By Helena Reeds, Third year, Neuroscience
The Croft Magazine // Helena advises on how you can 'Marie Kondo' your wardrobe for the new season.
Welcome to shopping addiction anonymous – it’s a safe space here – we don’t judge! Look, we’ve all been there, maybe you got bored during lockdown, just received your student loan, your first pay-check…and you got a *little* carried away with the retail therapy. Next thing you know, your wardrobe door isn’t closing, and your life is put at risk from a mountain of clothes falling on top of you! Oh, just me? Well, whatever your wardrobe situation is, whilst you still have some free time as lockdown ends, it’s the perfect time to sort through your old clothes and have a spring clean. Here are my top tips on how to have a successful clear-out.
- Get in the zone
Don’t underestimate the challenge of the task at hand. It took me an entire afternoon to clear out my wardrobe - although I am probably an extreme hoarder in comparison to the average reader. Get a playlist ready…maybe some snacks…a coffee? But most importantly create four piles (you could use boxes or binbags too): keep, toss, sell, donate.
2. Be ruthless
There’s no time like the present, let’s get started! You could categorise by section of wardrobe or by item of clothing, but just get going and start purging your clothes. Be ruthless here by considering a few things before keeping an item. Have you worn it in the last year? Does it still fit? Did you even know that you still had it? If the answer to any of those questions is ‘no’ then it’s probably best to toss. You can then decide if it’s worth selling/donating or tossing based on its condition. Items that are too damaged to donate can be recycled at clothes banks. In the UK around 336,000 tonnes of our unwanted clothing get thrown away every year, so it’s important to recycle as much of our old clothing as we can.
3. Get organised
Once you’ve decided what you’re keeping, it’s time to organise your wardrobe to stop this mess from happening again. Firstly, if you have way too many clothes for the space put your seasonal clothing into storage. As we come into spring you probably don’t need all 10 of your woolly scarves taking up a shelf in your wardrobe, do you? Then do a little Marie Kondo magic and get folding. Personally, I roll my clothes because it means I can fit more into my drawers and they actually crease less. Have a look at some drawer organisers as they can really help to keep everything neat and tidy. Get creative too! You could colour code or move newer, unworn pieces to the front to inspire new outfits. I have a clothes rack and I switched around my favourite pieces on there to fit the new season.
4. $ Make some cash $
And now for the reward. Whilst you’re still feeling motivated, take pictures of your old clothes and post them on any pre-owned clothing site to watch the money roll in. Personally, I use Depop or eBay for my old clothes. They are both really easy to use and I find that my items sell pretty quickly on both. You can also use Vinted, Facebook Marketplace and consignment sites.
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So there you have it - some top tips to guide you to organisational bliss!
Featured image: Epigram/Morgan Collins
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