decluttering & simplifying: clothing

Tuesday, July 19, 2016


In January of this year I started writing this post. I can remember excitedly writing in the evening about the process of sorting though every single piece of clothing I own. And my future plans of decluttering. 

It was quickly forgotten with the business of this year, along with fifty other drafted blog posts (I wish I was kidding). 

I always feel a little uncomfortable talking about something so foreign, and a little out of place for me. Especially with many others talking about simplicity, capsule wardrobes, and minimalism, I look like a slob. 

I prefer to wait until I feel more confident in a subject. I've quickly learned that this is an area that I will never perfect, and may take a long time for me to excel in. So, here I am humbly sharing with you my progress in decluttering and simplifying.


make sure you gather every piece of clothing in
the house and be sure to handle each one
marie kondo


So, back in January,

my sister-in-law, Chelsey, the best visitor anyone could ask for, helped me sort through all my clothing. Along with decluttering and cleaning up most of our house. 

I recently started reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I had it sitting out and talked about it, and the next morning we were going through all of my clothes. all of them. This was the easy and fun part for me. I happily emptied my closets and drawers and chased down clothes in the laundry. I get excited for the initial start of this kind of thing and I always have the most optimistic ideas of how it will turn out.

It's the middle that gets me. (and if we're being honest the whole 'following through') Chelsey was so helpful in persevering through the awful part. The part where you've gone through all your clothes and your bedroom looks like a complete disaster.

She let me putz around while she dusted the surfaces in our room. She asked me the last time I dusted and chastised me a little about my cleaning habits. All the while I dreamed up unique and interesting storage solutions. And not wanting to begin putting away any of my clothes until they were right.


As soon as the guys were ready to get out and do something, I just went for it and put my clothes away in a way that made sense. I even folded them just as Marie Kondo would like. 

It felt so good to get rid of clothes I no longer needed, wanted, or was just holding on to. I managed to get rid of over half of my clothes, though most of it was pretty easy. I was transitioning from postpartum and leaving a professional job. I had been wanting to do it, but needed the help, time, and space to get it done.

One of the hardest parts of all of this, I didn't anticipate, has been actually getting all of the clothes out of the house. Even after a friend took an entire garbage bag home, I donated a large box, sent in a gigantic bag to ThredUp, and even sold several pieces, I still have a box remaining.

tips on
simplifying your closet

Here are some of the things I've learned & some helpful tips if you're wanting to do this too: 


1. Find some motivation - if you want to, it's the best time to jump in! 

2. Find some time - Set aside several hours for this! Maybe even a day if you have a lot of clothes! 

3. Grab a friend (or some music if you're a solo worker) 

4. Make sure to grab and hold each article of clothing in your hand, it helps! 

5. Don't abandon your mission! - push through even when it's no longer exciting

6. Keep only the things you love - If you have any doubt, just get rid of it! 

7. Get rid of clothes ASAP - if you're a planner order a ThredUp bag ahead of time, or have a friend look through them, and just donate the rest! I still need to follow this tip myself

8. It's okay if it's not perfect


There's definitely a reason that Marie Kondo recommends starting with clothing when decluttering your home. It's helpful to start with something that's transient and replaceable when learning how to successfully declutter. It's difficult learning how to pair down your items to things you love, but it's easiest to start and learn here. 

I still feel like I can get rid of more clothing, with being in-between sizes for so long, I've been holding onto old favorites. I think my biggest advice if you're just starting is to really try to go all in and declutter anything that doesn't excite you. Keep in mind that this is a good and safe place to learn, if you want hold on to most of your clothes for 7 months afterward, I promise you won't go looking for them again. (That's not why I'm holding on to my remaining clothes, although, we can just roll with it)

While I still don't feel like I've completely simplified my clothing, I know it's a lot better. Progress is good, people.

--
My first post on simplifying HERE
On simplifying photographs HERE

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