Once every summer holiday, I take a day to completely red out my wardrobe which, I have to be honest, extends far beyond the confines of a single wardrobe. As I approach my thirties, I have collected up so much stuff and when I buy my forever home complete with walk in closet, I will have less problems. But for now, I have a few problems!
Step 1:
What do you have to work with? Hoke out any storage boxes that aren't being utilised effectively. How many drawers and shelves do you have? How much hanging space is there? Is it full length? Storage can be quite decorative and inexpensive so sometimes treating your bedroom or apartment to something new can be a good inspiration. I highly recommend TK Maxx for decorative storage and Ikea for inexpensive, varied storage solutions. Also, do a little research. Start pinning!
Step 2:
What are you going to do with everything you no longer need or want? I always have a Charity bag on hand and a large storage box for clothes that are out of season e.g. knitwear, winter coats and I'll store these in a spare room. I also set aside a few things that I think my friends might be interested in, especially if it's accessories. And then there's the bin, for the stains you can't get out, the unwanted holes, the fashion faux pas etc etc.
Step 3:
This is the fun part. There may be a more systematic way to approach this but I just dive straight in. How you decide what to do with each item of clothing is up to you. Some will say if you wouldn't buy it again, get rid. If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid. If it doesn't fit, gt rid. Just be realistic. If there are clothes that don't fit me very well, I keep them in a box under my bed. Then the next time I clear out at Christmas or next summer, I try them all on again. Those that still aren't great get tossed and those that do look good feel like new clothes! Some items of clothing will very quickly go out of style and some will say keep these...what goes around, comes around. But think of it this way...we are currently living through a 90's revival. Are you going to keep that neon crop top with tassles for 20 years til it comes around again?
Step 4:
If you're anything like me at this point your room will look horrendous. I'm surrounded with clothes and shoes and accessories and boxes and I'm not always sure where to go next. Take one step at a time. Today I had a great idea for storing all my flat pumps and shoes under the portable hanging rail I have. Once I did this, it cleared more space for other shoes and allowed me to recycle 5/6 shoe boxes which take up lots of space. After this there was more space for my clutch bags and scarfs which left space for my trainers and so on and so forth. All you need is one great idea to de-clutter or condense and the rest just follows. Stick with it and if you don't know where to go, take a tea break and do some research on Pinterest for ideas. There's also been times where I've left it overnight and started again with a fresh head the next day.
Step 5:
Clean the rest of your bedroom and admire all your hard work. By picking things up around the room and putting them away, you will quickly see whether your new storage ideas are working. It also gives you an excuse to open your wardrobe door several times and smile at how much your productivity has paid off!
5 black binliners, 5 hours and 2 scratches later, I'm done with one empty drawer to spare! And now I can start thinking about my summer holiday wardrobe without forgetting anything. And maybe I can treat myself when we go outlet shopping on Friday!
Any good organisation ideas? Let me know!
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