Men's Wardrobe Maintenance: 6 Sorting Tips
Did you know that you only regularly wear about 20% of the clothes that you own?
That’s right. According to the Chief Design Officer for California Closets, the average person only wears about a fifth of their wardrobe on a day-to-day basis, leaving the remaining 80% to gather dust.
But why is that?
Part of the reason is that you have your favourite clothes that you love to wear — like a tweed suit for instance.
Other reasons may be that you’re unsure how to style certain clothes, where to wear them, or maybe they’re simply out of fashion. It could just be that some of your clothes are hidden at the back of your wardrobe, so you’ve forgotten that you have them!
Well friends, it’s time to declutter! In this article, we’re going to share with you some sorting tips for organising your clothes. By the time you’re finished working your way through these steps, you’ll have a much tidier wardrobe.
As Benjamin Franklin supposedly said, “For every minute spent in organising, an hour is gained”.
So, are you ready to get organised? Here are the best tips for getting your wardrobe into tip-top shape.
6 sorting tips for organising your wardrobe
Take everything out of your wardrobe and put it into a pileYes, we mean everything. You may want to do this one section at a time, or start with the actual wardrobe before moving on to the drawers.
It’s far easier to sort through everything once it’s out, rather than trying to see what you’ve got while it’s all in there.
Clean your wardrobe or drawersNow that everything is out, you’ve got a nice, empty space.
At this stage, we’d recommend giving it a clean. It’s not often you get the opportunity to clean the inside of your wardrobe or drawers.
Create 4 separate piles — keep, donate, recycle, maybeOne by one, take an item of clothing out of your big pile and sort it into either “keep”, “donate”, “recycle” or “maybe” piles. Keep some distance between the piles to prevent them from getting muddled.
Here’s how to decide what goes into which pile:
Keep: You wear this regularly or on special occasions. It’s a timeless piece that will never go out of style — like a tweed suit! You 100% want to keep it and will not get rid of it.
Donate: You’re ready to let this piece of clothing go. It’s still in pretty good condition, so you can donate it to a local charity.
Recycle: You want to get rid of it and it’s not in good enough condition to donate. Maybe it’s heavily stained or damaged. Let’s be environmentally friendly and take it to a fabric or clothes recycling unit!
Maybe: You’re stuck on whether to keep the item or get rid of it. You need a little more time to think it through.
Put the “keeps” back
Now that you’ve sorted everything into four piles, it’s time to put the clothes from the keep pile away.
Try to organise them into categories in your wardrobe. For instance, keep the jumpers with the jumpers, the shirts with the shirts, the jeans with the jeans, etc.
Revisit the "maybes"Now that you’ve spent some time organising your wardrobe, we’re taking a look back over the maybes. If you decide to keep them, hang them back up alongside your keeps. Otherwise, sort them into donate or recycle.
If you’re still not sure, ask yourself these questions:
- Is there enough space in my wardrobe?
- How long has it been since I’ve worn it?
- Can I see myself wearing it within the next 12 months?
There’s a handy saying that goes “If in doubt, go without”. We’ll leave that one with you.
Deal with the donate and recycle pilesTry not to leave your donate and recycle piles sitting around. If you have the time, take them straight away.
Otherwise, you’ll risk them ending up back in your wardrobe, which defeats the whole purpose of sorting through it!
Get yourself a tweed suit worthy of the keep pile
Want a three-piece tweed suit that’s versatile to wear to lots of different occasions? Shop the Tweedmaker range of tweed suits today.
