I have a lot of clothes. A whole lot of them. In fact, I have clothes living in every corner of my house – in the closet, bed box, drawers, attic and cabinets. You name any part of the bedroom and I’ll have clothes sitting there. But every time I need something to wear while going out, I rotate on the same 4 tops and trousers because they make me feel comfortable.
While moving homes 2 months ago, I came across a bunch of clothing items that I hadn’t worn in years mostly because I didn’t even know they existed. I own half a dozen jackets but always end up wearing the same two the entire winter season. There were many pullovers, tops and jeans that just weren’t wearable because I had lost a lot of weight in the recent years and couldn’t fit in them anymore.
As someone who is way too attached to clothes, I had to spend a few minutes convincing myself that decluttering is the only way to make my bedroom worth living. After sifting through the clothes lying in the bed box, in the closet and in the dresser, I managed to get rid of many many pieces that hadn’t been serving any purpose in my life for a long time.
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Decluttering clothes is easy if you know how to make decisions that are in the best interest of your home. As you sort through your pile of clothes, ask yourself a set of questions to decide whether an item stays in or goes out of your home. Below is the series of questions I asked myself to be able to declutter my clothes:
1. Does It Fit Me?
This is the easiest decision to make while decluttering clothes. Any dress or trousers or jacket that you don’t fit in should be donated or given away to a friend or family. You may have gained or lost some weight since the time you bought a dress making it a misfit in your closet. So getting rid of these pieces of clothing won’t be too difficult.
You will find yourself second-guessing your decisions during this step because you might have plans to either lose or gain some weight but make sure you don’t act on your future plans.
I weigh 45 kilos and sometimes feel bad about my lean body. It was hard for me to get rid of the clothes that had turned loose because of my weight loss but over the years, I have learned to love myself and gotten rid of clothing that didn’t fit me anymore.
2. Does It Make Me Feel Good?
You might have bought an item of clothing because it looked good on the model wearing it but didn’t like it on your own body. Even after trying it on a couple of times, you couldn’t come around to liking the item but can’t get rid of it because it was expensive. If a cloth doesn’t make you dance with joy every time you wear it, learn to let it go. When you get rid of clothes you don’t like, your wardrobe will be left with the only the ones that you love to wear.
3. Do I Like It?
While decluttering your clothes, you’ll find items that you bought on impulse but didn’t end up liking them after wearing them a few times. Maybe the fabric wasn’t too good, or the stitching was not apt or you didn’t like the colour.
You may think that it isn’t wise to throw away a perfect piece of clothing only because it didn’t meet your expectations. But let me tell you a fact. If you didn’t like it, you probably won’t wear it. And if you won’t wear it, it’s plain clutter. Get rid of it right away.
4. Will I Buy This Again?
You might have bought a dress a few months ago because you fell in love with it the moment you saw it on display. But as a human being who evolves, your personal style and taste might have changed since then. If you have trouble deciding what stays and what goes, ask yourself if you would buy this item again if you would see it in a store. If the answer is ‘No’, donate.
5. Do I Have A Duplicate For This Item?
I had four camisoles three of which were barely worn more than once. It took me a while to realize that I didn’t need more than a couple of duplicates for certain items of clothing.
If you wear a white shirt on Monday, you likely won’t wear white for the next 3 or 4 days to your office. So there’s no point having 10 white shirts in your closet. Decide the number of duplicates that work for you and get rid of the rest. It’s pointless to own 30 pairs of socks and 20 underwear if you keep rotating between the same 5 pieces.
6. Is The Item Torn, Damaged Or Worn Out?
Clothes that are torn, stained or damaged due to any reason should be discarded at the soonest. You’ll find socks with lost pairs, underwear with holes in them and dresses that are too stretched out. These are the items that can’t be donated so make sure that you either trash them right away or use them as cleaning rags in your kitchen or car.
7. When Did I Wear It Last?
If you haven’t worn it in the last one year or so, maybe it’s a sign that you should let go of it. If you can’t remember the last time you wore a particular piece of clothing, you probably don’t like it enough. It’s best if you bid it a goodbye.
Having only the clothes that you wear and love is one of the most crucial steps to becoming your best self. Your clothes form a huge part of your personality which is why you must always keep your closet clutter-free. Try and aim for a wardrobe that suits your personal style and makes you feel good about yourself.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the decluttering questions listed above and the ones you would like me to add here. Feel free to drop a comment below or write me at hello@theaestheticabode.com.