Editor´s Note: In the article below, Suzanne Bernie, a top fashion stylist in London, will discuss some of the best tips on how to detox your wardrobe.
Spring cleaning your wardrobe can be a daunting task and is a job that can take a good deal of time and effort, and one that many of us avoid doing. Despite this, detoxing your wardrobe is a great first step when it comes to clearing out the older pieces you no longer wear, allowing you to free up more space and begin working towards refining your style.
Cleaning out your wardrobe can be highly rewarding and a very cleansing experience for the soul, but it can also be a difficult task to do alone.
By taking the time to re-organise the contents of your wardrobe, sort the good from the not-so-good and rid yourself of the pieces that never see the light of day, you can take the first steps toward stepping up your personal style and building a collection that you can be proud of.
Table of Contents
1. Identify your non-serving clothing pieces
Working out which clothing pieces no longer serve a purpose in your wardrobe can be a more difficult task than you may initially think it to be. It’s easy to look at the clothes in your collection and imagine them being worn, only to find that they haven’t actually ventured from their hangers in a considerable amount of time.
2. How to Detox Your Wardrobe: Use the hanger hack
Luckily, there is a simple and extremely effective way for you to separate your most hardworking clothing pieces from those that you no longer wear, providing a great way for you to identify the clothes that you should ideally be parting with. This is also a task that you can work on gradually over the space of a month or two, meaning you need not sacrifice a considerable amount of your spare time sorting through each piece in your collection individually.
Start by turning all of your clothes hangers to face the opposite direction in your wardrobe. Whenever you wear an item of clothing, turn the hanger back around so it is facing in its original direction. Over the course of a few weeks, you should start to clearly see which pieces you find yourself reaching for, as well as those that you tend to avoid. With this quick and easy trick, you can effectively identify the clothes that should be detoxed from your collection with very little effort!
3. Take note of your favourite styles
Making a note of the style of clothing that you reach for on a regular basis is also a great way to identify the pieces that make you feel your best and at your most comfortable. By taking this into account, you can build a great guide for the types of styles you should invest in when rebuilding your wardrobe at a later date, helping you to avoid purchasing pieces that you may end up avoiding, and also allowing you to cut down on clothing waste.
4. How to Detox Your Wardrobe: Try not to hold onto the past
Our clothing can hold many special memories, and this can influence our decision-making when it comes down to detoxing our wardrobes of the pieces that are no longer serving any purpose. Holding onto our old clothing pieces, such as wedding and prom dresses, can be a great way to reminisce about, and connect to, the past, but keeping a hold of our old clothing items can sometimes promote more harm than good.
You should aim to only hold on to the clothing in your collection that makes you feel great now, helping you to prioritise the pieces that have you looking and feeling your best when you detox your wardrobe. This means finally moving on from that old pair of jeans that you promised would fit again one day, and focusing on the pieces that you can make the most of in the present.
5. Make the most of your Storage
You may find that you have a number of old clothing pieces that you may not wear very often, but hold a lot of sentimental value or you aren’t ready to part with just yet. In that case, it’s important to consider what you can do to make the most of your storage to make space for the clothes that you actually wear.
If you have the room, it’s a great idea to store these pieces somewhere other than alongside your current wardrobe. Carefully packing any old clothing away to be stored elsewhere is a great way to detox your wardrobe without having to part with the beloved pieces that you no longer have any use for! To save on storage space, vacuum packing your older pieces is a great option.
6. How to Detox Your Wardrobe: Avoid throwing out your old Clothes
It should go without saying, but you should avoid throwing your unwanted clothing pieces away wherever possible. Fast fashion and clothing waste is a large and growing problem, so it’s important to ensure that any of your old clothes that can still serve a purpose avoid being sent to landfill. There are a number of reselling platforms, such as Depop or eBay, that can help you to rehome your pre-loved clothing items with minimal effort. Another great option is to donate your old clothes to a local charity, providing a quick and easy option for detoxing your wardrobe without causing unnecessary waste.
7. Hire the help of a Professional
If you still find yourself struggling to spring clean your wardrobe, or if you simply do not have the time to dedicate to sorting through your old collection of clothes, hiring a professional wardrobe makeover service can offer the perfect solution. Working alongside a personal stylist is a great way to take the stress out of reorganising your wardrobe, helping you to rediscover your sense of style and gain an understanding of the pieces that allow you to look and feel your absolute best.
To conclude, there are a multitude of ways that you can work to effectively detox your wardrobe, helping you to refine your personal style and rid your clothing collection of the pieces that no longer serve any purpose!