How To Declutter Your Wardrobe Like A Boss!

I don’t know about you, but I love a good declutter.  There’s something so satisfying about clearing out the old to make way for the new, don’t you think?

Last week I went on a bit of a decluttering frenzy and cleared out my entire wardrobe.  It’s something I do at the beginning of every season, purely because I’m a bit tight on space in the wardrobe department and have to store all my Spring/Summer clothes in a couple of boxes. I then drag them out when Winter is over and conduct a bit of a swap over/declutter situation.

However, because I’ve dropped a few kilos recently I decided that I should do a complete clean out of my wardrobe.  I armed myself with industrial strength garbage bags, moved swiftly and didn’t stop until the entire job was complete.  Here’s how it all went down.

How To Declutter Your Wardrobe

Step One:  Create Piles

I went through all of my clothes and anything that either didn’t fit or I hadn’t worn in 12 months went into one of three piles:

1. Items to be thrown out.  This includes clothes that have holes in them, broken coat hangers, plastic dry cleaning bags, white jackets with red wine stains that couldn’t be removed etc.
2. Items that I’ll give to friends or donate to charity.
3. Items that I will keep – yes, it’s ok to keep clothing pieces that hold sentimental value. 

This was definitely the most time-consuming part of the whole decluttering process.  I had to try on a lot of items, just to make sure they definitely didn’t fit and I found myself not wanting to part with several pieces because I love them.

But the key to a good declutter, especially when it comes to clothing, is to be brutal and not hang onto things for the sake of it. 

Step Two:  Bag It Up Baby!

Once you’ve got your piles sorted, it’s time to get those garbage bags out and bag those clothes up.

Everything from Pile One can go straight into the rubbish bin.  I like to do that immediately, so that all the rubbish is well and truly gone.

Bag up the items in Pile Two and distribute them to your friends or charity of choice as soon as possible.

Any pieces kept for sentimental reasons can be stored safely elsewhere. I keep mine in a blanket box which also doubles as a coffee table. 

Step Three: Put Everything Back Into Your Wardrobe

Ok, so now that most of the decluttering is done, it’s time to get your clothes back in your wardrobe.  If, like me, you have a wardrobe that’s a bit tight on space, I have a couple of tricks to making that space go the distance.

1. Invest In Space Saving Hangers

Honestly, these coat hangers will change your life.  You can find them at any shop that specialises in storage items and they range in price from cheap to ridiculous.  I found these at good old Kmart for $5 a pack.

The flocked part of the hanger means your clothes won’t slide off the hanger like they tend to do on plastic hangers and they’re really thin, which allows you to fit more clothes into a smaller space.  

I mean if that doesn’t lower your heart rate just by looking at it, I don’t know what will!

2.  Colour Co-ordinate Your Clothes

Ok, so that’s not really going to help you save on space but it will make a smaller space look better AND it helps you find things quickly in the mornings, so that’s a win.  

It also polarises family and friends when they come over, which is a lot of fun as you’ll witness reactions including but not limited to:

“OMG I LOVE YOUR COLOUR CO-ORDINATED WARDROBE!” 

“HOLY CRAP.  DO YOU COLOUR CO-ORDINATE YOUR CLOTHES?  YOU NEED TO GET OUT MORE.  OR POSSIBLY SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP” 

and my personal favourite, usually said in a quiet whisper as shock has in fact taken over their body and the ability to shout has completely disappeared:

“I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.  Is it always like this or did you tidy it up before I got here?”

3.  Organise Your Clothes Into Sections

If you look closely you’ll see I’ve got dresses and skirts in one section, tops and jackets in another and pants, jeans and shorts underneath and shoes on the floor.

I really need a shoe storage solution but I’m yet to find one, so for now they’re on the floor…and the shelf up above the frocks.

In the drawers on the right I’ve got accessories (scarves, necklaces, handbags etc) and swimming togs, kaftans, hats etc.

Having everything organised into sections makes it really easy to find things and makes me feel like I’ve got a slightly more spacious wardrobe than I actually do.  

Do you like to colour co-ordinate your wardrobe?  How do you store your shoes?  And what are your thoughts on flocked hangers?  Let’s discuss!