Why does decluttering the wardrobe always seem so over whelming and such a mammoth task? My attempts to tame this area of the house are sporadic at best … I wander into the bedroom and open the doors with a plastic bag in my hand.  I stare for a while, quite overwhelmed and pull out random items of clothing. Do I wear this? Will I wear this again? Who does this even belong too? I might get a small bag for Goodwill but that’s about it. The wardrobe is still bulging and disorganized. Somehow my random attempts at decluttering aren’t working!

Then along comes the 40 bags in 40 days challenge. The wardrobe is of course put on the list (about half way down … let’s not get carried away). The day of reckoning finally came this week. I was determined to rise to the challenge, I put aside most of the day …  and this time I had a game plan!

1. Break the space down into sections

The one thing this challenge has crystallised for me is the importance of breaking a large and daunting job down into manageable parts. My first thought when I walked into my wardrobe was … oh my goodness … I can’t do this! I took a deep breath and told myself to start with the top shelf and work my way down from there.

Focusing on one shelf at a time gave me little milestones to work towards … I’ll finish this shelf and stop for a coffee … plus I can see progress quickly and keep my declutter piles manageable.

2. Pick up everything At Least once

Once you have picked your section of the wardrobe … pull everything out onto the bed. I like to have at least 3 distinct piles … 1. Keep 2. Throw 3. Give Away (I might also have … 4. Sell on Ebay).

I emptied the storage boxes one at a time, picked up each article of clothing and really thought about when was the last time I used or wore it. Did it still fit? Was it old and worn-out? By picking everything up and handling it, I was making a conscious decision rather than absent-mindedly shuffling clothes along the rack.

3. Get Organised

I already had storage boxes, shoe racks, and jewellery hangers from a previous attempt at keeping order in the wardrobe.  This is a good time to think about whether you need to purchase any additional storage or organising items. They really do help you create a space that allows you to keep the clutter at bay, especially in the wardrobe.

My storage solutions may not be very pretty … but I feel I’m on the right track at last.

As part of this declutter, I purchased some velvet coat hangers I had heard about. Are you familiar with these little beauties? They are a recent discovery for me … velvet (or flocked) coat hangers are an amazing space saver in the wardrobe. Flocked coat hangers seem readily available here and here.

The headline in our house now reads…

Husband reclaims half the wardrobe … friends and neighbours shocked!

I tried to be ruthless in my declutter of the wardrobe and ended up filling about 6 huge bags! Not a bad effort … and with some storage space left over…

Now I know the key to tackling this mammoth task, I won’t wait quite so long next time.

Any suggestions how to store clothes on oversized shelves? Any organisational tips for the wardrobe?

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