How to organise your wardrobe

There’s next to no use for clothing and accessories that find themselves buried amid a chaotic and cluttered wardrobe.

Which is why de-cluttering your wardrobe and freeing up storage space for your prized possessions can be the most satisfying chore of them all.

Say farewell to old garments

Get rid of the clothes you don’t wear – really!

Recent studies have found; on average, we have £1,000 worth of clothes in our wardrobe that haven’t been worn in over a year! Chances are, if you’ve not worn an item of clothing in over 12 months, you’re not going to wear it again.

Top tip: Place all your items of clothing on hangers facing the opposite way (with the handle facing you). After four months, any items of clothing still facing the opposite direction, go on the chopping block.

Justifying keeping clothes that you no longer have a use for, particularly the ones you slaved over in order to purchase, is too easy. And leaves you with a cacophony of clothes and not enough storage for them all.

Take a step back and have a good look at your wardrobe.

Is it bursting at the seams? Do the words “I have nothing to wear” run through your mind on a daily basis? If so, it’s time to reassess your wardrobe habits and make room for the clothes that will make it into your weekly routine.

Start with a clean space. Empty the entirety of your wardrobe contents out and pick off each item of clothing one by one.

When choosing the clothes to keep ask yourself these questions:

• Does it still fit me? Try everything on, you won’t know for sure what fits and what doesn’t unless you try it on.
• Have I worn it in the past 12 months?
• Would I wear this item of clothing again given the chance?
• Do I love the way it looks on me?
• Is it ruined(stained/damaged)? If it is damaged, how long has it been this way? Is it going to be an easy fix, or is it going to be simpler to recycle it?

In case, despite everything, you’re still struggling to let go of a certain item of clothing, put it aside and come back to it the next day. Look at it with fresh eyes and make an honest judgement. If you can’t see yourself wearing it, (no matter how much you love it!) then it’s time to let go.

What to do with old clothes?

You don’t simply have to throw your old clothes away, there are plenty of avenues available for you to pass your pre-loved items on to somebody who will truly appreciate them.

Sell them

Possibly the most established platform for selling pre-loved items is eBay. An auction based selling platform, it allows you to sell your goods for a fixed price, or on a bid-by-bid basis.

In addition to eBay, there is a multitude of other websites, and even Facebook groups, for buying and selling used goods, such as clothes and accessories. Each site provides its own streamlined experience, for buyers and sellers alike.

Simply list your item, add an image, ship to the buyer and earn money! (Easier than you thought, right?)

We recommend Preloved if you’re looking for an easy and free platform to sell your old clothes on. However, there are bundles of sites and apps available to aid in the selling of used clothes, try:

Depop
ASOS Marketplace
Poshmark
For high-end fashion and those costly pieces, use: Vestiaire Collective

Give them to charity

If you have items of clothing that are still in good condition, but you don't want to spend the time it takes to sell them online, why not consider donating to those in need?

You don’t have to go above and beyond, but make sure you prepare the clothes you’re donating to charity in a way you’d expect to purchase them. This means making sure they are completely free from rips and stains.

Recycle them

Finally, the clothes which have had a lifetime of love and will serve no purpose to anybody else can be recycled.

Nearly 100% of clothes are recyclable!

What typically happens when you recycle old items of clothing is that they are broken down and reused. By making them into things such as cleaning rags and padding on the underside of household carpets. (Wow!)

Separate seasonal clothes

If you’re reading this in the UK, I’m sure you’re thinking there’s no need to store away winter clothes with the absence of summer sun. However, we can still be hopeful and prepare ourselves for the unlikely eventuality of the rain stopping for a day or two.

Everything being well, there should be no need to store your winter coat in your wardrobe all summer.

So, store your out of season clothes, out of sight!

Where to store my seasonal clothing?

There are a number of places throughout your home where you can store clothing, try making your furniture double duty by pairing a vintage chest up as a place to store clothes.

A simpler option would be to store your seasonal clothing and accessories in suitcases, then just lay them flat, under your bed. Storing clothes and saving space!

Or, have a go at boxing your seasonal clothing up so you can store them throughout your home. Try the boiler cupboard, under the stairs or in the attic.

If you’re struggling to find space for your items of clothing, you can look into temporary storage space. Clothing is one of the many things Store Fist store safely and securely, with store pods from 15 sq. ft. you can keep your seasonal clothes stored away in a clean and safe environment until they are next needed.