Say Goodbye to the Floordrobe

What we don’t always consider is where we are going to put our new clothes! It’s important to keep on top of what you actually wear. Nothing causes bedroom chaos like piles of clothes and cupboards or drawers that explode with clothes every time they’re opened.

You may have heard of Marie Kondo, the organisation queen who has sparked a global minimalism movement using her ‘KonMari Method’.

And if you haven’t, here’s some of her principles around clothes storage.

• Commit to creating an organised wardrobe
• Visualise your ideal wardrobe
• Remove unused items – declutter and literally ‘say goodbye’
• Organise your wardrobe by category

To find out more, watch ‘Tidying Up with Marie Kondo’ on Netflix or buy her book ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up’.

GETTING STARTED (and getting ruthless)

It’s easy to hold on to clothes that we don’t wear for all kinds of reasons –  “it’s sentimental”, “I’ll fit into it again one day” or “it was on sale!”.

Having an organised wardrobe can literally improve the way you start your day. So stop that frenzied hunt for matching socks and shoes in the morning. You’ll find so many more extra minutes in the day!

First you need to start with a big cull and this means getting ruthless. Work out what you are wearing the most and then try to part with items that you’re not. There’s no point keeping something that no longer has any value or place in your wardrobe.

Yes, it’s time to ditch that ugly bridesmaid dress, heels that are too high and anything from last century! And if you really think you can’t part with it, just take a photo of it.

Donating clothing to charity will make you feel good, and there are more people in need than ever.

Or if you’d prefer to earn extra cash, list items on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, hold a garage sale or head to a local swap meet. There’s also local ‘Buy Nothing’ groups on Facebook where you can donate or swap goods for.

IN THE ZONE

Create zones within your wardrobe. Firstly, if you’re tight on space, only have seasonal clothing in your wardrobe. Put that ski jacket away during summer (vacuum bags are great space savers) or store it up high or under the bed.

It may sound obvious but think about your morning routine and how you get dressed – underwear, first layer of clothing and outerwear. And then logically select drawers for each that let you locate what you need quickly.

You can choose to fold and stack items directly on shelves or you might prefer storage baskets. There’s a huge range available from hardware and variety stores – lidded boxes, open wire baskets, or clear plastic crates allowing you to see what’s inside.

Make sure that knitwear is folded as it will stretch if you hang it on doors and hanging skirts and trousers will also save space.

There’s also drawer dividers and in-drawer storage to help keep things separated. When designing your walk-in wardrobes or built-in wardrobes you can customise it to include belt racks, tie storage, drawers for fashion accessories, shoe racks and more.

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

Once you’ve decided what to keep, and which zone it belongs in, it’s time to put everything in its place.

Group common items together – trousers, skirts, shirts, dresses and then group by colour. This will make it easy to find what you need in your wardrobe (also the colour blocking effect looks great!)

And hang skirts and dresses by length so that it is easy to find what you’re looking for.

Marie Kondo has some great techniques on clothes folding, which will maximise your space as well as help locate what you need quickly. Rolling t-shirts, pyjamas and exercise gear will also help make the most of your available space.

END OF SEASON REVIEW

Commit to doing a wardrobe review at least twice a year. This isn’t a ‘set and forget’ exercise – you need to keep editing and reviewing.

One way to make you think twice about any new purchases is the ‘one in, one out’ idea. That is, if you see a fantastic new pair of shoes, the only way to justify buying them is to decide which of your current shoes they will replace. It makes you think twice about whether you really need something, and the ‘one in, one out’ approach will ensure your wardrobe is capped at a certain number of items.

Another technique of working out what you actually wear it to hang your clothes with all the hangers facing backwards. Then as you wear and return items to your wardrobe, hang the coat hangers the right way around. At least twice a year look for through your wardrobe and locate any hangers that are still facing the other way. You’ll then have to decide if you really need those clothes in your life.

Happy organising!