musicMagpie Blog

Buying on-trend pieces, or doubling up on acid-wash jeans can leave our wardrobes full and cluttered. It shouldn't be a struggle to get something off a hanger in the morning! Are you overdue a review of your wardrobe, and storage spaces full of clothes? Clearing out your wardrobe will help you determine what you truly have, and potentially free up some space, making your life easier in the long run.

Diving in headfirst to a re-organisation of your clothes can seem pretty daunting! So, we've covered a list of tips to help you get rid of your old clothes in a manageable way.

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In this blog:

• Set aside some time for the project
• Take everything out and touch each item
• Use bags or boxes for each pile of clothes
• Be honest and ruthless
• Throw away tacky items
• Put away seasonal items
• Work around your basics or staples
• Get a friend involved
• Invest in hangers
• Use the hanger trick

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Set aside some time for the project

You'll become overwhelmed if you try and declutter your life within a full day. Take an hour or two to focus on the task at hand. That way you can manage what you're doing better, and it will feel like less of a chore. If it is becoming a bit much, take a break and clear your head! Stick on your favourite songs and come prepared with snacks.

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Take everything out and touch each item

By doing this, you'll have to start from scratch. Your wardrobe and drawers will be empty, giving you an opportunity to clean them of any dust that may be lurking around. Touching each item will make the process that bit more official, and will help you decide what is best to do with it. You never know what you might find in the depths of your drawers!

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Use bags or boxes for each pile of clothes

Going through your wardrobe won't necessarily mean you'll throw half of it away. First and foremost, find some boxes or bags to split everything up. You might want to donate some items, bin a few that cannot be salvaged, and save some others. For some one-off pieces like a gown, you could sell it on. Once you've sorted your clothes, donate the clothes you aren't keeping as soon as possible; that way you'll avoid mulling over your decision.

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Be honest and ruthless

If you beat around the bush with the clothes in your wardrobe, you'll end up keeping everything, even the things you haven't worn in an age. Be honest with yourself about the items you have. We've all made a fashion faux pas or two in our time, but you don't have to keep the item forever! Get rid of the clothes that don't fit, or that you don't feel overly comfortable in. Don't beat yourself up about the stuff you've grown to loathe.

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Throw away tacky items

On that note, get rid of the tacky items you've bought in your past. Luminous leg warmers, slashed tops or short shorts – there's no shame in the things we bought in our younger days, but we should let go of these things. They take up precious space; don't let them!

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Put away seasonal items

There's no use in having summer dresses hanging up in your wardrobe in the middle of winter. Seasonal items should be put away until you can use them to avoid an overcluttered wardrobe or drawers. Use clear storage boxes and label them to the season, to keep everything tidy.

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Work around your basics or staples

Staples might depend on your style, but work around the things you love to wear and wear often. So, your favourite pair of jeans, an all-important white t-shirt, the leather jacket that goes with anything, the items you couldn't bear to live without. Work around these pieces and what goes with them. Can't fit the item into any of the staples? You're probably not going to wear it, so best to get rid.

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Get a friend involved

If you're still feeling the pressure of sorting your clothes out, recruit a friend to help! Another person can offer impartial advice on some of the items you have given sentimental meaning to. They'll also be honest with you about the things you don't wear or what looks good on you. If you can't always be ruthless with your clothes, your closest friends certainly will be!

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Invest in hangers

Once the sorting has been done; you've decided what to give away and what to keep, invest in hangers that all look the same. This will help your wardrobe look more organised and should also save on space. Clunky hangers take up unnecessary room, shoving other items into them. Not good.

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Use the hanger trick

Going forward, to make your next declutter that bit easier, use the hanger trick. This means turning your hanger in the other way. When you revisit your wardrobe in three or six months to assess the damage, you'll be able to tell what you haven't worn. The hanger will still be in the way you originally set it in; whereas the items you have worn won't be. If you aren't wearing the clothes, find a new home for them.

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Have you caught the bug for decluttering? Keep the momentum going! You can sell your old tech, CDs, DVDs and books to musicMagpie. Make some money from the items you aren't using!