How to Successfully Purge your Wardrobe and Love it again

Do you ever have moments when you look at your closet, wish it were simplified, easier to manage, and feel like you need to purge it but don't know how? If so, keep reading this.

I LOVE to reorganise and simplify my wardrobe at least once a season, so that's about 4 rounds of "Spring" cleaning a year. I know, it seems a bit drastic and unnecessary, but if you are like me who loves shopping and fashion, then this is an important thing to do often. However, even if you aren't a huge shopaholic, but still feel overwhelmed by your wardrobe when you have to get dressed in the morning, then a good organise and purge of your closet is good to do at least twice a year. (1 at the start of the hotter seasons, and 1 at the start of the colder seasons).

So, for anyone who isn't familiar with this process, don't fret, I am going to give you a simple step-by-step for you to follow every time. I have also included great ideas to make some money off of your unwanted items, or ideas to recycle or donate your unsellable things!

STEPS TO PURGE AND REORGANISE YOUR WARDROBE:

1. CLEAR OUT YOUR ENTIRE CLOSET.

• This is a vital first step, it may seem like the most effort, but it is very important. You want to clear out your entire closet space, whether that be drawers, cupboards or rails, to ensure a clean and empty canvas to begin working with and starting from scratch.

• Empty all your clothing items out in front of you, whether that be on your bed or floor. It may look like a mess, but it's better it is all out of your closet and in front you so you can easily see each item.

• Ensure you do all your laundry beforehand, so that there are no rogue clothing items in the wash basket - you want to make sure you have all your wardrobe items available.

2. TRY ON EVERYTHING.

• Yes, you heard me, stand in front of a mirror and try on all your items.

• This is an easy way for you to see what items you definitely want and don't want.

• Trying on everything will also allow you to be more critical, as you will be able to see if something actually doesn't fit you anymore or doesn't suit you.

3. MAKE THREE PILES:

• Here is your time to be ruthless. You need to make THREE piles:

1. Keeping

2. Get Rid Of

3. Donate

1. Let's start with the easiest part - keeping: If you are wanting to keep the item, fold it neatly and put it to one side. In my opinion, a good way to always know if you are making the right choice in keeping something is asking yourself how often do you wear this item. Is it something you have only worn once? Or is it something you often wear and make good use of?

2. Next, it is the dreaded step that usually makes people hate doing this process - get rid of: In this pile/category, the clothing must be one of two things: Either the item is too tattered, old or broken to even donate, and so you just want to throw it away. OR the item is in pretty good shape, but isn't for you. In this venture of cleaning out our closets it's important to remember we are not here to be wasteful. I for one am a huge believer in sustainable fashion, having clothing that lasts long, and not just throwing away clothing so it goes and lands up in a landfill somewhere.To make it easier for you, I have written a few ideas and ways you can easily get rid of your items without just throwing them away:

• If the item is old, broken or tattered: You can recycle the item to be used and reworked in a way that gives it a second life. I for one, always look to see if I can use the fabric for a sewing project, but if you aren't needing anything like that, a great place to go is H&M. H&M run a great initiative where you can bring in a bag of clothing, fabric, clothes, towelling - any material item really, and they recycle the bag for you and sort through it to be used for multiple purposes. (the items can go through a process of stripping, where the fibre can be used to make new retail fabric- SO COOL!) *Here's a link to H&M's sustainability program, Close the Loop:

https://www.hm.com/za/customer-service/sustainability/sustainability/

• If the item is still in good condition: If you are wanting to sell the item and make some money off of your unwanted clothing, then listen up. There are a few ways to do this: a). You can sell on reselling platforms apps and platforms, there are so many around the world, and so to find one in your country, just simply search for a second hand selling platform and you're bound to find something. In South Africa specifically, there's a great platform called Yaga, where you can advertise your item with it's price and sell to anyone interested. b). There more generic places like Facebook Marketplace or your Instagram stories.

3. If your clothing is still in decent condition, but is maybe too outdated to sell: There are so many good places to donate your clothing that will help many people in need. Just google search in your area some charity shops or homeless shelters you can drop off at, and I promise you are bound to find hundreds of places! It's always good to donate and help others in need with clothing that is wearable and in good condition.

4. ORGANISE & CATEGORISE:

• Now that you've done all the hard work, it is time to put your items back into your closet space.

• Here you must take time to be neat and precise. Organise all your remaining items into categorised piles / hanging order.

• Be sure to pack away your clothing in a strategic way by using the space wisely and efficiently. Here are some tips of mine to achieve this:

  • Colour co-ordinate. By piling your clothing into colour coded piles, it'll be easier for you to get dressed in the morning as your eyes can scan through the colour pile you want to be wearing that day.

  • Categorise by type of clothing: For example, all shorts together, all underwear together, all t-shirts together.

  • Make use of space savers such as plastic boxes / bins to put your loose things like socks, underwear or stockings in.

Now, after all this hard work I want you to reward yourself with a treat and your favourite movie or series! Well done!