Spring Cleaning | How to Organise Your Wardrobe
Hi Lovelies,
There’s little point in owning gorgeous clothes and shoes if you can’t find them in your cupboard while you’re getting dressed. “Out of sight, out of mind” definitely applies here, and I have fallen victim to this idiom more than a few times. If your wardrobe is clean and well-organized as opposed to a confusing, jumbled mess of clothes and accessories, you will be able to maximise all your purchases, and come up with polished, carefully considered outfits even on the most hectic mornings. Your life also feels a little less chaotic.
If the task of de-cluttering your wardrobe sounds overwhelming, read on for some tips and tricks…
Step 1: Get Rid of Your Old Clothes
It might not be easy, but turfing out or donating old clothes is key to making room in your closet. You need to be ruthless here, and if you find that it’s too hard, ask a friend over for some help. The rules are: if you haven’t worn it in 2 years, if it’s two sizes too small or two sizes too big, if it has holes or stains, or if it’s just plain fugly, you need to get rid of it. A great question to ask yourself is “Would I buy this item today?”. Your new mantra is going to be ‘Out with the old, in with the new’. Now say it with me…
(If you find items that you are genuinely going to wear, but they are too big, then make your old clothes new again by taking them to a dressmaker for alternations. It might cost a bit of money, but if you love it, it will be worth it!)
Step 2: Take everything out
Really get in there. If you are doing the closet clean-out by yourself, dust and wipe like you mean it. Finish off by spritzing some room spray into your new, clean, refreshed space. Spoil your wardrobe in preparation for the beautiful and organised items that it will soon house.
Step 3: Find Storage Solutions
Head over to Woolworths, WestPack or other similar stores to find storage solutions that work for you. You will need hangers of different kinds such as flocked hangers, tiered hangers and a scarf hanger, a drawer organiser (for jewellery) and an accessory storage unit.
Step 4: Start Organizing
Opt for thin hangers in the same colour that can double, sometimes even triple the space use of your closet. For the slippery, silky items, velvet/flocked hangers will make sure they stay put (Woolies sells a pack of 8 for R120).
Hang your clothes by colour. It makes getting dressed easier and styling your looks so much more fun. You can also make use of tiered hangers to save space. Just be sure to hang the same type of pants on the same hanger. For example – go with black pants or denim in the same colour on one hanger. This organisation method allows you to treat your closet like a boutique where you can easily “shop” for your outfits.
Don’t double your clothes on one hanger. You always want to be able to clearly see what you have in the closet and fast. And if you take it out in the morning and don’t end up wearing it for the day, immediately stick it back on the hanger and into the closet. Maintaining the closet as you go along is much easier than tackling a huge pile on the floor that been hanging out for a week.
tops
If you have the space to hang everything, hang everything. You’ll wear more if you can see it.
jerseys/sweaters
Don’t hang your jerseys/sweaters. They need to be folded so that they don’t lose shape on the hanger.
pants/jeans
When it comes to organising jeans, you can sort your denim by brand name or colour. I prefer hanging them by dark to light.
skirts/shorts
Hang skirts using hangers with clips and fold in the sides so the outside of the garment isn’t marked by the clips. When it comes to shorts, you can dedicate an entire drawer to house them.
bags/scarves/hats
Store your handbags on a shelf so that they are visible and enjoy the view! It’s hard to change bags if you can’t see them. For the super special few, you can store them safely in their dust bags. Remember: don’t pile your bags on top of each other. It only crushes them and makes them lose shape.
For scarves, string them through a flocked scarf hanger. This way they are visible and easily accessible. You can even make your own scarf hanger by attaching shower curtain rings to a wooden hanger.
If you own a lot of hats, store them in hat boxes. Take photos of the hats and glue them to the outside of the boxes.
shoes
I organise my shoes by colour in clear boxes (which you can get from Builders Warehouse), placing the most-weared and important shoes first, and placing flip flops and trainers in a nearby drawer. Another idea is to store your shoes in boxes, with a corresponding picture on the outside. Easily stackable and neat! Don’t ever toss your shoes in bins or baskets because you will never end up getting to the bottom pair of shoes that might just be the perfect shoe for your outfit!
lingerie
If you can have a different drawer for panties, bras and socks, then do so. Make sure to rotate your bras and underwear so you’re not wearing the same few all of the time. For a luxe touch, place a scented sachet amongst your intimates.
jewellery
Jewellery can be a nightmare if it gets tangled, so don’t just dump your accessories in a drawer. You can either get a drawer divider to separate your accessories, or get little square containers to do the job. Store your valuables in little pouches. I have an accessory tree – that’s what I call it anyway – which is a Perspex stand with “branches” that swivel outward. I find it très handy when it comes to storing the zillion statement necklaces I own. I picked mine up from Stuttafords at the home section.
Cedar wood is not a myth. It really does prevent fish moths from getting into your expensive cashmere or wool jerseys/sweaters. You can get a pack of cedar blocks from Woolies, and simply top up the cedar wood essential oil by sprinkling a few drops of oil onto the blocks every month or so for maximum effect. Replace every six months.
P.S. If you come across any old matric dance dresses, or fancy cocktail gowns that you will never again wear, why not consider donating them to a worthy cause like the Princess Project that gives underprivileged girls the chance to feel like a princess for the night on their matric farewells? Get involved and give back!
Some inspiration for you…
Wouldn’t this be lovely? A dream come true!
