Erin Feldman is an
independent e-commerce business owner from California specialising in yoga and
active wear. She shares her tips with us to help you declutter your wardrobe
using the KonMari Method.
Even the most official, neat and well organized
executives can be hiding a mess in their wardrobe. If you are in the same
category, you are not alone. It’s time you try the science of decluttering
which was started by the Japanese organizing consultant, Marie Kondo
in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of
Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Here are the
basic steps to decluttering your wardrobe using the KonMari method:
Step One: Empty your wardrobe
Every achievement begins with a step. The first
action to achieving the KonMari method is taking everything out of your drawers
or wardrobe. Throw everything into a pile on your bedroom floor or bed. After
doing this, you will appreciate the emptiness and neatness of what was
jam-packed some minutes ago. See your wardrobe as your precious possession and honor
your space with respect by arranging things in a way you will be happy with.
Step Two: Gather remaining clothes
If you are trying KonMari method out for the
first time, it is certain you will have other clothing lying around or in some
other places other than your wardrobe. Gather all clothing including:
Coats/outerwear
Out-of-season clothing
Clothing in drawers
Uniforms
Costumes
Scarves
Underwear, socks, bras
Pajamas
Sportswear and lounge wear
Step Three: Analyze the pile
You will be surprised at the size of the pile
lying in front of you. You might ask yourself, “How much of this do I wear?”
Analyze them according to the importance you
place on them. Take them one after the other and ask yourself if you need or
love each. If it rings a yes then it is meant for the wardrobe. Whatever you
hesitate about or unsure of remain in the pile. However, the ones you answer
with a NO are moved to a bag to donate.
Your aim should be getting rid of almost half
of the pile. Let your wardrobe keep what you wear and love at heart; something
that brings you joy. The wardrobe isn’t meant for the clothes you wear once and
never wear again. Your brutality with your underwear, bras, and socks should
know no bound. They have a shelf life. They only serve as burdens to the beauty
of your wardrobe; they only add to the mess. Seeing them as what they are
(mess) will help you remain the little that you cherish.
Step Four: Try wearing every piece in the pile
Wear each piece in the pile and stand before a
mirror, how do you appear wearing it? Base your decision on how you feel and
not how you look.
Step Five: Finalize your clothing
Your favorite wears should be arranged in your
closes while the rejected ones should be out of your door. Keep all the clothes
in one place! Do not separate out seasonal wear or clothes for special
occasions. Keeping clothes in different locations make it difficult to have a
centralized focus of your entire clothing. It is better to have your entire
wardrobe in a spot.
Go back to your wardrobe and see if there are
any odd pieces of clothing left. This might be something you only keep out of
obligation and not love. If you find any, please get rid of them. Another great
tip is to replace old wire hangers with slim line hangers that look better and
are better for your clothes.
Dealing with Accessories
So your clothes are looking beautiful but what about the
rest of your outfit? Tidy up your accessory collection so you can find the best
way to complete every look you create.
Discard unwanted
handbags
Just like you did with your clothes, take all your handbags
and clutches out. Review the ones you love and bring you joy. Keep the loved
ones and discard the rest.
Again, don’t just toss the unwanted ones into the bin; check
out my discard tips at the bottom of the article.
Take care of the
shoes too
The next item on the list is the shoe. Be brutal with this
too because they have the same nature as your socks and underwear. Hold up each
pair, possibly before a mirror and ask yourself the following questions.
Do they fit? Do they
feel right?
Do you still wear them?
Are they in great condition?
Are they in style?
Are they compatible
with your decluttered wardrobe?
Deal with the Jewellery
This stage might be a little tricky. Your sentimentality may
get ahead of you when it comes to jewellery.
Dealing with your jewellery collection seems to be a daunting task,
since there are a lot of things to consider in choosing what jewellery stays
and what has to go. Keep only the jewellery you wear and a few pieces of
sentiment. Say goodbye to that gift from your ex and save the jewellery that
really matters.
Discard the NOs
When I say discard, I don’t mean that you should throw your
clothes in the bin or incinerate them. Here are ways I recommend you can clear
out your unwanted wears.
Donate – Find out
where you can donate. You can reach out to Oxfam and what will happen to your
donated items here.
All items donated to Oxfam can be sold to fight poverty and raise vital funding
for their developmentand campaign work. Don’t forget to sign up for gift aid if you are a
UK tax payer as it adds an extra 25% to your donation.
Sell – Can’t
afford to just give your clothes away but still want to do something? You can
start searching where to sell
clothes online.
You can start with third-party sellers like Amazon or eBay,
or if you’re thinking of a business, go with building your own ecommerce site.
There are numerous ways to create your online store, whether by using a plugin
or a software.
Kids clothing –
Kids grow fast, is there a friend you could help out by offering them clothes
that have become too small for your little ones?
Damaged Clothes –
Are there any items that aren’t in good enough condition to keep. Consider,
could you fix them? This blog has loads of handy tips to help you bring your
old clothes back to life from repairingripped seems to re-dying shoes.
If you can’t fix it, can it be recycled? There are many places where you can
recycle shoes and textiles so keep an eye out at your local supermarket or
recycling center.
Enjoy!
Can you feel that joy of having a nice and almost empty wardrobe?
Enjoy the sense of achievement while you work on arranging and organizing
everything.
Disclosure: This is a contributed post.
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