Reset button for your closet

 

I was never a pro- curator. Refreshing or decluttering my closet always used to make me nervous and make my heart beat faster. I just had a small wish that every time I open my closet I should be rejoiced with the feeling that my clothes are breathing and curated beautifully, and I could choose my clothes within seconds before it falls over me and I am stuffing and choking my clothes back again in the closet but it was mere my wishful desire.

Decluttering is just like a detox process. The way we detoxify our body and it cleanses our whole system and we feel rejuvenated after that. Decluttering the closet is breather for clothes, it brings the smile back in clothes and they again get recognised between tons of scrambled and crammed bundle of clothes in a suffocated closet.     

Decluttering is a permanent process and a way of life, it is not something that if it is done once so it is fixed for life. It took me few years and some guts to understand the art of decluttering my closet.

Decluttering closet can be very tiresome and emotional at the same time. Over a period of time, I understood that not necessarily, I will have to follow “If- you-haven’t-worn- it- in-a-year, toss- it” rule, but instead I need to focus on the overall process and see how these clothes are fitting  into my life, personality, style, happiness, satisfaction and confidence.

Yes….It’s very much possible!!                   

Regular editing and decluttering of closet actually saves hell lot of time, energy and space and most importantly it saves you from having a panic attack every morning.

Let me share you my fun experience of decluttering my closet and give it an entirely fresh look.

Make it interesting– I know it very well that panic level is higher when it comes to closet cleaning, the moment you see the piles of clothes your excitement level goes away, so to make it more interesting, be ready with your play list of favourite songs, black thrash bags, mend bins and toss bins.

It’s always a fun to have a nice bottle of wine and a good friend to help you, a good friend will keep you on track and will help you in not to get emotional over 10 years old clothes plus she will give you an honest opinion.  

Identify the issue– before you start throwing your clothes out from the closet and making a mountain of it everywhere on the floor, you need to identify what is the issue and why are you doing this, is the issue of having too many clothes, is it the space issue or you want to add formal wear or casual wear in your wardrobe? Whatever is the issue just remember and keep them in your mind so that you don’t go off-track while decluttering.

It’s a yes – we will start with the easiest process. Take all your clothes out from the closet; we will start with tops then bottoms, dresses, lingerie, active wears and accessories. Go through with each and every piece in this category, analyse, feel and try them on if required. Start with your all-time favourites, go-to’s, staple clothes and must haves clothes first from each category. In my case staple clothes are dark blue and black jeans, white and black t-shirt, black and white classic shirt, black dress, leather jacket, blue denim jacket. Go through with the same process in each category of clothing. Keep them all in your “yes” category.

There are clothes which you really like and you want to wear but they usually lie at the corner of your closet for years or for months unused because either they are loose or they need little DIY touch, put them all in “mend bin”.

It’s a no – These are the pieces which don’t fit you at all but you hope that one fine day will you see yourself wearing the piece. In this case, if you are pregnant or going through post-partum keep them in “storage bin”, if not then don’t be sentimental and strictly put them in black thrash bag.  Also a big no to all those pieces which are stained, worn out, damaged and ripped, toss them in “toss bin”.

There are also categories of clothes which are there in your closet but you don’t feel confident when you put them on, put all these in black thrash bag so that you don’t see them again and change your mind. Drag them outside of your room. 

Confusing clothes– do you have five shirts of same colour but you wear only two of them? Everyone has few clothes or may be more which creates confusion and this can be so tricky and time consuming.

There is another category of gifted clothes, which we keep as a token of love, we are emotionally connected but never wear them. We want to keep them also and we don’t wear them also.

In that state ask few questions to yourself:

1. Are these clothes fitting me well?
2.  Are these clothes solving my purpose of styling formal, casual or semi casual?
3. Are these clothes bringing smile on my face and I feel confident about them?
4. Do I try them on but never wear?

If your answer is yes to all these questions keep them with your “yes clothes” and if the answer is no in more than one question them keep them in “black thrash bag” and never see them again,

If you have expensive label clothes or expensive party wear, you wear them seldom but you really like them anyway, put them in “storage bin”. Do the same process with seasonal clothes and box them in “storage bin”.

Time to organise closet– now you have separated the clothes, yes clothes, clothes of black thrash bag, storage bin clothes, mend bin clothes and toss bin clothes. Define the space sections according to your dresses, tops, shirts, jeans, trousers, accessories.  Now sort the clothes by the type and colour as per your convenience. Keep all the tops, camis, blouses and shirts together and the entire bottom wear together and one section for your party wear. There are clothes to be folded, fold them in small size and vertically arrange them. Don’t pile too high, you can invest in some shelf dividers, it will help in looking your closet clean, there are some clothes to be hanged, hang them neatly in a way so that you can see them all when you open your closet. Do the same with your party wear and active wear. Use hooks for scarves and belts so that you can choose them quickly.  Use inner side closet doors for hooks.

Donate all the clothes from black thrash bag, toss your toss bin clothes, go to tailor and give clothes for alterations from “mend bin” and take your dirty clothes to dry cleaners.  Keep your “storage bin clothes” safely at neat place because you may need it on and off.

Congratulations – Well done, you have done it, now the task is not done yet, choose a quarterly date and mark it on your personal calendar as your closet editing day and stick to it. 

                                          Happy decluttering!!