How To Downsize Your Wardrobe: Clothing Declutter Hack

Decluttering your clothing can be a daunting task, but with the proper tips and tricks, it can be a breeze. Find the best ways how to downsize your wardrobe and make the process as simple and painless as possible. This simple method for downsizing your wardrobe is an easy way to declutter clothes without stress.

In fact, you can get this clothes decluttering hack set up in around 5 minutes and let it start its magic!

When was the last time you had a good go at downsizing your wardrobe?

For me, it was only a couple of months ago and oh boy, it took me almost a whole day! This is crazy because it was less than a year ago I last did the same thing. And a few years ago I even gave my wardrobe a whole makeover!

Clothing is one of those things we seem to accumulate without realising. New clothes are coming in while old clothes aren’t leaving as often as they should.

Next thing you know, your drawers won’t close again and you’re back to square one!

HOW TO EASILY DOWNSIZE YOUR CLOTHING

Downsizing your wardrobe can be an emotional journey. There are so many outfits and pieces we own that link to some memory or experience and they can be hard to let go of.

There are also those clothes we want to keep in case we get skinny again or that karate outfit from when you were a 19-year-old badass. No? Okay, maybe that’s just my wardrobe!

But the point is… we need to let go, for our own sanity!

Holding onto sentimental items and clothing that we will never wear is not serving our lives!

Less stuff is a great way to increase our calm and make our lives a little easier.

I know I am sick of shoving stuff into drawers that barely shut. And trying to find that one item in a wardrobe that is packed to the brim with overloaded hangers is a nightmare! So it’s time to change up the methods and get a whole lot stricter!

When you are overwhelmed on where to start decluttering your home, sometimes having a few little hacks like this can be the perfect kick-off. While it isn’t an instant result, it is a habit that you can use each year to reduce excess from your wardrobes!

How Much Clothing Do You Really Need?

Most of us have far more clothing than we actually need! The average person only wears 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. This means that the other 80% of our clothing is just taking up space in our closets and dressers.

If you want to downsize your wardrobe, it is important to first take inventory of what you actually wear on a regular basis and what you actually need.

If you have specific work clothes, this needs to be taken into account compared to someone who only wears their everyday clothing. The same goes for any special hobby-based clothing you require, such as sports uniforms, gym wear or overalls.

The other consideration is whether you simply want to save money and have less clothes in your wardrobe or if you want to move to a minimalist wardrobe or a capsule wardrobe. This is very different to a standard decluttering process.

If that still feels like too much, check out my 30-day declutter challenge with achievable daily tasks to get you huge results!

Simple Hack To Downsize Your Wardrobe

So how do we do that minus the emotional turmoil that comes with trying to choose what to keep and what to ditch? The reverse hanger method of course!

Here’s how it works…

Go to your wardrobe and do a quick scan of all your clothes. Get rid of anything you are definitely happy to part with straight away. Might as well have a mini cull straight away!

When decluttering clothes, anything that is stretched, torn, or damaged beyond repair needs to go. Anything that you know you will never wear needs to go too. Clothes that are unlikely to ever fit, styles you hate wearing, or old clothes that are ready for retirement.

Next step, go through and reverse every coat hanger in your wardrobe so they are facing the opposite direction to how they usually hang.

Now for the next several months, every time you wear an item of clothing from your wardrobe and go to hang it back up, flip the hanger the right way.

The clothes that are on the reversed hangers are the ones you don’t wear, so those are the ones you part with! Hello, closet space and goodbye to clothing items you don’t wear!

How To Make This Decluttering Hack Work For You

There are a few things to consider when using this method. The time frame depends on you.

If you have all your clothes hanging in the wardrobe all year round, you may need to do this for 9-12 months so you get to experience the different seasons and work through all types of clothing you have.

Alternatively, you can hang your clothes just according to the season so you can do a 3-6 month cycle and cull just your summer or just your winter clothes you didn’t wear.

But the key is to actually part with them, so don’t make excuses at the end of that cycle! Let them go!

As for drawers, you can do a similar method if you have the means by putting everything into one drawer and emptying out another and transferring the ones you wear into the empty drawer. Drawer dividers will help you to do this.

Check out my tutorial for making your own drawer dividers from cardboard.

So there you have it… a simple method to get rid of clothes from your wardrobe!

As for decluttering your clothing drawers, try these 10-minute declutter challenges to do them one drawer at a time until you get through them all. Even if you do one a week, it will make a huge impact on your space!

Speed Up The Process

If you need fewer clothes in a hurry, you do need to start this process with the intention of being much more ruthless than usual. This way, you’ll be able to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Here are some tips on how to declutter your wardrobe in record time:

1. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit.

If something doesn’t fit you properly, it’s time to let it go. There’s no point in hanging on to clothes that are too big or too small – you’re never going to wear them and they’re taking up valuable space in your closet. Unless this item is truly sentimental, you can replace it with something you absolutely love in future!

2. Be honest about what you actually wear.

Take a good hard look at your wardrobe and be honest about which items you actually wear on a regular basis. If you can’t remember the last time you wore something, it’s probably time to get rid of it. If you’ve owned an item of clothing for years and it still has the tags on it, it’s time to let it go.

3. Get rid of anything that’s stained or damaged.

If an item of clothing is stained, ripped, or otherwise damaged, it’s time to say goodbye. These items are taking up valuable space in your closet and they’re never going to be worn again, so it’s best to get rid of them.

4. Get rid of anything you don’t feel confident in.

If you have clothes that you don’t feel confident in, you won’t enjoy wearing them. These items are taking up valuable closet space when you could be keeping that space filled with items that don’t make you feel bad or uncomfortable when you wear them.

5. Get rid of duplicates.

If you have more than one of the same item, it’s time to declutter. There’s no need to keep multiple pairs of jeans or multiple black dresses – choose the one or two you like the most and get rid of the rest.

6. Donate, sell or recycle.

Once you’ve gone through your wardrobe and identified the items you no longer want or need, it’s time to decide what to do with them. If they’re in good condition, you could donate them to a local charity or thrift store. If they’re in great condition, you could sell them online or in a consignment store. And if they’re damaged or stained, you can throw them away.

7. Avoid Buying New Clothes.

One of the best ways to keep your wardrobe decluttered is to avoid buying new clothes unnecessarily. Every time you buy a new item of clothing, take the time to get rid of one or two items that you no longer want or need. This will help keep with decluttering clothes and prevent you from accumulating too many clothes over time. It will also help you save money on unnecessary spending.

By following these tips, you can declutter your wardrobe quickly and efficiently. Remember to be honest with yourself about which items you actually wear and need, and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, is damaged, or that you don’t feel confident in.

Happy decluttering!

Get my 30 Day Declutter Challenge Workbook and get ready for a CLUTTER-FREE HOME!

If you want an equally simple way to declutter the rest of your house, check out the 5-minute daily decluttering habit that will help you get there with minimal stress.

Have you tried this method? What is your favourite way to downsize your wardrobe?

For more decluttering inspiration;