Undefinable Collection of Random Thoughts

Wednesday 4 April 2018

A Wardrobe Spring Clean: A 5 Step Battle.



Greetings Internet,

Yes, yes – little ol’ me is back with more tips and tricks. This time I am bleating on about clearing out, decluttering and storage – all of my absolute favourite things. But seriously, I do love a good tidy up every now and again. The amazing lil’ rays of sunshine are back to wake us up each morning which I am pretty chuffed about and used as an opportunity to give myself the green light to dust off my spring/summer clothing out from under the bed. I rid my wardrobe of the heavy coats and knits and treated myself to some new purchases. I have learned a few lessons along the way about the whole thing that I thought I would share since these type of posts of mine seem to be something you all enjoy the most.  If you’d like to see the steps I do when I complete one of my mega clear-outs (that goes on for hours when I think it will take about 30 minutes) then have your bin bags at the ready...


Empty it all out.
Grab everything that is in your wardrobe. Take it out and put it onto a bed or somewhere nearby. I find it is just so much easier and nicer to visually see what you’ve got, when it is all laid out instead of it being all crammed up in your wardrobe. While the wardrobe itself is nice and empty, give it a good scrub because if the corners of your wardrobe are anything like mine, they do not see a duster or an anti-bacterial wipe for a VERY long time. Give it a clean and suddenly it is left ready and fresh to get refilled.


Declutter
This is when you want to get your piles down. Divide your clothing into four piles:
Keep – An obvious one of course. Here you put whatever you wear daily and are certain needs to stay. Just be sure not to make this pile too big or else decluttering won’t actually be a thing. The way I analyse the clothing for this pile is by trying to come up with at least two outfits that I could use the item of clothing with at least two outfits.

Season inappropriate – Clothes that you’d usually pop into the ‘keep’ pile but you know you’re not going to wear right now. This is the pile for those bits. So since we’re doing a Spring clean, all the hats, gloves, sweaters, heavy coats, anything that is particularly wooly – it’s got to go. Place these things in a box and place under your bed or somewhere out of the way until it is needed once again.

Time to say goodbye - Split this pile up between a charity bag and a bag filled with clothes that are just that extra bit special and can find love in your friend’s wardrobe. A good way to find things to go in here is to follow the 12 month rule. If you have not worn it in the last year, you more than likely will not. A fun way to revamp your wardrobe is if all your friends do a clear-out and you have a fun girly night swapping clothes that the owner no longer wants. You all end up doing a clear-out and end up with new bits for free, can it get any better than that?

The maybes - This is a bit of a weird one and I’d keep it optional. This is where you put clothes that do not really fit elsewhere. Maybe you have worn that flowery blouse that was an impulse buy in the last twelve months but it is not exactly one you revisit often. What you do in that situation is put all those clothes away in a pile or a bag for about six weeks (set a reminder on your phone for this one!). If you see the reminder in six weeks and you’re not excited to browse the pile, then it is time to simply get rid of it.

Rethink Storage
It may sound boring but if you’re an organisation enthusiast like myself, this is the fun part. A quick visit to Home Sense or an IKEA can make the biggest difference. Rethink where you put things and is there a more convenient way to store things to make your life easier when getting ready. This will be one you’ll be grateful for weeks to follow. Have a look around, see what space you’re working with and get to it.

Strategy is key
Actually organising the clothes is where we’re at next. You can find your own way of doing this that suits your lifestyle best but two common ways of organising your wardrobe are:

Heaviest to lightest: This is personally my favourite and how I organise my wardrobe. Starting with coats and jackets working your way down until you reach the lightest pieces like blouses and t-shirts. I find this way the most convenient for putting outfits together because all tops and bottoms are separate and you really get a good view of what you’ve got.

Colour coordinated: Just as it says on the tip, you simply put clothes of the same colour together.

Fill in the gaps
Once you’ve got all of your clothing back where it should be, looking all organised, it is really easy to see if there are any gaps if your wardrobe and what things you need to pick up. Here you make a shopping list and fill the wardrobe with a few new bits which make you feel super good and it’s just nice to replace your wardrobe with things that match your current style that bit more once in a while. Be sure to inject some colour into your Spring wardrobe. If you’re anything like myself and dress like Wednesday Addams on the usual day, Spring is finally the time to let a little bit of colour creep into the wardrobe. As a starting point it is nice to choose a limited amount of accent colours which fit with the whole ‘everything goes with everything’ thing if you’ve got a black-and-white style going on.
A few mini tips for along the way:
-You do not have to try on everything. If you wear it once a week, it stays.
-If it has sentimental value, keep it.
-If it doesn’t fit, there is no point saying you’ll lose/gain weight. It is time to replace it.
About six hours, a bag full of clothes for the charity shop and a hoovered room later, another clear-out is complete. Until next time that is...
All the love,
Karolina.x
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6 comments

  1. I see you are an expert in closet cleaning!
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    www.dressedwithsoul.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I try and do a spring clean but always forget! Great post!

    www.beyondimagination12.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  3. Been putting sorting out my wardrobe for ages now! Definitely need to follow some of your tips, great post!x

    ReplyDelete

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