re managing your money** right now. Take a journal, diary or notebook, and write something about the item. Bear with me on this. It may sound an odd thing to do, but it works by helping you gain clarity. And remember, you’re only doing it for the more expensive clothes.
Write down how much it cost, when you bought it, why you bought it, whether it suits you now, how you felt wearing it today, and anything else you can think of. Get rational about it. If the item is in good condition, you can sell it and recoup some of the original cost back. If not, don’t worry about it because you’re not going to make the same mistake again.
Be grateful that you had the item, then pass it on to a homeless shelter or charity shop. It’s a nice feeling knowing that someone in need is going to have a warm coat this winter because of you.
*Recycling Clothing
With regard to getting rid of clothes, please do all you can to avoid sending them to landfill. Most recycling centres have fabric/clothing containers, and you can also find them at some supermarkets. Our local Asda car park has two containers side by side: one for clothes to donate to charity, and one for unusable clothes/textiles to be recycled.
If you can’t dispose of them yourself, use a company like Anglo Doorstep Collections. I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I’ve just used their services a few times and have been very happy with how they operate.
You could also send your unwanted clothing to a site like Preworn, or sell items on Ebay, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace, or other sites.
The Problem with Fashion
To read about the effect of fashion (particularly fast fashion) on the environment, check out Preworn’s article about the lack of sustainability in fashion.
**Regarding Managing your Money
I’ve mentioned this book many, many times but I’d highly recommend reading Your Money or Your Life (aff link). It shows you a new way to think about your money and your spending.
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