Over the years, it’s inevitable that you’ve accumulated a lot of clothes that you no longer wear and your wardrobe has become a bit of a mess. While having too many clothes isn’t a bad problem to have, it can make getting ready before you go out a nightmare as you pry through heaving racks of dresses that haven’t seen the light of day in years.
First thing’s first – pull everything out of your wardrobe and lay it on your bed. This goes for any drawers, racks or shelves that you have in your bedroom holding everything from clothes and jackets to shoes and handbags.
Once you’ve taken stock of what you have, it’s time to start assessing what needs to go. The best way to do this is by sorting clothes into four piles – keep, throw, sell and charity.
Don’t spend too much time making your decision – go with your initial gut instinct. If you haven’t worn something in over a year, it’s likely you won’t again. If anything is out of shape or has holes or stains, add it straight to the ‘throw’ pile. If your skinny jeans are still I perfectly good condition, but you don’t want to hold onto them – consider if they are worth selling.
For more detailed information on how to sell your clothes online, check out our articles on selling your belongings on Facebook Marketplace and eBay. If you’d prefer to donate any unwanted clothes or shoes to charity, check out our article on which charities accept what.
Now that you’ve decided what’s going to stay and likely gotten rid of lots of unwanted clutter, it’s time to get a little more organised. There’s no point going to the trouble of cleaning out your wardrobe if you’re only going to throw everything back in in an disorderly fashion and have it look like a mess again in a week’s time.
Instead, arrange each item together – jackets, dresses, pants etc. The same goes for anything that will be stored in drawers or on shelving. Fold them and stack neatly on top of each other to make everything more uniform and save space. You could even arrange t-shirts by colour or fit.
Now that you’ve done the hard work and have everything organised, you can start putting everything back in. Give your closet a quick clean beforehand, to get rid of any dirt or dust while it’s still empty.
Start with hanging clothes first, and arrange in a logical order. For instance, from shorter items such as tops and jackets onto longer items like dresses and pants.
Stack your shoe boxes neatly at the top or bottom of your wardrobe so that they’re easy to access. Invest in some good quality storage containers or shelving units to store jewellery and accessories. This will ensure everything stays neat and tidy for longer and with everything in your view, getting ready will become a smoother process.