Summer is nearing the end and that means one thing – the sales! Well ok, maybe it doesn’t just mean one thing, but sales are definitely here nonetheless…
And with the sales, come new purchases. And try as you might they won’t squeeze into your drawers, and you ran out of hangers after the Boxing Day sales – and even then you were putting three shirts on one hanger.
So now is as good a time as any for a good pre-sale wardrobe clear out. As storage experts (of course!) here are our top tips for a Summer Clean of your drawers and wardrobes.
- This is going to take time – don’t attempt to do it in an hour! Depending on how much stuff you have half a day to a day is more practical. Otherwise you’re going to feel overwhelmed and give up.
- Set a time limit on your clothes. If you haven’t worn it in a year, it’s time to get rid of it. That allows for changing seasons – if you didn’t wear that giant woolly jumper in summer it’s hardly surprising, but halfway through your second winter and it’s still not got an airing? Time for it to go.
- You’re bound to find things you forgot you even had. Try it on there and then, don’t just push it back in the wardrobe to think about later. If it looks good, it fits and you can genuinely see yourself wearing it again then keep it. If it fails on any of those three things, be brutal! There’s probably a reason you forgot about it…
- Don’t get hung up on nostalgia – it’s easy to want to keep hold of things because you worse them to a great party, or it reminds you of happy memories. But if space is limited you need to be brave. Would you buy it now if you saw it in a shop? Do you wear it? Does the thought of parting with it make you want to cry? No? Then it’s time to go. If it is something you’re keeping purely for nostalgic reasons, then don’t have it taking up clothes storage space – find another home for it.
- DON’T PANIC! We’ve all been there when the piles of clothes build up around you and there’s no more floor space, but you’ll get there!
- Does it fit? Maybe not, but it was an expensive/well made item and you want to keep it just in case. But in that situation, take it out of the wardrobe and invest in some vacuum packed bags, or storage boxes so you can put it away in the loft or under the bed. There’s no point taking up valuable wardrobe space with something you can’t wear.
- Invest in draw tidies – you’ll be amazed how much more you can get in, and how easy it is to find what you need.
- Cheap and nasty hangers will cause you more problems than they solve. They’ll bow and break, clothes will fall off – invest in some decent hangers and make sure you don’t over pack your wardrobe. If you can’t see everything when you open the doors, there’s too much in there!
- Once you have your pile to get rid of, it’s time to decide what to do with it. Any designer, expensive or unworn items could be worth selling. Anything wearable, but not to your taste or in your size anymore, make sure you donate to charity. Anything damaged, overworn or underwear – bin!
Good luck!