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. 


You're going to need some boxes or bags for things that aren't going to go back in, plus a rubbish bin for real rubbish. You can figure out what you have to hand. Don't buy any storage boxes at this stage.

And with that you are ready to begin. To start with just work on your clothes that you hang up - once you've done your first pass you can go and do your drawers - and then your shoes etc etc.

Take all the hanging clothes out of your wardrobe. At any point in this process, if you look at anything that makes you go 'yuck' - this goes in the the discard pile - put it next to the rubbish bin if it's suitable for a charity donation or in the bin if it isn't. Also put into the bin any pieces of paper or cardboard that you have sitting in your wardrobe to prevent attracting any pests. Remove everything out of the hanging space - all the hangers, and thing that is sitting in the bottom of the space. Get your vacuum out and give it a good clean. Wipe down the rail and any surfaces. Keep an eye out to see if you have any pests already lodging in the space (silverfish, moths etc) or any mildew problems that will need to be dealt with.

Now hang up your 40 empty hangers. Pick out of your clothes everything that you have worn in the last month or so and hang it up on your new hangers. Then do the same for the clothes you have worn in the last six months. See if there is anything you think you wore in the last 12 months that you might be about to wear again due to the season, or they are special event outfits - hang that up too.

(as you put clothes back into your wardrobe, make sure that they are clean and ready to wear, otherwise put them in your laundry hamper
also, fill the new hangers first, but if you need to use some of your old ones because you run out, go ahead - we aren't trying to get to the ultimate end goal this time)

Now look at what you've got left. 

You've probably got some clothes that don't fit you anymore. If you can handle it, put these clothes in the discard pile. If not, sort those clothes into piles of what size they are. Chances are they smaller sizes than you currently wear and you are holding onto these clothes in the hope that they will fit again one day (or they might be maternity clothes and you are hoping for another baby in the future). Put these clothes into bags and label with the size they are and today's date. If you have a lot of bags, see if you can get rid of the bag(s) holding the clothes which are furthest away from the size you currently are. Any bags you want to hold onto, put a date on the bag for when you think you will be fitting into them again. Put them aside. 

There will also be clothes that you are keeping for sentimental reasons. That's ok, but if you are not wearing them, they're no longer clothes and they don't belong in your wardrobe. Have a look at them and see if you can bear to part with any of them, if so great - off to the discard pile, if not, bag them up and label as memorabilia. 

So what's left? Some of them will be things that fit but you don't wear because you don't feel good about yourself when you put them on. Have a closer look - are there things that are torn/damaged? Throw them out. If you haven't already fixed them, you probably never will. Same goes for things with stains on them. Put them in the rubbish. You still have some things left that you still think you will wear - probably some still with the store tags on them? Ok, you get to hang these back in the wardrobe. Keep them together - this is your wardrobe's B-team.

Hopefully you've got a bit more space now, although you've  probably got some bags of things you don't know what to do with.  I think it's best if they are out of sight - but if you haven't got the space they'll have to go back in the wardrobe on the floor - but hopefully in a neat pile. You should also have at least 40 old hangers. These you need to discard - throw out, recycle for charity or use them in your laundry.

All these items will be revisited later, but for now you've made a start.