One guideline is to limit yourself to 40 (slim line flocked) hangers.
If you have a lot of clothes, 40 hangers is going to seem like a tiny little amount that will never be sufficient - especially if you start with 4 packets of 10 slim hangers - it really doesn't look like it will be enough.
I myself am still working towards 40 hangers (+ a few trouser hangers) - I'm not far off now - I'm less than 10 over. I don't know where I started, but I suspect somewhere around 100? I'm going to easily manage with the amount of hanging clothes from 40 hangers.
I'm not sure who came up with the number 40. It seems pretty random. But it does seem to be a fairly adequate amount of hanging clothes for my lifestyle.
Having all the hangers matching makes an incredible difference to the look of your wardrobe - it makes it look neater without having to do anything else. Especially if you have flocked hangers which things wont slide off and end up on the floor.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Would you buy it today?
So maybe you are still having trouble getting rid of your unworn clothes.
One question to ask yourself when you look at something is "if I saw this in a shop today, would I buy it?". If the answer is no, get rid of it.
This one question, if answered honestly, will get rid of anything that doesn't fit, is not in current fashion or doesn't suit the person you are today (even if it suited the person you were when you bought it). It;s a very powerful technique and can reduce the amount of unworn clothes in your wardrobe considerably!
One question to ask yourself when you look at something is "if I saw this in a shop today, would I buy it?". If the answer is no, get rid of it.
This one question, if answered honestly, will get rid of anything that doesn't fit, is not in current fashion or doesn't suit the person you are today (even if it suited the person you were when you bought it). It;s a very powerful technique and can reduce the amount of unworn clothes in your wardrobe considerably!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
The Quick Method: Get Help
The fastest way to clean out your wardrobe is to recruit one of your friends (preferably a non-sentimental, stylish friend) to help you out for the day.
Empty everything out, and only put back what your friend lets you! They will be far more ruthless than you as they have no emotional ties to the clothes. Get them to take everything away with them that you are discarding.
Job done!
(The ease at which you are able to accept the help of another person to do this job will determine how successful you will be. It's not something I would do myself which is why my cleaning out is taking months).
Empty everything out, and only put back what your friend lets you! They will be far more ruthless than you as they have no emotional ties to the clothes. Get them to take everything away with them that you are discarding.
Job done!
(The ease at which you are able to accept the help of another person to do this job will determine how successful you will be. It's not something I would do myself which is why my cleaning out is taking months).
Thursday, June 12, 2014
The Secret to Tidiness
The secret to tidiness is to have a place and a space for everything. If you have too much stuff you can never be tidy, that's it.
So if you crave tidiness and you never seem to get there, you need to get rid of the things that you aren't using. If things are tidy until you need to get one thing, but you have to move a couple of other things to get to what you want and in the process you make a mess - you aren't properly tidy - you are surface tidy only - which is a transient condition!
When you start, it can be really hard to get rid of things. Luckily, as you go along you start to let go of things and it gets easier. You also start getting the feedback of things looking nicer, of it being easier to find things which encourages you to keep going.
A things get more under control, you can plan better for the things that you do use and need and want. An organised and tidy space makes it easy to get to every thing - you can be find and access what you want without disturbing other items.
In the case of your clothes, a tidy wardrobe is not one that is bursting at the seams, where every drawer is so stuffed full you have to dig around for what you are looking for. Where everything gets crushed and needs to be ironed again before you can wear it. You wont have more to wear is you can't find what you want or if when you do find it it's not ready to go. So get ruthless and start clearing things out!
So if you crave tidiness and you never seem to get there, you need to get rid of the things that you aren't using. If things are tidy until you need to get one thing, but you have to move a couple of other things to get to what you want and in the process you make a mess - you aren't properly tidy - you are surface tidy only - which is a transient condition!
When you start, it can be really hard to get rid of things. Luckily, as you go along you start to let go of things and it gets easier. You also start getting the feedback of things looking nicer, of it being easier to find things which encourages you to keep going.
A things get more under control, you can plan better for the things that you do use and need and want. An organised and tidy space makes it easy to get to every thing - you can be find and access what you want without disturbing other items.
In the case of your clothes, a tidy wardrobe is not one that is bursting at the seams, where every drawer is so stuffed full you have to dig around for what you are looking for. Where everything gets crushed and needs to be ironed again before you can wear it. You wont have more to wear is you can't find what you want or if when you do find it it's not ready to go. So get ruthless and start clearing things out!
Hanging up your clothes backwards
A technique that I don't use but that a lot of other people find useful is the hanging up your clothes backwards method.
All you do is place ALL your clothes hangers around the wrong way (that is, with the , as you wear, wash and return your clothes you turn the hangers the right way out. This way you identify which clothes you are using and which you are not. Six months (or so) after you have turned your hangers you discard any clothes which have not yet been worn.
This method would be great for anyone who read my earlier entry about sorting out what you had worn in the last month / six months and shook their head as they couldn't remember.
All you do is place ALL your clothes hangers around the wrong way (that is, with the , as you wear, wash and return your clothes you turn the hangers the right way out. This way you identify which clothes you are using and which you are not. Six months (or so) after you have turned your hangers you discard any clothes which have not yet been worn.
This method would be great for anyone who read my earlier entry about sorting out what you had worn in the last month / six months and shook their head as they couldn't remember.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The B-Team
The B-Team are the non-performing clothes in your wardrobe - the dead wood. It's the stuff that takes up a lot of space and never gets worn.
So you either need to start wearing them - or get rid of them!
You are probably keeping them as you think that you will wear them for something - work, a party, whatever. So say you have something that you are keeping for a work shirt - next time you get ready for work, put on that shirt. If you feel like keeping it on, great - it's graduated from the B-Team. If you look at yourself and think yuck or pull a face, get it out of your wardrobe straight away (then put on something you like to wear and go on with your day).
If you are keeping things because they were expensive and you think it's a waste of money to get rid of them, think about selling them. You aren't saving or making money having things in your wardrobe.
The best wardrobe should only contain things that you feel good wearing. If you get in the habit of discarding items that you don't want to wear because they don't make you feel good, you'll get rid of that dead wood in no time.
So you either need to start wearing them - or get rid of them!
You are probably keeping them as you think that you will wear them for something - work, a party, whatever. So say you have something that you are keeping for a work shirt - next time you get ready for work, put on that shirt. If you feel like keeping it on, great - it's graduated from the B-Team. If you look at yourself and think yuck or pull a face, get it out of your wardrobe straight away (then put on something you like to wear and go on with your day).
If you are keeping things because they were expensive and you think it's a waste of money to get rid of them, think about selling them. You aren't saving or making money having things in your wardrobe.
The best wardrobe should only contain things that you feel good wearing. If you get in the habit of discarding items that you don't want to wear because they don't make you feel good, you'll get rid of that dead wood in no time.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Why do I need to clean out my wardrobe?
Indicators you need to clean out your wardrobe:
According to an online article I read earlier this year, a recent study found that the average Australian only wears a third (32%) of their clothes and has 104 items in their wardrobe they never wear. The research also found the average Australian has 10 pairs of boots and shoes they don’t wear (women 12 and men 7). These unworn items cost on average $70 each. I don't have any links to this study so I don't know how thorough the study was, but I can say that what I have found with cleaning out my own wardrobe that I have easily thrown out 100 items already! So I would believe it.
My excessive clothes were due to the fact that I never threw things out - half of what I threw out were t-shirts (some of which were 15 years old). Other people I know can't resist a sale and they have piles of things that they have bought because they were cheap but not necessarily what they needed (or suited them).
It doesn't matter why you have too many things in your wardrobe, the techniques for cleaning them out don't change.
- even though you seem to have plenty of clothes you have 'nothing to wear'
- your clothes don't fit into your wardrobe
- you have pests eating holes in your clothes or mildew problems
According to an online article I read earlier this year, a recent study found that the average Australian only wears a third (32%) of their clothes and has 104 items in their wardrobe they never wear. The research also found the average Australian has 10 pairs of boots and shoes they don’t wear (women 12 and men 7). These unworn items cost on average $70 each. I don't have any links to this study so I don't know how thorough the study was, but I can say that what I have found with cleaning out my own wardrobe that I have easily thrown out 100 items already! So I would believe it.
My excessive clothes were due to the fact that I never threw things out - half of what I threw out were t-shirts (some of which were 15 years old). Other people I know can't resist a sale and they have piles of things that they have bought because they were cheap but not necessarily what they needed (or suited them).
It doesn't matter why you have too many things in your wardrobe, the techniques for cleaning them out don't change.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Getting started with your wardrobe
Ok, you've decided that for whatever reason you need to clean out your wardrobe.
I have read blog posts that offer a three step process; 1. empty, 2. throw away what you don't wear, 3. put everything else back.
Unfortunately, with cleaning out your wardrobe, it's not quite that simple. The reason your wardrobe gets out of control is that it is hard to throw things out. So you might find that on your first attempt at a clean out you don't manage to discard a great deal. That's ok! What you want at this first stage is to throw out the things it is easy to let go of and sort out the rest of your things to make it easier to reduce the amount you are holding onto.
Before you begin, if you don't already have them I suggest that you buy yourself some flocked coat hangers. You'll see this suggestion on just about every wardrobe advice thing you read. They'll keep your wardrobe tidy as things don't fall off them, plus if you buy them all at once they'll match and look tidier. They are also a bit gentler on your clothes than some other kinds. Now I would NEVER have gone out and bought flocked coat hangers despite how many bits of advice I read telling me to do so. Luckily, my friend who helped me with maternity clothes saw my wire coat hangers and my wardrobe (pre-tidy days) was a believer in the flocked coat hanger and she gave me a full wardrobes worth as a gift (and I am so glad that she did). You'll want 40 of them.
You'll also need to set aside a couple of hours or so - and because everything is going to come out of your wardrobe, it's probably going on your bed, so don't plan to do half tonight and half in the morning.
I have read blog posts that offer a three step process; 1. empty, 2. throw away what you don't wear, 3. put everything else back.
Unfortunately, with cleaning out your wardrobe, it's not quite that simple. The reason your wardrobe gets out of control is that it is hard to throw things out. So you might find that on your first attempt at a clean out you don't manage to discard a great deal. That's ok! What you want at this first stage is to throw out the things it is easy to let go of and sort out the rest of your things to make it easier to reduce the amount you are holding onto.
Before you begin, if you don't already have them I suggest that you buy yourself some flocked coat hangers. You'll see this suggestion on just about every wardrobe advice thing you read. They'll keep your wardrobe tidy as things don't fall off them, plus if you buy them all at once they'll match and look tidier. They are also a bit gentler on your clothes than some other kinds. Now I would NEVER have gone out and bought flocked coat hangers despite how many bits of advice I read telling me to do so. Luckily, my friend who helped me with maternity clothes saw my wire coat hangers and my wardrobe (pre-tidy days) was a believer in the flocked coat hanger and she gave me a full wardrobes worth as a gift (and I am so glad that she did). You'll want 40 of them.
You'll also need to set aside a couple of hours or so - and because everything is going to come out of your wardrobe, it's probably going on your bed, so don't plan to do half tonight and half in the morning.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
An Organised Me
I'm trying to find my way back to being an organised me.
I used to be neat and organised - through my youth, while living at share houses while studying at uni, my first solo house... but when I moved into a big house with my partner, my possessions multiplied to fill up the spaces. I never threw anything out as I never needed to - there was always room to stash it somewhere. So I became less neat - as new things came in I never rearranged how I stored things to accommodate the changes. It still looked pretty tidy in my house, but it was always on the edge of being messy. My wardrobe (which of course was never seen by visitors) in particular was ridiculous, my clothes spread between my walk-in-robe, my husband's walk-in-robe and a built-in in another room.
And then life got very complicated. My husband died very suddenly and unexpectedly. As if this wasn't challenging enough I was pregnant with twins. So all of a sudden I had a house which was full of my things, our things, his things and I had to make space for two little people who were going to be needing an awful lot of things but who wouldn't be tidying up after themselves for many years. So all of a sudden I effectively had to deal with 4 people's worth of possessions - at a time when I wasn't even able to look after myself!
I used to be neat and organised - through my youth, while living at share houses while studying at uni, my first solo house... but when I moved into a big house with my partner, my possessions multiplied to fill up the spaces. I never threw anything out as I never needed to - there was always room to stash it somewhere. So I became less neat - as new things came in I never rearranged how I stored things to accommodate the changes. It still looked pretty tidy in my house, but it was always on the edge of being messy. My wardrobe (which of course was never seen by visitors) in particular was ridiculous, my clothes spread between my walk-in-robe, my husband's walk-in-robe and a built-in in another room.
And then life got very complicated. My husband died very suddenly and unexpectedly. As if this wasn't challenging enough I was pregnant with twins. So all of a sudden I had a house which was full of my things, our things, his things and I had to make space for two little people who were going to be needing an awful lot of things but who wouldn't be tidying up after themselves for many years. So all of a sudden I effectively had to deal with 4 people's worth of possessions - at a time when I wasn't even able to look after myself!
Friday, June 6, 2014
An Organised Beginning
Over the past 18 months or so, I've got rid of about 75% of the clothes I owned - and I'm still going!
I've become quite passionate about culling my wardrobe and on occasion I do subject people to long stores about all the techniques I've employed to help me part with things that I've been holding onto. Some people respond with 'I could never do that!' while I have managed to inspire some others to clean out their own wardrobes. Just about all of them admit that they think they have too many things in their wardrobe.
So I've decided to put together all the tips I've found or ideas I've had myself - to both keep myself on track and to put them all in one area for others to read. I'm hoping it helps me with some of the challenges I have with holding onto material possessions. I have found that as I adopt certain ideas about how to get rid of clothes I've been able to use the same concepts to cull other items I own.
It's going to be a very simple blog - for ordinary people who are just trying to achieve an ordinary level of control over their belongings. It's not going to be full of hundreds of photos of gorgeously arranged things that end up on pinterest, or recommend that you spend big dollars on that perfect piece.
However you have arrived here - if you are a friend who was following another blog of mine, or I've given you the address after you've heard all about my wardrobe or a stranger who has ended up here - if you need some help tidying things up I expect I have something for you!
Happy organising!
I've become quite passionate about culling my wardrobe and on occasion I do subject people to long stores about all the techniques I've employed to help me part with things that I've been holding onto. Some people respond with 'I could never do that!' while I have managed to inspire some others to clean out their own wardrobes. Just about all of them admit that they think they have too many things in their wardrobe.
So I've decided to put together all the tips I've found or ideas I've had myself - to both keep myself on track and to put them all in one area for others to read. I'm hoping it helps me with some of the challenges I have with holding onto material possessions. I have found that as I adopt certain ideas about how to get rid of clothes I've been able to use the same concepts to cull other items I own.
It's going to be a very simple blog - for ordinary people who are just trying to achieve an ordinary level of control over their belongings. It's not going to be full of hundreds of photos of gorgeously arranged things that end up on pinterest, or recommend that you spend big dollars on that perfect piece.
However you have arrived here - if you are a friend who was following another blog of mine, or I've given you the address after you've heard all about my wardrobe or a stranger who has ended up here - if you need some help tidying things up I expect I have something for you!
Happy organising!
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