Image: Corbis
Having a small closet is actually the least of your worries; having a messy one is the worst. This year, pledge to have a neater rack so you never lose your beloved cashmere sweater in the crowd of balled up shirts again. We swear, cleaning out a messy wardrobe is like shopping for free.
What you need for this massive wardrobe clean up:
Courage (be brave!)
Plastic bags or cardboard boxes
Some floor space, the bigger your wardrobe, the more you’ll need
Markers/label makers/Post its
Objectivity
Time and patience
Optional:
Friend(s)
Sewing machine
Basic sewing skills
Stain remover and/or bleach
Buttons and other attachment hooks
Washing machine, detergent and dryer sheets
‘Get Pumped’ music (For this, I recommend Haim’s Days Are Gone album, but whatever works)
Step #1: Prep
Hit that play button, baby! Allow yourself to feel pumped up as you allocate spaces/areas/a plastic bag for keeping, tossing, and donating. Label with post-its to reduce the future mess. You might want to have additional piles for undecided pieces, clothes that need washing and repair, undergarments, cosplay costumes (I don’t judge), furs and hardware. It’s all up to you.
Step #2: The Test
Inspect your item. Does it pass the test? This is the time to be ruthless and completely honest with yourself. Try it on and send pictures to your besties for opinions if you have to, but be aware of the precious minutes you’re losing!
For our opinion, read our clutter begone article to see if your outfit truly is worth keeping. Bag up all the items in your donation/toss/other bags (fold/roll nicely if you can) and chuck it aside for now.
Step #3: Organisation
For the rest of your stuff, figure out a way to organise it such that it is easy to reach, easy to find, makes sense, and doesn’t require too much effort to maintain. And for the love of baby kittens, never organise your closet according to colour, please. It may look good at first, but searching for a black shirt in a sea of black fabric is nothing to joke about. (True story.)
Instead, organise your closet according to the type of clothing. You can still arrange them according to shades so that it’s pleasing to the eye. You don’t need to be as thorough, as long as your closet is manageable!
a. Small items
Roll up your tank tops into one drawer. If you have spacious drawers, invest in some dividers for extra neatness. Bras, underwear, tank tops, swimwear, socks, tights and other small pieces could be within the same drawer, but in separate dividers. For delicate lingerie, allocate a cloth bag and pad with tissue if necessary.
b. Tee shirts, shorts and other sleeping clothes
These items are mostly worn at home and require limited to zero ironing, so I tend to roll them up and put them all in one place (aka a shelf)
c. Collared shirts, tops and everyday dresses
These are a bit fancier, require ironing and I tend to wear them for work so these are given honorary positions on a proper hanger. Leave the ironing for later, if you have the time.
d. Pants and skirts
It’s good to invest in some pants hangers, but in the event they’re short, roll up your jeans and stack them vertically to save space. For skirts, use a regular hanger and two crocodile clips for a makeshift pants hanger that can store up to five skirts at a time. If your skirt has ribbon loops, you can hang them on a regular hanger too.
e. Sweaters
Avoid that dreaded sweater nipple by folding your sweaters instead of hanging them up. If its a thin sweater which is prone to creasing, use the ribbons that come under the sleeves and loop it on top of the hanger hoop to minimise any fabric distortion.
f. Outerwear
For cold weather items like coats, fold them at the seams to avoid deep creases and place them from heaviest to lightest to prevent permanent creasing. Box them up or place in a suitcase, and put it away above your wardrobe. (I’m assuming this is Singapore we’re talking about here.) If you can afford the space, hang them up together in a garment bag.
For woolen pieces, keep in a muslin or canvas bag and stow it at the back of your wardrobe. Never keep wools inside a plastic bag ‒ it doesn’t allow for ‘breathing’ and can destroy its flexibility.
Leather and pleather coats will have to be hung up in precious wardrobe space, unfortunately. These materials require regular airing out and maintenance, so stowing them away might lead to cracking and splitting when you forget to air them out.
g. Gowns, suits and embellished pieces
Expensive pieces that require extra care need to be cleaned, laundered and placed in garment bags. For the embellished pieces with large rhinestones, prevent them from getting caught and falling out by turning your garment inside out before storage.
h. Hats and other hardware/headwear
Invest in a clear, transparent box for all your hats so you’ll be able to see them and keep the dust off, even if it’s in an obscure corner above your wardrobe.
DO THESE THINGS ON ANOTHER DAY
Step #4: Repair, restore, rejuvenate
This is when the bag of odd, torn or dirty pieces come in. This bit requires more time so you could always leave for another day. Wash, bleach, dry clean or treat any stains you may have on your garment before doing any sewing/cutting/embellishing work. You might want to get some pieces tailored as well. Whether it’s a great success or a flop, remember to document it for either a funny story or a great Instagram pic.
Step #5: Ditch the rest
Find place to donate your old clothes. If they are nice and expensive but don’t fit as well anymore, or (help, guilty) have never-been-worn and still have the price tags on them, you can take some pictures with your phone for resale apps like Carousel or even Facebook if you can find a willing friend/buyer. Just make sure your pictures are well lit and look good. If not, pass it on to friends or siblings.
And voila! Say hello to an organised wardrobe that displays your clothes and maintains them at the same time. Don’t forget to air out your leathers once in awhile!