How to declutter your wardrobe

Decluttering your wardrobe is one of those tasks that you can put off for months and months, but you can’t put it off forever. It’s a big job, sure – especially if you’re partial to a good online clothes haul – but there are ways you can make it easier. If you’re overdue for a good wardrobe declutter, never fear. Take it step by step, and you’ll be done in no time.

Here’s how to declutter your wardrobe in 4 easy steps.

1. Declutter your wardrobe by starting from the beginning

Take everything out of your wardrobe. Everything. Sort items into piles as you take them out. The piles should be based on these categories: 

• Things you wear often/things you want to keep 
• Clothes you’ve never worn that still have labels on
• Items you haven’t worn in more than a year (don’t include occasion or holiday wear in this pile). This pile should also include things that don’t fit or are uncomfortable. 
• Occasionwear 
• Holiday and seasonal clothes

When your clothes are organised into these piles, you should have a clear idea of what you need to put back in your wardrobe, what you need to put into storage and what you need to sell or donate.

2. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Reducing the amount of clothes in your wardrobe is the next step. 

Be ruthless about every item of clothing you want to keep. Ask yourself three important questions: 

• Do I love it? 
• Am I going to wear it? 
• Do I need it? 

If your answer to all three of these questions is no, it’s time to let it go! If you answer no to one or two of these questions, evaluate the item and be sure before you put it away or throw it away. Be realistic about items that don’t fit or need mending too!

Clothes that have never been worn can be sold on Depop, eBay, or a similar website. Alternatively, you can donate them to a charity or vintage store. Clothes that have been worn to death and now just gather dust can be donated to a textile recycling centre. 

Occasion and holiday wear should be left in their own piles to go into storage, so they’re not taking up space in your wardrobe.

3. Rearrange the clothes you put back in

Once your wardrobe is empty, wipe it down inside or give it a vacuum to make sure your clothes stay clean. When this is done, you’ve reached the “fun” part… putting it all back in! 

Remember to leave out occasionwear, holiday wear, and seasonal clothes – as well as vintage or sentimental items you don’t wear often.

The best way to declutter your wardrobe in a way that lasts is to make sure the pieces you wear most are easily accessible. You can also separate your clothes into categories – gym clothes, workwear, evening wear and weekend wear, for instance. Alternatively, you could hang your clothes in categories based on whether they are tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, and outerwear (etcetera). This allows you to see what you’ve got more easily, as well as the added advantage of always knowing where the items you want will be. 

Place all your hangers the same way around too, so things look neat and you can grab your clothes quickly.

4. Declutter your wardrobe by separating your seasonal clothes

Is a huge chunk of your wardrobe taken up by bulky winter coats or way too many summer dresses? Are your prom or wedding clothes taking up space and gathering dust at the back? Aside from buying another wardrobe, it can be difficult to know what to do. After all, you don’t want to get rid of things that are sentimental or that you need for half the year. 

Self storage might be the best option for you. Divide your wardrobe into winter and summer clothes. Realistically, there aren’t many weeks a year (especially in the UK) where it’s warm enough to wear sundresses and sandals – and there aren’t many weeks where it’s cold and wet enough for full body waterproofs and snow boots!

Store out-of-season clothes in vacuum bags and keep them in self storage! They’ll be easily accessible if you need something, but they won’t be taking up valuable wardrobe space. You could also create a “holiday box” full of items like swim and beachwear, sun hats, and sandals. Pack these into a plastic box and clearly label it so you can find it in your storage container. 

Occasion wear, vintage clothes and sentimental clothing items are another thing that self storage is good for – after all, ball gowns take up a lot of room! Declutter your wardrobe by packing these special items away using acid free tissue paper to keep them in perfect condition.

If self storage is what you need to help you declutter your wardrobe, get in touch with us here at Currie Easy Self Storage today to find out how we can help you! We have multiple locations in London and self storage options to suit everyone. Let us help you declutter your home!