Maybe you’re the type of person who holds on to clothes “just in case”.
Or you have tons of clothes in closet but only seem to wear what comes out of your laundry basket (me).
Perhaps you’re hanging on to that shirt you never wear because you’re positive your daughter will want it 20 years from now. (She won’t.1)
This simple trick will help you figure out which clothes to keep and which can be donated or sold. Note, this only works if you can hang the majority of your clothing.
Once you’ve got most of your clothes on hangers, place them back in the closet, but this time with the hangers sticking out.
Give yourself a time limit. My suggestion: six months. I say six months because in that time frame, you’ll experience enough changes in the weather to use the things that get worn only a handful of times per year. Once you’ve decided on a time frame, set a reminder in your phone.
Choose your outfits and wear your clothes as you normally would. When you go to put your clothes back in to the closet, hang them with the hanger facing in.
When your phone reminds you that six months have gone by, it’s time to reevaluate (read: donate or sell) all of the clothes on hangers that are sticking out.
And that’s it!
Obviously you might come up against some resistance when it’s time to get rid of the clothes. This is where you’ll need to be honest with yourself and stay strong.
If you haven’t worn the piece in six months, it’s time to set it free. If this is very hard for you, lengthen your time limit but don’t exceed a year.
Do you have another technique you use for figuring out which clothes to keep and which to let go?
I’d love to know!
1According to the gals behind The Home Edit.