Detox Your Wardrobe to Destress Yourself: Discover Useful Wardrobe Decluttering Tips and the KonMari Folding Method for Efficient Space Management (2021)

Physical cluttering is something that makes your space look topsy-turvy. According to researchers, clutter has an emotional impact on people, especially women. There is a link between the stress hormone (cortisol) and women who own high density objects in the household. This simply means that the more stuff you have the more stress it leads to. So, decluttering is the best way to uplift your mood and avoiding stress to impact you subconsciously.

You all can benefit from decluttering your homes, especially your wardrobes, as a disorganised wardrobe can cause anxiety and stress that can be quite overwhelming. Getting rid of all those unused clothes is the key to creating a stress-free and inspiring environment at home. By decluttering your clothes, you no longer have to spend hours to find something you wanted, as everything is more organised and in the right place.

A simplified wardrobe will undoubtedly make your life easy. A simple and small wardrobe brings in positive benefits, saves money, and it’s easy to keep your wardrobe clutter free. Declutter your wardrobe at least two times in a year. Although it is not a fun process, but it is the best thing you can do to de-stress your home!

It's easy to find things in an organised wardrobe. You no longer have to search for hours looking for your prized jeans or your favourite sweater. With some practice and effort, you can keep your wardrobe neat and organised.

Before sorting your wardrobe pick 3 separate bins to organise the piles. This will help to sort everything and avoid any confusion as the piles get huge. Label the bins as – Maybe, Yes and No. Before sorting your clothes ask these questions, which will make your task much easier –

Stop thinking about yourself, but think about the people who will appreciate the clothes you no longer want. This will make decluttering and getting rid of clothes much easier. If you haven’t worn an outfit in the past 1 or 2 years then it’s time to donate it. You can set aside a separate donation bag or box in your room and whenever you come across something that doesn’t fit you or you don’t like, put them straight in the donation box. Avoid donating clothes that are faded, stained or torn. Remember, the idea here is to bring a smile on someone’s face.

Once the box is full, you can drop it at an NGO or any legitimate organisation that is working for clothing the needy. It would be wonderful, if you choose to donate keeping the current season in mind – in winters, warm clothes and sweaters, while in summer donate light comfortable clothes. Donating your clothes is sure to give you peace of mind and happiness.

Once you have discarded the garments and other items into the ‘donate’ pile, it's time to put the remaining items back in your wardrobe in a neat way. You can purchase organisational tools like dividers, hooks, hangers, etc. if necessary. Make sure to arrange the clothes properly. Hang or store each type of clothing in a separate section. This way, you can locate anything you need quickly and it will look neat as well. You can make sections like –

You can use hangers for delicate clothing like skirts and lingerie, structured pieces like blazers and coats and fancy garments like suits. Make sure to hang all the clothing in the same direction. Stack denim jeans and bulky sweaters in a separate section. These items do not crinkle, or slump and make perfect stacks. Leggings, shorts and cotton t-shirts that are pliable and thin are perfect for roll and tuck, which also saves a lot of storage space.

Keep your daily wear clothing in the middle at your eye level, which will make it easier to find. Use drawer dividers to store belts, underwear, socks, etc. Heavy work lehengas and skirts cannot be folded, so the best way is to use hangers for such items. Kurtis can be stacked one on top of the other or arranged neatly in a storage basket. Silk sarees and other silk clothing must be wrapped in separate muslin clothes or cotton bags before storing them. You can use tips suggested by Marie Kondo to give your wardrobe a happy and neat look.

If you don’t have enough space in your wardrobe to hang all your clothes, then hang only those ones that might wrinkle easily or fancy clothes. Hanging clothes may look like an easy thing to do, but there is a difference between hanging properly and just hanging random clothes in your cupboard. The first step while organizing a wardrobe is to hang the garments the right way and the right kind of hanger must be used for a particular clothing:

For things like accessories and handbags, discard the worn-out items and keep only those that you would use. However, those with sentimental value must be stored in a separate place where they are safe. Check if there are any damaged or broken jewellery items. Either get them repaired or discard them, do not clutter them in the drawer. Use these clever hacks to organise your handbags –

Clothes that must be altered or repaired are often another reason for the clutter in your wardrobe. Often such clothes are left unattended for months. So, they sit in your wardrobe, but not actually worn. One of the best ways to deal with this is to set a deadline to get the job done. If you don’t alter or repair by the deadline then donate them. If the clothes are not repaired or altered in a timely manner then probably you don’t need them.

Switching your wardrobe based on seasons or dividing the space between winter and summer clothes will also give you an opportunity to ‘thin the herd’ by taking stock of the items in your wardrobe at the end of each season. Fashion trends are changing quickly these days, so a clothing style that was in trend this summer may be outdated by the next summer. This is one of the reasons why you may have so many barely worn clothes in the wardrobe. So, pare down your clothing collection every season and discard those you don’t need.

Once the winter ends then its time to pull out the light t-shirts and cotton clothes while storing away the winter clothes elsewhere until next year. Use clear plastic bins to store the winter clothes. Use dryer sheets or a few drops of lavender essential oil inside the bins to avoid musty smell.

Your wardrobe is perhaps the most used piece of furniture at home. ‘Decluttering’ and ‘organising’ this space is critical. Adding additional storage can make the wardrobe more efficient because with a smaller closet, it becomes difficult to stay organised. You can use certain styling tricks and organisational tools to create more space in your wardrobe:

Today, there are several apps available (like My Wardrobe, My Dressing, Mind Dress, etc.) that will help you catalogue your entire wardrobe. You can add photos of the clothes you own to the app with the help of the built-in camera, copy-paste or upload from the photo library. Create a catalogue of every accessory and clothing you have, which helps you have a better control over things in your wardrobe. In simple words, these apps are designed to put all the things in your wardrobe on your phone. The apps function as a personal fashion assistant. They help you style, organise, pack and plan.

Marie Kondo is a Japanese tidying expert, who follows a strict approach towards decluttering. Her style of folding clothes known as KonMari Folding Method is an efficient way to keep our wardrobes and drawers organised. You can easily locate the clothing item you need, when you follow this life-changing method of folding garments.

KonMari Folding Method involves a set of principles and a checklist. It is a thoughtful and minimalistic way of organising your belongings and moving to a less cluttered way of living.