There’s nothing more overwhelming than looking in your closet to be faced with piles of clothing, half of which you don’t wear or didn’t know you even owned. You want your wardrobe to be streamlined, clean and full of clothing you love wearing. In order to have the wardrobe of your dreams, take a look at my tips for how to organise and declutter for a minimal wardrobe. Getting ready in the morning will become so much easier, and you’ll actually enjoy picking out an outfit.

Start with a HUGE declutter

Sort your clothing into four piles and try anything on that you are unsure about. The first thing you need to consider is how you create a wardrobe that won’t need to be decluttered every year as pieces go in and out of style. Focus on trying to create a capsule wardrobe that will work through each season with pieces of clothing that don’t go out of style.

Ask yourself the following questions to help decide which pile the item needs to go in:

Does it fit me?
Do I really need more than one of these? For a minimal wardrobe consider owning your favourite pair of black jeans, rather than five pairs. A wardrobe full of your favourite items will be a wardrobe you love using.
Do I wear it?
Do you feel good in it?
Is it comfortable?
Is it damaged? If it is, will you actually get it fixed?
Can I live without this?
Can I wear it in more than one way? If not, donate!

TRY IT ON!

If you’re struggling to be objective, grab a friend who you know will be honest and give you a second opinion. Try it on and ask the above questions to see if it should remain in your wardrobe. Remember one of the main reasons people aren’t able to keep on top of an organised wardrobe is the sheer amount of clothing they own. It’s much easier to keep things neat and tidy when the wardrobe isn’t stuffed.

Get rid of unwanted clothing

Now sort the clothing into 5 piles:

Donate: the clothing in this pile should be in relatively good nick.
- Donate to a family member or friend (or even organise a clothing swap with your friends).
- Donate items to registered charities and re-use organisations. The Charity Retail website will help you to find your nearest charity shop. Some charities will even come and pick up your clothes The British Heart Foundation offer a free clothing collection service from your home.
- Many high street retailers such as M&S now offer clothing donation banks in-store. These are sometimes called 'bring back schemes'. This means that next time you pop out to the shops, you can drop off a bag of your old clothes. Simple!
Sell: Thredup, Ebay, Vinted, Depop
Alter (dye or customise): Before you leave clothing in this pile ask yourself if you have the time to actually change your piece of clothing? Realistically if you don’t think you will, move into the donate pile.
Maybe: anything that fits but you can’t decide if you want to keep or get rid of.
Recycle: anything that is ripped, stained or faded beyond repair.
- Is there any cotton in this pile? If there is repurpose them by cutting it up to create cotton rags for cleaning and dusting.
- For the rest, check to see if your council collects clothes and textiles to be recycled.
- If not, drop off your unwanted textiles item at a clothing and textile bank in supermarket and local car parks – enter your postcode below to find your nearest. Alternatively take them to your local recycling centre.

figure out what you need

Make sure you have the right tools to keep an organised wardrobe.

I like having matching wooden hangers as they are eco friendly and suit most types of clothing. The fact that they are all matching inspires me to keep my wardrobe organised.
Things to help organise the drawers, like these bamboo dividers, in your dressers can also be really helpful in maintaining an organised closet.
Do you have a space at the top of your wardrobe where things get stuffed and forgotten about? Get yourself a step or stool so that you can reach these hard to get areas and keep them organised.
Grab a box where you can put any odd bits like paper, receipts, hair bands (that don’t belong in your wardrobe) you can leave to sort later. You don’t want to have to keep going off to find a homes for all the bits and pieces you find at the bottom of your wardrobe.

Empty & clean wardrobe

Clear out the entire contents of your wardrobe and any other place in your home where your clothing is stored. Remove the hangers, bags, accessories and anything else so you can start from a clean slate.

Use a duster to dust the shelving and hanging rods. Vacuum the floor and any shelving. Now use a damp cloth and a DIY natural all-purpose spray to get rid of any dust and dirt in your wardrobe.

SORT CLOTHING BY TYPE

Now that you’ve decided what you want to get rid of or donate, it’s time to organise your clothing by category (shirts, dresses, jackets etc.) and then by colour.

As I recommended in my Beginners Guide to Minimalism piles can be your best friend! I would recommend sorting them on to piles on your bed or floor first so you can take a look at how much you have of each type and decide it’s home accordingly.

PUT AWAY CLOTHING

Start with the bigger pieces you know need to be hung up (these can only go in one place).
Decide how you want to store your folded pieces. Either laying them flat or the Konmari method of file folding.
Now identify the clothes or basics you wear every day. For me that’s t-shirts, leggings and comfy dresses. These are your core pieces and should live somewhere in the most accessible part of your wardrobe.
Keep you most accessible drawer for underwear and socks, as you will need these most days.
Store accessories, layering pieces (like scarfs and cardigans) to the side. You need these to layer on top of your core pieces so they don’t need to be quite so prominent in your wardrobe. You can also use wooden boxes or woven bags to organise larger areas in your wardrobe.
Put away clothing you don’t wear regularly (fancy dress, holiday/beach clothing, formalwear) at the back of your wardrobe as you won’t need access to this every day.

Look after your expensive items

Make sure any bags or clothing that are delicate or expensive are properly stored in dust bags. Any expensive shoes that you don’t wear regularly store in a shoebox at the top of the wardrobe.

NOW FOR THE HARD PART, KEEPING IT ORGANISED

Now that your wardrobe is organised, try decluttering as you go. Keep a donate basket (you can get some really nice cotton boxes) in your wardrobe or somewhere near. Once a week spend 5 or 10 minutes checking for any clothing you want to get rid of. Use this time to keep on top of any clothes that have fallen off their hanger or not been folded up. It’s much easier to do this as you go along, trust me.

Staying organised and keeping a tidy minimal wardrobe takes practice but the more you try and follow the above steps to an organised wardrobe the easier you’ll find it and the less you’ll likely to need to! Don't forget to check out my other posts on minimalism here on the blog or my book Minimal: How to Simplify Your Life & Live Sustainably