Wardrobe Clear-Out Tips

1. Start by emptying everything you out of your wardrobe. I like to pile everything onto my bed (luckily I have a king size bed!!).

2. Create Piles. You need to create a least two piles, but I suggest three - a keep pile, a get rid of pile and a maybe pile. Now it’s time to get stuck in and go through every item from your wardrobe and putting into either the keep, get rid or maybe pile.

3. Some items will be easy to place, others may need a little more thought. Try asking yourself these questions: Would I buy it now? Does it fit? Does it suit me/my current style? Is it in good condition? Do I love it? Some people suggest if you haven’t worn something in the last 6 months you should get rid of it - I don’t follow this rule since you will have occasion items (eg summer dresses or formal dress) which you don’t wear that often but may still want to keep. If you’re still not sure about an item after asking yourself these questions put it in the maybe pile.

4. Clean your wardrobe. It’s not often your wardrobe is empty so now is the perfect time to give it a quick wipe. You don’t want your lovely clothes stored in a dirty wardrobe!

5. Organise your clothes. Now you can put your clothes from the keep pile back into your wardrobe. It’s up to you how to organise it, I like to store clothes by type (tops, skirts, dress etc) and then each type is organised by colour. I also like to use space saving hangers to make the most of the space I have. I got mine from eBay - just search space saving hangers.

6. Now all your clothes are back in your wardrobe, have another quick look through your maybe pile. Are you still unsure about all the items? If everything is still a maybe put them into a suitcase and store it away. Set a reminder on your phone from 4-6 weeks time. If you haven’t thought about any of the items by the time your reminder goes off get rid of them. Another tip is to put everything back in your wardrobe with the hangers facing the wrong way and as you wear things to put them back with the hanger facing the right way. When you go back in a couple of weeks/months you can clearly see what you wear and what you don’t, making it easier to get rid of the things you don’t use.

7. Now go through your get rid of pile and sort which items you are going to sell (on Ebay or Depop), give away to charity and what need to go straight to recycling. Remember that charities are looking for items in good condition which they can sell, if something is done just pop it into the recycling bins at your local supermarket. Drop your charity items off at your local charity shop or if you get bags through your door leave out for collection. Try to get rid of your unwanted clothes as soon as possible to their not lying around your house.

• Give yourself plenty of time for the clear out - at least a couple of hours
• Before you start, make sure your laundry is up to date and everything is clean
• It will take less time if you have frequent clear outs - I like to go through my wardrobe twice a year (once before spring and again before autumn)
• Make sure you have plenty of bin bags
• Invite a friend round if you think they will help (personally, I prefer doing it alone)
• It’s thirsty work so get the kettle on
• It’s OK to keep sentimental items if you really want and have space. In the wardrobe in my spare bedroom, I have a couple of dresses I’ve worn on special occasions that I’m not ready to get rid of and obviously I’ve kept my wedding dress.