Everybody is on a spring cleaning mission right now but have you thought about spring cleaning your wardrobe?
If your wardrobe is bursting at the seams, then perhaps it’s time for you to accept the fact that some of your clothing items have to go.
There are many reasons why people hang onto clothes. Whether they are for sentimental reasons or hoping it will go back into style, we tend to accumulate more clothes than needed.
Unless you plan on building more cupboards, now, as the seasons change, is the ideal time to thin out your wardrobe.
However, it’s easier said than done. How does one decide what has to go and what you can keep?
Here are tips on how to spring-clean your wardrobe and make space for something new.
There’s only one way to start and that’s to unpack your entire wardrobe and create two piles. A “keep” pile with clothes that will continue to serve you well and a “go” pile of items that you no longer need and can donate to charity.
What you can keep
This part is fairly easy.
Hang onto classic, good-quality pieces. If you spent a fortune on a basic black blazer and it’s still in good condition you should hang onto it.
Other items such as crisp white shirts, classic denim items that fit you perfectly, a simple black dress, good quality neutral-toned coats and tailored pants are examples of items you should hang onto.
Other items in your wardrobe that you could keep are those with sentimental value. Items like your matric ball outfit, an item that was specially crafted for you or something that has been passed down to you are examples of items you could keep.
What must go
Check your clothes thoroughly and look out for items that are stained or damaged. If an item has a rip in it or any damage that cannot be repaired, dump it. The same goes for stains. If you haven’t gotten it out by now, you never will.
If you haven’t worn a clothing item for over a year, then it has to go. If a whole year and all the seasons have gone by and you haven’t even had the urge to wear an item, that’s a sure sign that it’s time to part with it.
Then there are the “someday” items. Many women have one or two items of clothing that they hang onto for someday when they perhaps lose weight or hope that it will come back in style.
If you lose weight, reward yourself with new clothes and even though fashion trends tend to repeat themselves, it never comes back in the same way.
If you’ve outgrown a particular style it’s time to move on. Just because you loved florals and frills in your twenties, doesn’t mean you have to hang onto it now that clean cuts are more your style.