Wardrobe Cleanse

The other day I was putting my clean clothes away in my wardrobe.  I stood back...  staring at it thinking to myself 'oh my days, what a mess' see inserted picture above.   My precious wardrobe is a giant pit of hangers and clothing which some have certainly been loved to death literally and perhaps others items don't get the love they actually deserve.

With Spring well and truly in the air I had a spring clean of my wardrobe (or closet ;-)) here my tips to a better healthy cleaner looking wardrobe.

Get It All Out
The first step is to see what you have.  Get it all out on to the bed (or floor) and if need be clean the wardrobe...it gets dusty in there too.  From experience you cannot have a good clear out without making big mounds of clothes on the bed!  Make piles of jeans, skirts dresses etc and look at it.  Do you own two similar skirts...do you need them both??

Stop Being Sentimental
Fact - I still own some clothes that I purchased around or over 10 years ago.  Do I still wear them?  When it comes to most items I'd probably say no.  Why do I still own them?  God knows.  Clothes can bring back memories - some good and some bad, but is it necessary to keep it cluttering an already small space?  Let's be realistic....it's time to say farewell.

Organisation
An obvious point to make but a good one.   Most of my clothes are work related... skirts,  black trousers, some nice tops - you get the jist.  I have all these items in one section on the left but in groups of skirts, tops,  cardigans, trousers etc.  I then have sections of casual hanging tops, dresses and trousers.  Not jeans just linen style trousers that must hang up.  Then to the far left I have fancy date night dresses.  I prefer to store mine in type of items instead of colour.

Reverse Hanger Trick
You've been through all your clothes and you hang on to an item as you 'think' you may wear it one day.  Put it back into your wardrobe with the hanger point/tip facing towards you.  Then on your phone diary set up a reminder for 3 to 6 months time to pop back to that said item.  If your hanger is still facing that way, you'll know you haven't worn it.  Let it go, let it goooooo.

Seasonal Clothes 
Unfortunately I am not blessed with a walk in wardrobes or a huge American style closet (oh I wish).  I have one average sized wardrobe from Ikea (in case you are wondering it's a custom made Pax in oak).  When it's winter I store summer clothes in clothes boxes on top of the wardrobes themselves, as it's the best option for me.  I use the Ikea Garnityr range as they are pretty and colours are fresh.

Keep, Give Away, Donate
When going through your clothes make three piles.  The keep pile, the give away to family and friends pile and the donate to charity pile.  Be ruthless and realistic.  Have you worn it recently and do you plan to wear it soon?  Anything you have not touched in 6 months needs to go -  let's be honest... why keep it?  Donate it so someone else who can enjoy it.

Saying Goodbye
You have your charity bag.  Look at the items and think 'would you buy this in a charity shop?'  If it has holes in it,  looks worn to death and discoloured is it fair to donate it?  Toss it out.  Give charity shops items they can actually sell on.

I hope these tips help you with your spring cleaning.

Ax