Declutter Your Clothes: A Complete Guide to Simplifying Your Wardrobe

When it comes to decluttering your clothes, you need to reduce the number of items in your closet so that only those things that are being used or worn can stay. Eventually, our closets begin to burgeon with items that are too small or don’t reflect our personal style. It opens up your space (to allow more in if that’s what you need) and helps make choosing an outfit less stressful, having a mindful approach to dressing, and discovering a more organized wardrobe. A readjustment to your wardrobe that will keep you surrounded with things you value.

Much of the decluttering happening in your wardrobe today is not just a physical removal and creating a space, but it is more about being intentional, living with fewer but better pieces, and having less emotional baggage around clothing.

So, in this article, I want to share with you exactly how you can declutter clothes—the preparation, execution, and organization of your simpler wardrobe.

Why Declutter Your Clothes?

Now before you go for it, let us first understand why decluttering your clothing can change your life. Why would I want to do this? Here are some reasons why you need to declutter your clothes:

1. Reduce decision fatigue

Mornings can be a nightmare when you are trying to sort out an outfit from a closet bursting with items. A streamlined wardrobe offers fewer but more intentional choices that are right for your style, so decisions can be made swiftly.

2. Save Time

Never again will you have to root around in piles of unworn clothing for that favorite shirt. I have always believed that having a well-organized closet means everything can be easily found, which will save you a lot of time getting dressed in the morning.

3. Create Space for New Pieces

This will leave you space for fresh, high-quality items that match your style and life phase.

4. Boost Mental Clarity

Cluttered space usually means a cluttered head. A tidy wardrobe is not only a pleasing eye, but it can also clear your mind of the visual noise that forces you to look as well.

5. Promote sustainability

One of the largest pertrators of environmental waste is fast fashion. Declutter and think before you buy; that way your fashion choices have a positive impact on our planet.

A Step-by-step Guide to Decluttering Your Clothes

It can be an intimidating process to declutter, especially if you have slowly accumulated clothes over many years. But if you can break it down into pieces and just figure out each part or step along the way, its not that hard.

1. Prepare for the Declutter

While you can empty your closet, make sure to stop and clear your head before doing so.

• Decluttering Can Take Forever: Spend a few hours (or a day if your wardrobe is sizable).
• Get Your Things: You will need boxes or bags; you will pull things out of your closet and categorize them as “keep,” “donate,” “sell,” and if it is damaged beyond repair, this must go to the trash.
• Set an intention. Warning: Clean that which is cleaned best with intention. Building a capsule wardrobe? Or are you decluttering for an easier, more organized space? As long as your goal is clear, even when things go bad, you will still be motivated.

2. Take Everything Out

In order to evaluate your wardrobe appropriately, you need to see all that you have. Evacuate your closet, drawers, and anywhere else you store clothes. Spread them out on a flat surface where you can look at them.

3. Sort Your Clothes

This is obviously the part that takes the most time, but this is also the most important part. As you declutter your clothes, sort them into the following four main categories:

• Keep: If it fits, is in good shape, and you wear it
• Donate: Clothes in good condition you no longer wear because you’ve grown tired of them or they’re a bit too much (or maybe you have more than 3 striped sweaters).
• Sell: If you have some nicer items in good condition, try selling them online at places like Poshmark, eBay, or Depop.
• Garbage/Recycling: Dispose of stained, torn, and nonrepairable clothing items in a recycle bin or trash.

4. Try on Clothes You’re Unsure About

Wear the clothes that you aren’t quite sure about. This will tell you whether or not they still fit and feel good to wear. Now, if something makes you feel bad, it’s probably time to go.

5. Apply the One-Year Rule

One of the best ways to know if you still need an item is when you recall wearing it in the last 12 months. If not, and it is none of those things… then likely time to go.

6. Get into Your Sentimental Clothing

We all have those sentimental pieces of clothing—maybe a prom dress, a concert t-shirt, or something that a loved one gave to us. A good number of these items can still be kept; just try not to be consumed by sentimentality. Is it bringing you joy or just taking up space?

7. Organize What’s Left

After you have sorted through the clothes, it is time to organize the ones you are keeping. Here are a few ways to properly organize your wardrobe.

• Category-wise: Your closet can be divided according to workwear, casual wear, or even gym wear.
• Season: If you have small closet space, then rotate your clothes with the season. Put your off-season clothing away in bins or vacuum-sealed bags.
• By Color: Do you like having a pretty closet to look at or even consider it an organized task? If this is the case, then simply organize your clothes by color, making sure everything is within hand reach so nothing goes lost.

8. Donate, Sell, or Trash

After your closet is all nice and neat, follow up with the clothes you decided not to keep. It ends up being relatively easy—just bag it all and give it to the Red Cross, Good Will, or Salvation Army. Photograph items to sell them online. The remainder should be recycled or disposed of responsibly.

How to Keep Your Wardrobe Decluttered

Decluttering will never be a one-time deal. So that your closet does become cluttered again, you need to pay attention to which garments you buy and how you take care of your wardrobe.

1. Generously One In/One Out, of course

Instead, give away or sell an old one for every new piece of clothing you buy. Which works best for you? This keeps your wardrobe from getting overstuffed.

2. Invest in Quality

Rather than spend your faster fashion budget on items that deteriorate before the season is up, invest in a few timeless pieces that are durable and space-worthy in your closet.

3. Do regular declutters.

Have regular decluttering appointments—say, once a year or so—where you can access whether your current wardrobe still fits the bill for what your life needs.

4. Avoid impulse buys.

Is this something that you really need in your collection, and can it be worn to create multiple outfits? This can help restrain the impulse buying and avoid more clutter creeping in.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How Often Should You Declutter Your Clothes?

This can greatly depend on your lifestyle and shopping habits, but one general rule of thumb is to clean out your closet every year; think about doing this at the beginning of each upcoming season.

Q: These are clothes that are still in good condition, but I no longer wear them. What should I do?

Or you can donate to charity, sell them on websites like eBay or Gumtree, or pass the items onto friends or family who may want them.

Q: When do I hold on, and when do I cut loose?

Does it fit? Have you worn it in the last 12 months? And does it make you feel pretty? If the answer is no, its time to walk away.

Q: How do I store sentimental clothes?

While there is no harm in keeping some sentimental items, keep them to a minimum by focusing instead on the ones you truly love. If you can, keep and give away their things in a wise way (taking photos and making a quilt out of old t-shirts), but please do not keep things just because it is too hard.

Q: How do I stop myself from buying so many clothes after I have cleared my closet?

This is when practicing mindful shopping comes into play. You may want to consider using a “one in, one out” rule where you only acquire something new once you get rid of an old item or invest more money into fewer things rather than buying many cheaper (and usually lower quality) items.

Q: Decluttering vs. organizing—is there a difference?

Sure, decluttering is about removing things that have outlived their usefulness, and organizing is putting the stuff you are keeping in a place where it can be accessed.

Conclusion

It may not be easy cleaning out your clothes, but the rewards outweigh the effort. If you do, you will save yourself a lot of physical space, indecision, and a mind free from all the clutter that was bogging it down. You know, it also allows your wardrobe to breathe with stuff that truly means something. Follow the steps in this guide and develop new habits to keep your wardrobe clutter-free and discover how you can have a more minimalist lifestyle.