Spring clean your wardrobe

At last spring and the sunshine is here! Great opportunity to Spring clean your wardrobe, out with the old, and in with the new.

One of the great things about decluttering your wardrobe is that by getting rid of the clothes that you don’t wear, you can easily see and get to the things you do like wearing.

On average women have 132 items in their wardrobe, but I have had clients who had in excess of 200 items, not to mention the 10 or so boxes stored in the loft…… sounding familiar?

Shoes on average, number 27 pairs, although I think I may be exceeding that number, although all are worn at some point during the year.

However, despite the number of items we do have in our wardrobes, statistics show that on average we wear just 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. In fact the average woman now has 22 garments hanging in her wardrobe that she has never worn.

A wardrobe spring clean is a good kick start to better wardrobe habits.

I always start by emptying out your whole wardrobe, it also gives you the chance to clean the inside of the wardrobe and add scented moth deterrents and scented drawer liners if desired.

Black sacks or some form of storage container are then essential to start the declutter process.

So for each item you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it fit?
• Have you worn in the last 2 years?
• Is it in good condition?

If the answer to ALL 3 questions is YES, it can go back into the clean wardrobe.

However, if the answer to any question is NO, then these are your options:

• Sell (ebay, dress agency, swishing, boot fair, etc)
• Bin/Recycle fabric
• Swap/Give away to friends and family
• Donate to Charity
• Repair/Alter (but generally if it needs a stich, ditch!)
• Put in a separate box/drawer/bag, marked ‘Sentimental’

The best way to do this exercise is to have some fun with it. Invite some friends round, open a bottle of fizz and make like the scene in ‘Sex in the City’ when Samantha, Miranda & Charlotte help Carrie to decide which dresses to take to her new flat & which to ditch.

Choose your decluttering partners carefully though, they must be able to offer constructive criticism and whose opinion you trust.

When it comes to putting stuff back into the wardrobe, think;

If you can see it you will most likely wear it, don’t be tempted to stuff and cram it back in.

As you put items back in firstly organize clothes according to function;

Work

Sport

At Home

Socializing

Holidays

Then sort clothes by type e.g. jackets with jackets. This is usually the point that you realise that you have a preference for one particular item. We all tend to do it, it is a kind of a safety net.

For some it is black trousers, others it may be jeans or red jackets or stripey tops or white vest tops… but remember you really only do need one, ok maybe two at a push!

To make sure the items you put back into the wardrobe are cared for appropriately and therefore last longer, make sure you use garment friendly hangers. That means NO metal coat hangers, they can damage clothes. Lightweight moulded plastic hangers are fine for lightweight items and wooden hangers are ideal for suits, jackets and coats. They are sturdy and will hold their shape under the heaviest items. Wooden hangers also offer better protection and longevity for clothing due to their curved shape, which prevents clothes from being hung too closely together, allowing air circulation and less wearing between garments.

Once you have decluttered and created some space, it is time to start all over again, but this time with a shopping strategy – successful shopping not sloppy shopping.

Make a list based on what you really need and stick to it.

Invest in fewer items, buy the best quality that you can afford.

Only buy it if you absolutely love it, not because you think it will do or because it is a bargain.

Always have in mind, a successful wardrobe is one with the right clothes organised in the right way.