It’s time for a quick wardrobe declutter while giving you tips on how to organize your clothes.
As a busy mom, I have about five minutes here, 10 minutes there, and 15 minutes if I’m lucky. And believe me, when I say it – you can definitely organize your house in 15 minutes slots.
The rules are always the same – you have to pick a space that you know you can work on for 15 minutes. Afterward, sit back, have a glass of wine and appreciate what you did. You’ll be saying to yourself “Wow, that space is so much better after I have organized it“.
Alright, let’s get started! You will need three bags or boxes.
• One is for the stuff you need to relocate;
• One is for donations;
• And the other one is for the things you’re going to throw away.
Things to consider when working on your wardrobe
• Invest in felt covering hangers! You can buy these hangers in any shop cheaply. First and foremost – they stop clothes from sliding off. They also optimize the space in your wardrobe since they are nice and thin compared to the old-school plastic ones. This tip is even more important if you are short on space!
• Save your wooden hangers for big and heavy coats and other similar clothes, as they take up much more space.
• Those dry-cleaning hangers must go. We all have them, but believe me, they’re not helping. They can’t hold much weight and can deform your thinner clothes.
• Don’t hang your jersey sweaters, cardigans, or anything of that kind, because hanging them can affect the neckline and the shoulders of your garments. Use shelves and drawers for this kind of clothing.
• Another thing to consider investing in – are hangers for skirts and trousers! They are great for saving space, especially if you have a lot of these items that you wear regularly. This way it’s easier to see them and reach for them.
• Wardrobe dividers! They keep clothes separated for you, which makes them easier to see and, again, reach for. These are the ones I use.
• I know it’s obvious, but just a reminder: hang your hangers in the same direction.
Think of this as an investment – you are investing your time and money to organize your clothes and keep them better protected. You are saving time, storing everything better, and your clothes or other items will last longer and be better-taken care of.
Let’s get to business!
As you go through your closet or any space, some people recommend that you take everything out, look at it and study it. But for me, that takes way too long and who has time for that? When I take each item out, I look at it and decide what to do with it – donate, dump, or relocate.
Let’s get back to my closet example:
Some of the criteria you can use in this case are weather, season, current trends, and numbers of usage.
For example –
We’re going into the summer and it’s the perfect time to do a wardrobe declutter because we need to take out some of our winter clothes and put in our summer clothes. As you take out your winter clothes, ask or say to yourself – this isn’t in style anymore, my body has changed, it’s time to donate some of these things. And then while putting in your summer clothes, you can do the same thing because you haven’t seen your summer clothes since September.
We’re are going to declutter and I’ll give you tips on how to organize the hanging part of your wardrobe. So first things first – clear as much space as you can so that you don’t have to take out every single item.
The general rules for decluttering your wardrobe
• If you haven’t worn an item in over a year, then you know it’s time to say bye-bye to that item.
• If you have some fancy clothes that you haven’t worn in years – Take them out, look at them and ask yourself – if I was wearing this and I bumped into my ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, would I feel like a million dollars in front of them, and if the answer is no – donate it.
Other useful tips:
• If you are preparing for next season like I am for summer right now – move your winter clothes out of sight and put them in another pile, in another part of the house. You only want to see the clothes you are about to wear in the coming months. Also, get rid of your winter clothes, and only move back the ones you have worn recently – as the rule above says. 🙂
• If you can, and your space allows you – keep your summer dresses in a separate part of your wardrobe – especially if you share your wardrobe with someone. It’s best to hang them where there is a bit of length in your wardrobe if you have longer dresses. If this isn’t an option for you – you can always fold them up.
Sentimental things and what to do with them?
We’ve all bought something on our travels or have that one dress we wore on our first date with our significant other. I get it – it has value and lovely memories. But we need to ask ourselves – what about the value it could give to someone else? If you’re not wearing it, and it’s only hanging there, maybe it’s time to say goodbye. Memories will stay, but someone else will enjoy the piece of clothing even more and get more use out of it at the same time. If you are still having trouble, let me show you how to be ruthless when decluttering.
This same rule goes for the clothing that doesn’t light that spark in you. Maybe you’re wearing it, but if you don’t feel that comfortable in it, then you already know what I’m going to say, it’s time to give it away and replace it. At the end of the day, you have to feel comfortable and get the most out of the clothes you own!
Organizing your wardrobe and getting the result you want
Ok now you need to organize your closet back. I recommend you do it by category. That way you have the mechanism that suits you best: short sleeves, long sleeves, trousers, jackets, and so on. Also, if you have space, consider organizing by color! Keep in mind though that it isn’t about aesthetics, but that it saves you time when looking for things. It will definitely save you time in the morning. You can easily find what you want to wear, take it out, get dressed, and away you go.
There are five categories that I use and I recommend dividing them up in your wardrobe.
I recommend that you do a bit of wardrobe decluttering, maybe even today, because Spring is here and the hot weather is starting.
And as I said – enjoy the feeling of decluttering and feeling proud of what you’ve done. Once you have done this it will be easy to maintain and life will become a bit easier. And especially if you invest in quality hangers.
If you are based in Madrid, and you’d like a more in-depth one-to-one wardrobe organization and declutter please email me at hello@organizemyhomespace.com or join my Facebook community Organize & Optimize your home and let me help you get started today.
Lynne x
Professional Organizer
My Home Space
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