I don't even know exactly why or how it happens, but most of us have had this issue. Our closets are packed, overflowing and overwhelming. This has happened to my children even, so I'm sure it's happened to you as well.
When my son was first born he had a bigger wardrobe with more shoes than I did myself. I'm definitely grateful for those clothes (with all the spit up that went on, they were needed at that point in his life) Now however, I've noticed his dresser drawers are still bursting at the seams, and really if he had his way, he would wear the exact same thing every day. We only do laundry here once a week, so a few more outfits are needed. That being said, we do laundry once a week, so we really don't need 50 outfits. (50 is an exaggeration, but you get the idea) Now I've been talking a lot about my sons wardrobe, but this is only to show you that if my 7 year old boy can have this problem, how much worse is it for the rest of us?
Over our journey to embrace a slower more minimalist lifestyle I've been working on clearing out my closet as well. There are some things that I've tried myself and that work! Even though in some ways this doesn't totally make sense, it's amazing having less clothes. It's freeing. You end up being left with the best, your favourites. The clothes you actually wear anyways. The ones that fit. When you look inside your closet every morning you only see your favourites, you're not reminded of how you've been meaning to lose a few pounds so the old favourites will fit again, or the time you wore a certain outfit and had the worst day of your life, or how many years it's been since you were actually in college (even though the sweater is right there still). Don't forget about the guilt you feel when you see something you spent a lot of money on, so you feel like you should keep it, but if you're honest it's just not working for you.
I used to live with a just in case mind set, I may need to wear that to tea with the Queen one day. Or if I had a different job, or if I was going on a fancy date, or whatever excuse you may have. Let's be real, if you're going to tea with the Queen, you're going to want a new outfit anyways.
Here are 4 things that have helped me in my closet cleaning journey. I'm sure they will help you as well. I would think of this as more of a guide for the slow and hesitant closet cleaners....the ones who have a harder time letting go. The ones who are on a strict budget and know that they will not just be able to replace items if they got rid of something and end up needing it. If this is you, it was me too, I'm telling you this works and I have no regrets. For others you may be able to work through this process faster. The point is moving forward from where ever you are at. This can be done in a weekend, or over a couple months. Just keep moving forward and don't give up, it will be rewarding in the end. I have cut more than 3/4 my wardrobe out and I have no regrets.
1. Take everything out of your closet and get rid of the obvious clothes that you do not wear and do not need. Anything that's worn out, out dated, doesn't fit, isn't your colour...get rid of those first.
2. Now try and define your style. What do you want your style to be? What you actually need week to week? What's practical for your life? Do you have certain colours you gravitate towards? Is there anything else that does not fit with this style that can be removed?
3. A good way to test what you wear in a given week is to take what's left in your closet after your initial clean out and put everything away with their hangers backwards. The next time you are putting laundry away, put the hangers the right way. Fairly quickly you will be able to see what you are actually wearing, and what is still hanging backwards.
4. After a couple weeks, box up everything you have hanging backwards still. Don't feel guilty about what's hanging backwards, just be honest with yourself. You haven't worn it. You can either move this box to the basement or another closet, or just get it out of your main closet. After a few more weeks if you have not gone back into the box to grab anything, you probably never will. It's safe to let it go.
You may have to do this seasonally for the first year, I did. Here our seasons vary greatly, so just because it was winter I did not go through and get rid of all my shorts because I wasn't wearing them, in the same way, if it's summer do not get rid of all your warm sweaters. You will simply need to go through the process with those types of clothes in their correct season to see what works for you. You may find it helpful to pack seasonal clothes away in an under the bed storage bin. It frees up limited closet space.
I found that after about a year I was naturally left with a wardrobe that coordinated, that I was comfortable in, that was practical to my life, and that I liked. It also worked through all the seasons. It did take some time, but honestly, start now, the year will fly by, I promise.
In order to maintain this wonderfully organized closet you also need to watch what you are bringing in. If you buy something new, try to take out something that's getting close to the end of its life. Once your closet is a great place to wake up too, you will start thinking twice about buying too much and ruining your now calmer morning routine. Another thing that really helps with your closet maintenance is matching hangers and white interiors, but that's another blog post for another day. Here it is!
What has helped you clean your closet? Have you tried these tips? I would love to hear from you if this made it easier to get that clean closet you've been after!
Comentarios