Decluttering Your Closet: Remove These Items From Your “KEEP” Pile!
When decluttering your closet, the easy targets can be identified quickly: clothes that are out of style, broken or damaged, and no longer loved.
But did you know that some items can disguise themselves and end up in your “keep” pile, even though they should really be decluttered?
In this article, I will help you identify the three types of clothes that you naturally want to keep, but should really let go.
Please read on.
Category #1: Clothes that never make it out of your home
So, there’s this shirt, pants, or skirt that you really want to wear. But every time you put it on and glance in the mirror, something just seems off. Consequently, you find yourself taking it off and placing it back in the closet.
But why is that? You obviously adore this piece and really want to wear it. What’s holding you back?
Here are 3 possible reasons:
1) There are missing pieces to Complete the outfit
Due to this item’s unique style and color, you currently don’t have the pieces needed to complete the outfit.
You might need specific pants/skirt in the right color to go with this shirt or a belt to style it
However, you are either unable to find the missing pieces, or have not made an effort to start searching.
Unless you are willing to invest the time and energy(and money) and continue the search, you should consider saving yourself the troubles and just to let it go.
2) Not in line with your Personal style
So you got this dress that is different from your usual style. You were excited when you purchased it and you looked great in it.
However, when you put it on, you become self-conscious and start to have doubts:
I am not comfortable wearing something that’s not my style! What was I thinking when I got this dress? What will my coworkers think? Will my friends tease me about it?
If you have a shy personality, it might take you lots of courage to make the decision to wear the clothes that aren’t your usual style.
Who would have thought that deciding to wear something different would cause so much drama in your head?
If having this clothing item gives you so much pressure, maybe it is better to get rid of it.
3) Not comfortable enough to wear all day
If ‘comfort’ is your thing, you will find that some beautiful, stylish clothes cannot offer you comfort that lasts all day long.
For example, I once owned a beautiful short skirt made of good-quality fabrics. But every time I attempted to wear it out, I hesitated. The skirt was so short that I knew I would be so self-conscious about it when making any movement.
This skirt never made it out of my house. After putting it on and looking at myself in the mirror, I would always take it off and change into something that made me feel more comfortable.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful the outfit looks on you. If they cannot provide the comfort that you need, it will not make you feel good about yourself.
Category #2: Clothes that haven’t been worn for Over 3 years
If they are your favorite clothes, why haven’t you worn them for more than 3 years?
I have summarized the following reasons.
1）outfits for Exercises/sports that you have given up
Do you have outfits bought just for specific sports or exercises, such as yoga pants, tennis outfits, golf gloves, and shoes? Do you still keep these outfits even though you have already given up on the exercises/sports?
Years ago, when I had just started learning yoga, I bought many beautiful yoga outfits. However, it was not long before I lost interest and stopped doing it. I kept those yoga outfits, thinking someday I might pick up yoga again. Besides, since they were comfortable, I could also wear them at home.
However, I hardly wore these outfits at home because I already had my other casual clothes. And since I never picked up yoga again, these yoga outfits were folded nicely and stayed in the back of my closet drawer for years.
Whether it is yoga outfits, jogging pants, or golf gloves, if you have not done these sports exercises for a while, chances are you will not pick them up again in the near future.
2) You have better alternatives
When we go shopping, we tend to gravitate toward the clothes that match our styles and taste. If we do not take an inventory of our clothes before shopping, you are likely to end up buying clothes that are similar in style.
When you have clothes that are similar, do some comparison, pick your favorite, and declutter the less favored ones.
Category 3: Clothes that no longer suit your lifestyle
Why don’t they suit you anymore?
1) You are in a different stage of your life
As we grow into different stages of our lives (ie. graduating from school, becoming a full-time mom, making career and work changes), our needs for the types of clothes also change.
When you enter a new stage of life, you should get rid of clothes from your previous stage, as you no longer need them.
I know it is easier said than done. If you are like me, who has difficulty letting go of sentimental items, getting rid of old clothes feels like saying goodbye to a part of you, which is sad.
It was not until I read the book “Goodbye, Things” by Japanese minimalist Fumio Sasaki that I realized that throwing away things does not mean throwing away memories.
Because our memories are not in the things, our memories are inside us.
2) Weight change
Do you keep the clothes that don’t fit anymore because you still hope to lose weight and fit into them someday?
But as time goes on, and you haven’t been able to lose the weight, how does looking at these smaller-sized clothes make you feel? Motivated? Or somewhat discouraged and sad?
I was the girl who wore size 0 pants in my twenties. But as I aged and gained weight after becoming a mother, my pants sizes grew bigger and bigger.
I used to keep all my favorite pants even though they did not fit anymore. I did it in the hope of fitting into them again someday.
Unfortunately, the hope of getting back to the smaller sizes becomes slimmer and slimmer as time went on.
I eventually accepted the reality when my son turned 2. I decluttered all but two of my smaller-sized pants, and these two pairs of pants are kept for memories.
If keeping the smaller-sized clothes doesn’t make you feel good, please do yourself a favor and get rid of them.
You can think this way: after the success of slimming, you will celebrate it with new fashionable clothes.
Conclusion
To recap, there are three types of clothes you should declutter, even though you still like them very much:
- Clothes that you put on but take off before leaving home
- Clothes that don’t suit your current lifestyle anymore
- Clothes that you have not worn for over 3 years
I hope this article is helpful to you!
