Do you have a messy closet? Do you struggle to jam clothes into overstuffed drawers and then get frustrated when you can't get them to shut? That's so annoying, right? I hear you. Do you ever watch tutorials about how to neatly fold your clothes so you can better fit them in the drawers?
Yeah, we all watch those videos. They are so cool. They make it look so easy. They give us so much hope. If I can just fold everything perfectly, my closet and drawers will look like a million bucks. Alas, it's not true. Sorry to burst your bubble.
First of all, it's very time consuming to perfectly fold clothes. And who wants to spend more time after washing loads and loads of laundry? Second, folding your clothes all neat and tidy might help you get a few more shirts in a drawer, but it won't solve the problem. You need to declutter. We all need to declutter. All of us. Me too.
ClosetMaid Survey
ClosetMaid surveyed 1,000 American women and below is what they found. Check out a Daily Mail story about the survey HERE.
The average American woman has 103 items of clothing in her closet.
She considers 21% unwearable.
She says 33% are too tight.
She thinks 24% are too loose.
She has never even worn 12%.
Do the math. That leaves only 10% of the clothing in the average American woman's closet. Only 10% that she likes, believes fit well and she actually wears. That sounds like a challenge, doesn't it? Are you game? Can you declutter your wardrobe down to the 10 percent that you actually wear? I think you can. I have a strategy that is going to help.
Wash Away the Clutter Strategy
Schedule a wardrobe declutter session on laundry day, preferably a very big laundry day, when you haven't washed clothes in awhile and you have "nothing left to wear." Toss your laundry in the washer, turn on some good tunes and start decluttering. Here are a couple reasons why this strategy works.
It's easier to declutter your wardrobe on laundry day because, well, it's basic math-- you have fewer clothes left in the closet and dresser. It's not such an overwhelming mountain to climb. You'll accomplish more and do so quicker.
It's easier to declutter your wardrobe on laundry day because everything left in the closet and dresser YOU HAVE NOT WORN in awhile. Most of what's hanging in the closet and shoved in the back of drawers is the 21% you consider unwearable, the 33% that you say is too tight, the 24% you think is too loose or the 12% you've never worn for whatever reason. The majority of your A-list, go-to outfits are in the laundry room. Give your B-list clothing the chance at a new life somewhere else.
Reuse Old Clothes
You can reuse old clothing as household rags. If you're crafty, consider creating a shopping bag from a favorite but torn and tattered old t-shirt.
Recycle Old Clothes
Textile recyclers take old, torn, stained clothing. Check for a local textile recycler near you or look up organizations like Retold Recycling, a company featured on Season 14 of Shark Tank. Discover more on the Retold Recycling website HERE.
Donate Old Clothes
Many donation centers are overwhelmed with clothing donations so consider other options first. Participate in a local community swap, join a buy nothing group, donate to a women's shelter. If you donate to a thrift shop, be sure to donate cold weather clothing in fall and winter and warm weather clothing in spring and summer to be sure the donation center has a good shot as reselling. And of course, only donate new and gently used clothes.
Maintainability & Sustainability
So you successfully decluttered your wardrobe, now what? Here are some tips to help you maintain your neat and tidy closet and drawers, and ways we can be more sustainable in the future.
Keep clothing on hangers or neatly stacked in dresser drawers where you can see everything. If you see it, you will wear it.
When you put away the clean laundry, take an extra few minutes to put things away neat and tidy. Here's where you can put your new clothing folding skills to use from all those cool videos. A few minutes of tidying is worth the time investment.
Take inventory regularly. If you notice you're not wearing an item, consider repurposing, recycling or donating. And rethink buying similar items in the future.
Need a dress for just one occasion? Borrow don't buy. Hit up a friend or sibling.
Practice not impulse buying. Practice resisting sales when you don't need anything.
Stick to the one item in, one item out rule.
Look into capsule wardrobes. A capsule wardrobe is a limited selection of interchangeable clothing pieces you can mix and match. This allows you to create a variety of outfits from fewer pieces.
Join a buy nothing group or participate in a local community swap. Organize one yourself.
Buy second hand.
Buy clothing made of quality, natural fibers that will last longer.
Buy clothing that will not go out of style for the life of the fabric.
FACT: Clothing waste is a huge global environmental problem. Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person annually, according to the EPA Office of Solid Waste. Only about one-fifth of clothing donated to charities is used or resold, according to Pietra Rivoli, a professor of international business at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and author of the 2005 book The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Read the National Library of Medicine article HERE.
In the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, there's an illegal landfill, a massive mountain of at least 30,000 tons of clothing waste. The landfill is causing damage to the environment and local communities. It is so large it can be seen from outer space. Read and watch the CBS News story HERE.
About Kendall: My mission as a home organizer is to help families and communities take SMALL STEPS to organize and declutter at home in an eco-friendly way that starts to build BIG CHANGE in the world. Consider becoming an Official Declutter Buddy by joining my Email List. Click HERE to get in touch or fill out the Subscribe form below.
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