ClutterHack: getting to know your wardrobe

We’ve all been there: that wardrobe is full to the brim and we try to decide what to let go. After hours of shifting clothing we end up with pretty much everything back in place, and a very small number of items ready to throw out. It always comes as a surprise just how many items we keep.

I guess one of the reasons is that we often base the decision on a faulty feeling of time: “when am I likely to use this again?” or “how long has it been since I last used this?

While the answer to the first question is anybody’s guess and probably based more on a vague feeling of ‘I’ll keep it just in case’, the second question CAN actually be answered easily, using a simple trick. I admit, this is a simple – maybe simplistic – trick that has done the rounds of diverse websites and blogs, but in my eyes that only adds credibility.

My preferred trick is to turn every piece of clothing in your wardrobe and in every drawer inside out, then use things normally throughout a year (or a season, if you have a seasonal wardrobe change). At the end of the year/season, remove all items that are still inside out. Some experts propose to turn hangers the other way, but I feel this only ever works for hanging items but not so much for folded ones.

Caution: You may be tempted to reconsider for each item and place it back into the wardrobe, because you think ‘this one is still good’ or ‘that one I might still want to wear someday’. Remember: you have already determined conclusively that these items have not been used at least a couple of months, and for who knows how long before you turned them inside out! Any reason you might come up with to keep that item is a good one to let go: not in style (will it really come back next year?), too small/large (don’t bet on that miraculous change in body shape!), in need of repairs (why have you not repaired it already?), etc. None of these are good enough reasons.

Don’t look back. Get rid of it right now!

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