Saving Advice - When your closet is overrun with clothing, or you want to update what you wear for a new season, spending a little time downsizing isn’t a bad idea. It’ll free up space and help you easily see what pieces you have available, which can make getting dressed each day easier, too. Fortunately, wardrobe downsizing it’s overly challenging. Here are seven tips on how to downsize your wardrobe.
1. Find What Doesn’t Fit
Before you take any other step, go through your wardrobe and find every clothing item that doesn’t fit. Whether it’s too big or too small doesn’t matter. The most important part of the equation is that it doesn’t suit your body as it is today.
Check the size of every piece, and not just by looking at the tag. Try on the attire to see whether it fits you correctly. Then, separate out your clothes into three piles, one for too big, one for too small, and one for just right.
The just-right pieces are the ones you may end up returning to your closet. The others may have different destinies. For example, you may want to store them for later if your weight is changing. Otherwise, you may want to see if they’re donation worthy or if they need to get thrown out.
2. Check for Damage
As you’re trying on clothing to see if it fits, check every piece for any signs of damage. Along with rips, tears, snags, stains, or pilling, look for missing buttons, broken zippers, or whether they’re showing their age.
Generally, keeping damaged clothing isn’t a wise move. The only exception is potentially simple issues like a missing button. However, only keep the item if you can sit down and fix it immediately. Otherwise, the repair might not get done, causing it to take up room in your closet unnecessarily.
When you see damage, that usually means it’s best to discard the item. However, if the damage is limited and the fabric could be useful for craft projects, you could try to keep it out of the landfill. Either keep it alongside your own craft supplies or list the items for free on a marketplace, clearly outlining the damage and focusing on how the material could work for crafts.
3. Factor in Comfort
Another step you’ll want to take as you try on your clothes is to assess overall comfort. Think about how the fabric feels, and consider getting rid of anything that’s itchy or rough feeling.
Then, move around while wearing the piece to see if the design and fabric allow a good range of motion. As you move, make extreme motions, like lifting your arms over your head, touching your toes, and crouching down. If you feel bound up or the attire shifts and leaves you more exposed than you’re comfortable with, it may be a candidate for removal.
4. Consider Appearance
Ideally, the clothing you wear should make you feel confident in your appearance. As you try on items, look at yourself in a full-length mirror. Consider whether you like how you look in the piece, and use that as you finish downsizing your wardrobe. Anything that leaves you unimpressed is potentially something you’ll want to get rid of, as the odds that you’ll wear it moving forward are usually slim.
5. Look for Duplicates
While having duplicates of specific staples – like two button-up work shirts in the same color – isn’t necessarily a problem, it’s wise to see if you’re keeping too many clothing items that are functionally the same. If you spot duplicates, determine if you have a genuine need for both pieces. If not, then pick your favorite from among them and only keep that one.
For staples, having duplicates might be acceptable. However, make sure to limit the total number to the quantity you need to survive between laundry days. For example, if you have to wear black slacks at your job and you work five days a week, limit the number of black trousers in your wardrobe to no more than five if you do laundry weekly. That ensures you have enough work pants without your closet getting overfilled with black slacks.
6. Use the Backward Hanger Technique
Once you know what fits and is in good repair, try the backward hanger technique. Essentially, you hang everything up in your closet with the hanger facing opposite the usual way so that the tip of the hook faces out instead of toward the back of your closet.
When you wear a piece for the first time after the initial decluttering, hang it up with the hanger facing the right direction. Over time, this technique helps you see what you’re actually wearing and what’s simply lingering unworn in your closet.
After a period – such as six months or a year – find all of the clothing that’s still on backward hangers. Those are the clothing items you aren’t wearing, so you may want to donate them instead of keeping them in your closet.
7. One-In, One-Out Technique
After you’ve pared down your wardrobe, it’s usually wise to make sure that you don’t overfill your closet in the future. One option that works well is the one-in, one-out technique. Essentially, if you buy a new item, you get rid of an older piece.
When you remove an item after a new purchase, make sure it’s in the same category. For example, if you purchase a casual shirt, choose a casual shirt that’s showing its age, is no longer fitting well, is becoming off-trend, or has become damaged, and replace it with the new one.
Generally, the only exception you should make for the one-in, one-out rule is if you end up needing a new attire category. For instance, recent college grads may need to build a work wardrobe, as they may not have one currently. In that case, not removing an item isn’t inherently an issue. However, if their transitioning to a paradigm where wearing work clothing will become the norm, they may want to downsize their casual wardrobe, ensuring their closet doesn’t end up overstuffed.
Do you have any more tips that can help someone with their wardrobe downsizing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was originally published on Saving Advice
