There is something uniquely attractive about open space in a closet.
When was the last time you saw a staged photo of a closet stuffed to overflowing with clothes? Rarely, if ever. Instead, clothes hang neatly and are organized tidily–with room for air and energy and open spaces. This is attractive to most of us but many of us don’t bother with learning how to get rid of clothes for a minimalist closet.
Instead, our closets are stuffed full of shirts and pants and shoes and belts and jackets. We run out of hangers or shelf space, and then we shop for storage solutions so we can store even more clothes. Our closets become cluttered all too quickly.
Still, we are drawn to the idea of a thinned-out, minimalist closet.
Of course, they offer more benefits than simple beauty. It saves time in the morning (and sometimes, the evening). It reduces stress and frustration. It saves money. There is a special pleasure reserved for those who look in their closet and love everything they see.
If you are looking for help on how to get rid of clothes and form a more minimalist closet, here are nine simple tips to get you started:
1. Start easy. Begin by removing the clothes that are stained, ripped, or faded beyond recognition. Items that are no longer in wearable condition can still be donated.
2. Remove seasonal items. Remove off-season clothing from your closet to free up some needed space. If you didn’t wear an item at all last year, get rid of it. Then, store the remaining pieces in a separate closet where they will not be in your way cluttering up your closet.
3. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit once and for all. If you’re in-between sizes, certainly keep some clothing from both. But if you haven’t cleaned out your closet for quite some time, there are likely a number of ill-fitting items that can be removed entirely—whether you changed sizes, the item shrunk or stretched, or it never did fit quite right. Those ill-fitting items are weighing you down physically, mentally, and emotionally. Pass them on to someone who can use them.
4. Reduce your need for additional accessories. If you’re holding on to something until you find the “perfect accessory,” let it go. Clothes often multiply in our closets because of the Diderot effect (one purchase leads to another, which leads to another). In the future, look for pieces that compliment your existing accessory pile. After all, if you’re constantly adding things to your closet, you’ll never get ahead (not in your closet and not in your checkbook).
5. Consider the idea of one. If one can be enough, embrace it. Rather than owning an entire assortment, try owning just your favorite black dress, belt, handbag, or jacket (just to name a few ideas). A closet filled with only things you love and use will be a closet that you love to use.
6. Reassess current trend purchases. The fashion industry gets rich on one principle: constantly changing fashion trends. You see, the fashion industry cannot survive on people buying only the clothes they need. So the industry invents false need by boldly declaring new fashion trends and colors for every changing season. But you don’t to have fall for their tricks. Find your favorite timeless fashion and start playing by your own rules.
7. Physically handle every item. If you want to make significant progress thinning out your closet, remove every item entirely from the closet. Return only the pieces you truly love. If that task seems too overwhelming, complete the process in sections (i.e. shoes today, shirts tomorrow). However you seek to accomplish this project, it is important that you physically handle each item at some point. The physical touch forces decisions.
8. If all else fails, pick a number. To start, choose 10. Thumb through the clothes in your closet and remove 10 items—any 10 you want. Put them in a bag and drop off at your nearest donation center. Likely, you will find the task was not that difficult. In fact, once you get started, you may find 15 or 20 things to remove without even breaking a sweat.
9. Experiment with less. Test your assumptions about the optimal amount of clothing with a few, simple experiments. Try placing half of your clothing in a different room for two weeks. You will be surprised how much easier is to function and get ready with fewer clothes in your closet. Most of us wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time and would live much happier with fewer wardrobe choices than we have now. But you’ll never realize that until you test it out.
There are many reasons the capsule wardrobe movement is growing so rapidly. A thinned out minimalist wardrobe is less stressful, less time-consuming, and more convenient. You’ll love it once you experience it yourself.
And there’s no time like the present to get started.
I have survived on 23 items of clothing while teaching and working in Malaysia. I rotate my clothes on a 2 week cycle. ( including 2 short and 2 long dresses that I wear alternatively on a Tues and Thurs. Has definately helped having the same climate, but I am proof that it can be done!
Love this. I sold 65 (SIXTY FIVE) Chico’s necklaces on ebay and about 40 pair of earrings – wore them on occasionally. Love having the burden of all this crap lifted from me.
I kept pieces I wear frequently and those with sentimental value.
Do it!
I find myself hanging om to clothes. I have been pregnant twice these last three years and am not happy with my current figure, it means the suggestion to throw away thing I haven’t used in a year doesn’t apply/isn’t helpful, since most things I’m wearing now is for practical/nursing reasons… And the possibility of a third child, I might use it again, and I don’t want to have to buy all those pregnancy and nursing tops again. Anyway – that’s why I struggle with thinning out.
I found it easier to remove items from my closet and store them away for a few months. I did not miss them therefore I donated each bag without going through the items yet again. I have more peace when getting dressed and less confusion about what to wear…#lessismore
I have donated so many things to charity, i really have, i could cringe the waste of money all that i have bought and really brought me little pleasure, i seriously think about most purchases now,
I operate best with self imposed rules/boundaries. In the case of clothing I have a max number of items determined for tops, bottoms, footwear and accessories. This means If I purchase something new, another item must leave. It helps that I hate shopping I suppose. I also mostly wear black and grey which greatly simplifies my wardrobe and makes me happy:)
As kids we used to have seasonal wardrobes and it was a pain to have to go up and down to the attic to pack and unpack stuff several times a year, especially when I didn’t wear a lot of what I did have. Then I evolved my clothing choices to items I could layer so as much of it as possible spans all the seasons. The very few out of season items I do have go to the back of the closet or bottom drawer until I need them front and center again.
Yes, Annie, I do this too. Layering can actually be warmer than just wearing heavier, bulkier clothes, and it allows more clothes to be worn for more months of the year. Hence, a smaller wardrobe!
Joshua- I’d love to write some articles for you- Jude Turnbull
We live in a tiny house- we had to to be in the catchment area for the school. My husband and I share one small wardrobe and six drawers and the kids have three drawers each in their bedroom- we did have a wardrobe for them but it was largely empty. We manage just fine- if it starts to get a bit messy there are always things to throw out. genuinely has never been a bother- from Belfast
Love this:)
Thanks got the article Josh. Every year I hang my clothes with the hangar head facing outward. As I wear the item I replace it with the hangar facing inward. At the end of year, those clothes with the hangar facing outward (indicating no use for a year) get donated. A good reflection of what needs to be changed as pertains my buying habits.
Thanks for all posts. I recently put all items of clothing to wear together. Got rid of a lot of items. Now I just look in the closet and everything is easily accessible. God bless…
My wife’s closet is 50% larger than mine yet she has slowly taken over mine as well, filling nearly 2/3rds of my closet with her clothes. I’m up a creek.
My issue is not fighting with clothes that don’t fit, are no longer wearable, etc. My problem is the weather is so unpredictable that I feel that I have to have something that is appropriate to wear for all temperature. In Toronto, Canada, in a year, the weather has been as warm as 37 degrees Celsius and as cold as (with the windshield) – -37 degrees Celsius. Even within one season (for example, now in April), the weather fluctuates a lot! It rains, it snows, its warmer, its colder….Its a never ending battle to try to decide what clothes to keep and what not to keep.
Yep!! I live in NE Ohio. Almost the same story here. You have to keep it all handy!
Like a couple of others here I start the year by reversing my hangers at the beginning of the year. When I wear something the hanger goes in the correct way. Any thing on a hanger hung the wrong way has to go. This has really helped. This year I’m trying to also get rid of my large supply of comfort clothes. Those that are too big or stained yet I love wearing them at home relaxing. I’m giving up the too large clothes and making rags from the stained clothes.
I should read my reply before posting. Its at the end of the year I get rid of the ones I haven’t worn.
I seriously wish I can get the capsule wardrobe down. My clothes are all over the place in style and colors. I need professional help because I am not helping myself at all.
My husband & I share an average size closet (not walk in) and it’s only half full. I loved Marie Kondo’s approach and most of our clothes are folded in drawers. I have 3 pairs of the same shoes. When one wears out, I pull out a new pair. Done. I dress up so much more now that I have fewer items- all of which spark joy!
I work alone from home and can wear my pajamas all day, if i want to. But I have lots of “professional” clothes from when I had a regular job. Thinking of keeping a couple blazers and nice dressy blouses, a couple dress pants. I rarely wear skirts or dresses but have so many “for special events.” I was recently frustrated with my socks – holes, stretched out, or they ride down to the middle of my foot in my shoes. I threw these all away! In June a Goodwill is opening four blocks from me. No excuse for clutter.
I have donated so many things to charity, i really have, i could cringe the waste of money all that i have bought and really brought me little pleasure, i seriously think about most purchases now, i am not totally cured haha but i just can,t stand to think of making as many mistakes, i asked myself now “have you got enough” and usually the answer is yes and so i pass by, i have a little list of things i need and stick to that, its not totally foolproof but it really does help, i don,t, by super cheap i know they will end in rags after a few washes, so middle of the road are better but more tempting, because they tend to sneak in,
avoid the shops
love Jacqueline xxx
Once a year, I wear everything in my closet. Front to back, with some allowances for the weather. It’s interesting and responsible.
I do that with my church clothes since I don’t wear them many other places, and I certainly have some more than 10 years old.
I have never owned a lot of clothes in comparison to many people. My parents were not wealthy and my husband and I have always had financial goals that didn’t allow me to go shopping a lot. However, I used to dream/think about all the clothes I would buy some day. I had even started to buy a lot more and was building a bigger wardrobe. Then I started reading about minimalism. I decided to try a 30ish piece wardrobe that changed each season. I did this for a time but have since switched to changing it up twice a year. Some of my clothes span all four seasons. I know that some minimalists buy new clothes each season to make things more interesting. We still aren’t that the place that our financial goals will allow that, so I tend to replace what is worn out or something I just can’t stand anymore. Currently, it should be spring but it decided to snow on and off and get cold again here. At this point, I am highly tired of my wardrobe, but somehow even with my smaller wardrobe, there are still some clothes I almost never wear. My biggest gain with clothing is that I almost never think about going shopping or all the clothes I wish I had. What freedom.
Freedom indeed. The shops are just full of stuff most of us don’t really need.
I’d rather go for a nice walk.
Angela
I live where there is quite a big difference between winter and summer weather, while spring and fall are similar to each other in temperature. If you don’t fall into the trap of having to wear “spring” or “fall” colors, the same wardrobe can work for both. For winter, I add more layers (a black cotton turtleneck under a spring/fall top, for example, or tights under pants or a skirt) and outerwear (a denim jacket or wool peacoat, for example). In summer, I pull out tank tops, capris, loose dresses. Loafers for spring/fall, boots for winter, sandals for summer. It doesn’t add up to a lot of clothes, but it means I can dress comfortably for all four seasons. And if I want something new to energize my wardrobe, I only need a couple of tops, a new jacket, a new handbag or perhaps a pair of earrings to do that.
I acquired a 3-pc luggage set that I absolutely love and travel with often – that is the 21 and 24-inch pieces. I have only used the 28-inch one time and vowed never to travel with it again SO I repurposed it to hold all my ‘off season’ clothes and some other pieces with sentimental value. When I am ready to do the seasonal change out, I roll it out, exchange items and roll it back away.
Great idea!
Am I on the wrong site? I got rid of a coat recently that I had had for over 30 years! Yes that’s right 30 + years.
I would have kept it if it hadn’t got ripped quite badly.
I do get rid of things much earlier though, when I no longer have use for them.
I hardly need or desire to buy much.
Having less than most people stops me getting stressed.
Also, my spare time isn’t running round stores for more things to bring home.
Angela
Many items among my clothes that I enjoy wearing are in the 20-30 year old range. My daughters (in their 20s) are currently wearing/using a down jacket and a Hawaiian mumu that were mine and are currently 34 and 40 years old. I say buy quality items you love and then take good care of them
I spent the weekend doing this very task. I found I had clothes in my closet that were 10 years old! Ten years! Needless to say, I got rid of quite a bit. Ended up with over 6 bags full of clothes. My biggest problem is the idea of just one. If I like a t-shirt, I always buy 3 just in case I get a stain on it. Crazy thinking right?
It can be hard to give things away when you know that because the world is overflowing with textiles (3rd world countries getting ‘Dead White Man Clothes’ as they call them) and you’d really like your good stuff (even if you don’t wear it) to be re-used and wanted.
I just gave away a floor-length brocade coat (with fake-fur trim on the collar and cuffs) to a local Amateur Dramatics group. Sometimes you have to think of other ways to re-purpose your stuff rather than just automatically offloading it to the charity shop (where most of it will go to the rag man or 3rd world).
This is absolutely a reason not to buy so many clothes in the first place. I’ve taken to buying fewer, higher quality, American-made clothes (quite hard to find). I wash gently in cold water and hang most things to dry, so they last quite a long time before I need to replace. Most things can be worn more than once before washing, as well (it amazes me how some people change their clothes more than once a day and put everything to be washed — they’re drowning in mounds of “dirty” clothes and need a huge wardrobe of clothing to support their laundry habit).
My long haired Kleekai dog (mini-husky) inadvertently helped minimalize my wardrobe. His white hairs stuck to everything, but really stood out on dark clothing. So I got rid of my dark clothes. But, I can’t just rely on my dog’s help, so thanks for the tips in your post!
Ha, I deliberately chose a black dog from the rescue centre because my wardrobe at the time was mostly black! :) My brother has been trying to get me to take his jack russell terrier but I really can’t have a white dog.
Getting back to the original post, my problem is parting with shoes.