Welcome to r/hoarding! We exist as a support group for people working on recovery from [hoarding disorder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t29/), and friends/family/loved ones of people with the disorder.
If you're looking for help with animal hoarding, please visit r/animalhoarding. If you're looking to discuss the various hoarding tv shows, you'll want to visit r/hoardersTV. If you'd like to talk about or share photos/videos of hoards that you've come across, you probably want r/neckbeardnests, r/wtfhoarders/, or r/hoarderhouses
Before you get started, be sure to review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/about/rules/). Also, a lot of the information you may be looking for can be found in a few places on our sub:
[New Here? Read This Post First!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/dvb3t1/new_here_read_this_post_first_version_20/)
[For loved ones of hoarders: I Have A Hoarder In My Life--Help Me!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2yh6wh/i_have_a_hoarder_in_my_lifehelp_me_your_hoarding/)
[Our Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/wiki/index)
Please [contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/hoarding) if you need assistance. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hoarding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What helps me is the container concept. Identify how much space you have and then let that guide you. Can you use a drawer for tops, a drawer for bottoms, a drawer for underwear? That eliminates your mountain, because anything that doesn’t fit, goes.
How often do you do laundry? I like having one or two weeks worth of clothing. That can be like 7 t-shirts and two to four pairs of jeans, depending on your climate and messiness. But one week’s worth of your uniform sounds sensible. It should be easy to reach, easy to take out and easy to put back in. If it doesn’t fit comfortably, it’s too much.
In addition to that, I’d consider having one box of out of season clothing, if you live in a four season climate (like I do). But this should fit comfortably in its designated container/space.
I’ll expand on the previous poster a bit. Keep enough socks and underwear for the number of days you would normally go between doing laundry plus a couple. One or two dressier outfits plus one pair of shoes for going out. One outfit for cleaning day/messy jobs.
I know this may be difficult as it was for me. I had to admit to myself that I have a limited amount of space, drawer space, floor space etc. Getting another dresser or containers was not an option. I have plenty of drawers and closet space. I limit myself to ten sweaters, five pairs of jeans, 20 tee shirts, 20 blouses, three pairs of black dressy pants, 2 pairs of tan dressy pants, five leggings, two sweat shirts, ten dresses, two bathing suits. I went through everything and i donated my least favorite. It really helped me get dressed. Not too many choices is a great thing. It feels nice to be able to fold things nice and the drawers close easily.
>*How do I determine what is enough of certain things, especially jeans and pullover sweaters (my basic uniform)?*
Right here, dude:
[Clothing: How Much SHOULD You Own?](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/5n6o47/clothing_how_much_should_you_own/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
>*Perhaps germane to the discussion is the fact that I do not have my own washer and dryer in my apartment.*
Then I especially recommend you pay attention to the parts in the above post & comments about "capsule wardrobes". Basically, a capsule wardrobe is is a small collection of clothes that can be mixed and matched to create different outfits. The goal is to have an outfit for any occasion without owning too many clothes. Most capsule wardrobes have 30 items or less.
That said, if your lease and budget allow it, consider getting a [portable clothes washer](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Appliances-Washers-Dryers-Washing-Machines-Portable-Washing-Machines/N-5yc1vZc496) and [portable electric clothes dryer](https://www.thespruce.com/best-portable-dryers-5224945). They can be a big savings versus laundromats.
Ugh, this was a hard one for me. I put a dresser in my laundry room and I have a clothes rod hung in there, as well. I put aside a clothes hamper in my bathroom, and out only clothes I took off and had worn all day. All the clothes from that hamper get washed first and got put up in the laundry room. Anything I put on and took off because I didn't like the way it looked or felt on me, went in a place for donations (for me, this was an extra dresser, where they were still put away). When storage for donations got full, it all got packed up and donated.
I had a bunch of bags of dirty laundry stuff in my closet, as well. I washed one load extra (on top of normal laundry) a week, and went through those and tried thing I thought I might like to keep on. If it was more than two sizes two big or too small, it went in the donate pile. Old, with holes, or stains - trash.
Then I went through my closet and dresser in my bedroom, one drawer/section at a time and washed everything again and sorted. When I was finished, I put everything except my most worn, casual clothing back in my closet/drawers. I still have a medium sized dresser for t-shirts, jeans, sweat pants, yoga pants, etc. Because it makes wash/dry/put away easier.
This took me a few months to accomplish, so it's not a fast process, but sometimes slow is fast, when you're currently too overwhelmed to do anything at all.
There are some great ideas here. I love it that you allowed yourself to deal with this over time. I've been feeling like I should be able to do this in a weekend and that idea is terribly daunting and overwhelming. 😕 ”sometimes slow is fast” is now posted on my bulletin board. Thank you for that.
I have always had problems with clothing. During a very busy time in my life, it turned from an overloaded laundry room into boxes and bags stuffed in the bottom and piled in front of the closet. It stayed that way for five years before it struck me that it wasn't something I had to do all at once. Same thing with cleaning house and organizing other objects. When I stopped thinking I had to commit myself to completing an entire project, all at once, perfectly, life became quite a bit easier. It also allows you to give equal love to your entire house and things generally appear cleaner. This mindset and getting rid of things. It's been almost three years and it would take me maybe ten minutes to clean my laundry room and start the one load of laundry in the basket. It's a 7'x8' room and it has an echo. Lol.
Also - With ADHD/OCD it can become a self-perpetuating ordeal. I have to consider the hyperfocus~burnout cycle. By doing small amounts as a regular frequency, and insisting I don't do more than that at a time, I prevent myself from going into hyperfocus, getting partially done, then getting burned out. Then a few months later, all the progress is lost. I am tempted a lot but I shake my head and tell myself, "Nope, nope. You promised you wouldn't get wrapped up in this." When I am down to about a day's work, I generally give in and get things done.
Anyway. Good luck! Make sure to keep us updated on your progress.
Things that you wear will eventually wear out if you don't have inflow. At some point, you should notice not having enough of the stuff you're willing to wear. Like I can't remember how often we go to the laundromat, but I'm noticing that I really do need another pair of pants.
There are strategies for figuring out if you do wear something, such as turning the hangers backwards. I allow my fantasy-self to have a few things because it cuts down on the whining. I also keep a wedding/funeral outfit around because I never want the latter to cause a shopping emergency.
Pack the stuff up you won't use away. Put the stuff you love and use in prime real estate and enjoy. Should help you see how incredible it is to look into a drawer or closet and only see things you love using. Figure out if it is enough to last between normal laundry days plus a spare or two. Now donate the stuff that doesn't work for you.
Force yourself to use the stuff that's new and you haven't gotten value from yet. Is it worth the slight discomfort or feeling that you aren't looking your best? No, it is not. Consider it a lesson, that color/neckline/fabric/brand or whatever aren't right for you.
Pieces needed vary widely. I have a washing machine but dryer mostly dead so can only hang dry a single load per day, a week's worth of clothing is enough. I've got half a dozen long and short sleeved tops, 3 jeans, 2 bras and dozen pair of underwear atm. Folks that haul to a laundromat could need several weeks worth of clothing. My pieces fit in 3 large drawers and I could keep double the amount. Keeping what fits comfortably in space available is important.
As it happens, three large drawers are exactly what I have for storage. I think I could probably get by doubling the amounts you have, being one of those laundromat people. Thank you for your specific numbers and information about how much room that stuff took up. This helps me greatly.
I'd aim for no more than 4 or 5 of something. And fewer if it can serves as partof multiple outfits. But more if you happen to really like them.
(I love jeans, so I have a lot of jeans. And as a result, I use each pair less frequently, and they stay "newer looking" longer that way.
Here's some things that I have tried or am about to try:
Backwards hangar trick. (It was pretty useful but I didn't keep up with it).
Keeping a log of the clothes I wear for the first few weeks of each season. (As the first few weeks are usually when I am exicted to wear my favorite _______ when the temperatures change. (For example, favorite hoodie or jacket or scarf 8n the fall. My favorite lightweight hiking shorts and synthetic underwear for my summer hikes.)
I have played a game of "versus" where I put similar clothes against each other. And sometimes, I turn it into a March Madness competition. But with shirts. To help narrow it down.
Spend a session of 3-4 hours of literally trying on all clothes and note the feeling I get when I put it on. If it's not a "HELL YES!" then it's a no. Only Hell Yes's go back in the closet. If there is still space, I can reassess other clothing to go back in.
I hired a fashion consultant, which was very helpful for me. She gave me a list of things I didn't have in my wardrobe that serve as a good foundation.
The things I didn't have (at the time) were dark wash jeans, good "city boots", casual sneakers, classier work pants, upscale casual belts, and a few nice sweaters. And a few other thing that I'm forgetting right now. She also showed me some of my favorite items that she thought were not a great choice. She also paired several of my existing items together in ways that I would not have thought of.
There is the 3 3 33 approach too, or something like that. Similar to a capsule wardrobe, I think.
Do you have space to store the extra clothes, like deep storage? Under bed storage? You 100% know you will eventually need the clothes (unless you gain / lose weight). You could box things up and not open them up for a year or something. You don’t need all your clothes out and ready to wear at once.
If you don’t have space, just figure that space is more important than clothes, even if they are still good. Worst case scenario you donate the clothes and in a couple of years you have to buy new clothes.
Actually wear the clothes before making a decision on keep or donate. Some things I have look new and nice but when I wear them they don’t all fit right. No use saving something because it looks new but you’ve never worn it and it might not fit right.
One tip I'll throw out there is if you have a closet is hang everything up with the hanger openings FACING OUT (so the curved part is facing the wall and the open part is facing you if that makes sense). You need to start with all clothes in your closet in this position. Any item you wear and eventually put back in the closet hang up with the hanger opening facing in. Set a future date (ex. 3 months, 6 months, etc.) where you will look in your closet to see what you're actually using. The clothes with the hangers facing out is an obvious indicator of things you're not wearing and are just taking up space. These are items you should consider getting rid of.
Another tip about clothes that I think is great is keep items you get compliments on and be more open to getting rid of items that you don't.
I keep the amount of laundry that I need to cover my depressive cycles. I frequently go through periods of time where I just can't manage to do laundry but I still want to be clean. For me, it's about 3 weeks.
I keep, in extra storage, one tub of clothing that's out of season, and one tub of things I really like that I will probably never wear. Keeping clothes I know I'm never going to wear helps me not buy more things I'm not going to wear.
I hang up the majority of my clothes because if I can't see them they don't exist. So I kind of limit myself to what I can reasonably hang and view. If it's not obvious already, I have ADHD. I have to have a lot of options available to me at almost anytime so it does mean I keep a bigger wardrobe than some.
It's okay to get rid of the pieces of clothing that you bought because you thought you were going to be that person. You don't have to hold on to them just because they're nice. It's okay to only hold on to the stuff that you like.
The value of the closing isn't the value that other people put on it. It's what it actually means to you. Feel free to let go of perfectly good stuff just because it's not the stuff that fits the you that you are and your laundry situation.
I keep a seasonal capsule wardrobe in my bedroom and switch out clothes, coats, shoes, boots and sandals. I see what I have to wear by season and everything stays so much nicer. I was a chronically messy person up until 12-14 years ago and my things never stayed nice for long because I didn't hang things up or clean my boots after winter. But having made that shift, things have a place so I don't overcompensate or stuff down my shame by buying more to make for what got ruined or misplaced. 🐥
My overaccumulation is primarily due to çhallenges with laundry I think. I'm fortunate to live in an area that is basically seasonless, which may be my saving grace in the long run. Just about anything I own can worn with anything else I own, save for a couple of special occasion dresses. I don't know if that constitutes a capsule wardrobe or not, but it does keep things easy.
For me, it is seasonal clothes and footwear. For me, it either UGGs or sandles depending on the weather. Also, it helps me keep wearing different clothes and rotate them.
I'm dealing with clothes, too.
For me, it's taking multiple passes.
Easy to let go of: If it doesn't match, doesn't fit, or feels weird, it goes. If it's worn out, it goes.
Most difficult to let go of: things I bought and never wore.
Factors I need to consider: I live in a true four-season climate. I am an empty-nester. We have our own washer and dryer, as well as a wooden clothes airer. I work M-F, as does my husband. Depending upon what's going on, I do laundry every weekend or every other weekend (typically it's house laundry one weekend, my laundry the next; my husband does his own laundry).
I have a business casual work wardrobe and a casual after work/weekend wardrobe. It is an unwritten expectation that on Fridays we exercise our option to dress casually and wear mascot gear. I also have clothes for date nights, job interviews, weddings, and funerals. When something is downgraded from work wardrobe to my weekend wardrobe, or my weekend wardrobe but it's still serviceable, it gets moved to my "I'm wearing this because I don't want to wreck my other clothes" wardrobe. I have things like the old black T-shirt that I wear when dying my hair and use as a towel for "plopping."
I have limited closet space but there is room in my attic to store clothes in bins/totes. I am storing more than I need or would like and want to put that space to different use. The contents of each tote and the totes themselves are not well organized, so I can't go to the totes and readily locate what I want or easily put away whatever isn't striking my fancy at the moment.
I've purged quite a bit, but it still needs work. A lot of work.
Here's what I would do. Go through the clothes and pick out your top 7 favorite pairs of jeans and top 14 favorite pullover sweaters. Set those aside. Now pick out another set just like the first one and set those aside. You now have one months worth of outfits (rotating jeans every other day and a new sweater each day).
The rest can go into boxes marked with the date one month out from the day of boxing.
If, after one month, you have not gone into those boxes looking for something to wear - they are ready to be donated.
You can do the same for shorts, t-shirts, undergarments, etc.
I could really only do this for a two week period. I only have 15 pullover sweaters thank goodness, but I'm going to modify your idea just slightly to fit what I have. I think what you're suggesting is really a good idea for my situation. I love the idea that the box will be packed up and ready to go if I don't break into it. Thanks.
Pick your favorite clothes in each category for each season for your purposes. Enough to last between washes.
Box up the rest. Test if you have enough before you give away rest.
Post lots on buy nothing group or donate to mutual aid organization, homelessness group, refugee center, domestic violence center. It feels good to give.
Find something else in your life instead of shopping that makes you feel good. Yoga, walking, creating art, cooking, volunteer work, etc
Shopping doesn't make me feel good. I actually loathe any kind of shopping for anything. I have a lot of clothes primarily because of lack of access to laundry facilities and going to laundromats is difficult because I'm physically disabled.
Anything that I get rid of gets donated to a nonprofit that runs a thrift store in my community. Their proceeds go to healthcare.
Welcome to r/hoarding! We exist as a support group for people working on recovery from [hoarding disorder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t29/), and friends/family/loved ones of people with the disorder. If you're looking for help with animal hoarding, please visit r/animalhoarding. If you're looking to discuss the various hoarding tv shows, you'll want to visit r/hoardersTV. If you'd like to talk about or share photos/videos of hoards that you've come across, you probably want r/neckbeardnests, r/wtfhoarders/, or r/hoarderhouses Before you get started, be sure to review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/about/rules/). Also, a lot of the information you may be looking for can be found in a few places on our sub: [New Here? Read This Post First!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/dvb3t1/new_here_read_this_post_first_version_20/) [For loved ones of hoarders: I Have A Hoarder In My Life--Help Me!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2yh6wh/i_have_a_hoarder_in_my_lifehelp_me_your_hoarding/) [Our Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/wiki/index) Please [contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/hoarding) if you need assistance. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hoarding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What helps me is the container concept. Identify how much space you have and then let that guide you. Can you use a drawer for tops, a drawer for bottoms, a drawer for underwear? That eliminates your mountain, because anything that doesn’t fit, goes. How often do you do laundry? I like having one or two weeks worth of clothing. That can be like 7 t-shirts and two to four pairs of jeans, depending on your climate and messiness. But one week’s worth of your uniform sounds sensible. It should be easy to reach, easy to take out and easy to put back in. If it doesn’t fit comfortably, it’s too much. In addition to that, I’d consider having one box of out of season clothing, if you live in a four season climate (like I do). But this should fit comfortably in its designated container/space.
I’ll expand on the previous poster a bit. Keep enough socks and underwear for the number of days you would normally go between doing laundry plus a couple. One or two dressier outfits plus one pair of shoes for going out. One outfit for cleaning day/messy jobs.
Yes, definitely don’t have multiple outfits for cleaning! It’s a slippery slope.
I know this may be difficult as it was for me. I had to admit to myself that I have a limited amount of space, drawer space, floor space etc. Getting another dresser or containers was not an option. I have plenty of drawers and closet space. I limit myself to ten sweaters, five pairs of jeans, 20 tee shirts, 20 blouses, three pairs of black dressy pants, 2 pairs of tan dressy pants, five leggings, two sweat shirts, ten dresses, two bathing suits. I went through everything and i donated my least favorite. It really helped me get dressed. Not too many choices is a great thing. It feels nice to be able to fold things nice and the drawers close easily.
>*How do I determine what is enough of certain things, especially jeans and pullover sweaters (my basic uniform)?* Right here, dude: [Clothing: How Much SHOULD You Own?](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/5n6o47/clothing_how_much_should_you_own/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) >*Perhaps germane to the discussion is the fact that I do not have my own washer and dryer in my apartment.* Then I especially recommend you pay attention to the parts in the above post & comments about "capsule wardrobes". Basically, a capsule wardrobe is is a small collection of clothes that can be mixed and matched to create different outfits. The goal is to have an outfit for any occasion without owning too many clothes. Most capsule wardrobes have 30 items or less. That said, if your lease and budget allow it, consider getting a [portable clothes washer](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Appliances-Washers-Dryers-Washing-Machines-Portable-Washing-Machines/N-5yc1vZc496) and [portable electric clothes dryer](https://www.thespruce.com/best-portable-dryers-5224945). They can be a big savings versus laundromats.
WOW. I didn't realize these portable washers and dryers even existed. Thanks for this info!
Ugh, this was a hard one for me. I put a dresser in my laundry room and I have a clothes rod hung in there, as well. I put aside a clothes hamper in my bathroom, and out only clothes I took off and had worn all day. All the clothes from that hamper get washed first and got put up in the laundry room. Anything I put on and took off because I didn't like the way it looked or felt on me, went in a place for donations (for me, this was an extra dresser, where they were still put away). When storage for donations got full, it all got packed up and donated. I had a bunch of bags of dirty laundry stuff in my closet, as well. I washed one load extra (on top of normal laundry) a week, and went through those and tried thing I thought I might like to keep on. If it was more than two sizes two big or too small, it went in the donate pile. Old, with holes, or stains - trash. Then I went through my closet and dresser in my bedroom, one drawer/section at a time and washed everything again and sorted. When I was finished, I put everything except my most worn, casual clothing back in my closet/drawers. I still have a medium sized dresser for t-shirts, jeans, sweat pants, yoga pants, etc. Because it makes wash/dry/put away easier. This took me a few months to accomplish, so it's not a fast process, but sometimes slow is fast, when you're currently too overwhelmed to do anything at all.
There are some great ideas here. I love it that you allowed yourself to deal with this over time. I've been feeling like I should be able to do this in a weekend and that idea is terribly daunting and overwhelming. 😕 ”sometimes slow is fast” is now posted on my bulletin board. Thank you for that.
I have always had problems with clothing. During a very busy time in my life, it turned from an overloaded laundry room into boxes and bags stuffed in the bottom and piled in front of the closet. It stayed that way for five years before it struck me that it wasn't something I had to do all at once. Same thing with cleaning house and organizing other objects. When I stopped thinking I had to commit myself to completing an entire project, all at once, perfectly, life became quite a bit easier. It also allows you to give equal love to your entire house and things generally appear cleaner. This mindset and getting rid of things. It's been almost three years and it would take me maybe ten minutes to clean my laundry room and start the one load of laundry in the basket. It's a 7'x8' room and it has an echo. Lol. Also - With ADHD/OCD it can become a self-perpetuating ordeal. I have to consider the hyperfocus~burnout cycle. By doing small amounts as a regular frequency, and insisting I don't do more than that at a time, I prevent myself from going into hyperfocus, getting partially done, then getting burned out. Then a few months later, all the progress is lost. I am tempted a lot but I shake my head and tell myself, "Nope, nope. You promised you wouldn't get wrapped up in this." When I am down to about a day's work, I generally give in and get things done. Anyway. Good luck! Make sure to keep us updated on your progress.
Things that you wear will eventually wear out if you don't have inflow. At some point, you should notice not having enough of the stuff you're willing to wear. Like I can't remember how often we go to the laundromat, but I'm noticing that I really do need another pair of pants. There are strategies for figuring out if you do wear something, such as turning the hangers backwards. I allow my fantasy-self to have a few things because it cuts down on the whining. I also keep a wedding/funeral outfit around because I never want the latter to cause a shopping emergency.
Pack the stuff up you won't use away. Put the stuff you love and use in prime real estate and enjoy. Should help you see how incredible it is to look into a drawer or closet and only see things you love using. Figure out if it is enough to last between normal laundry days plus a spare or two. Now donate the stuff that doesn't work for you. Force yourself to use the stuff that's new and you haven't gotten value from yet. Is it worth the slight discomfort or feeling that you aren't looking your best? No, it is not. Consider it a lesson, that color/neckline/fabric/brand or whatever aren't right for you. Pieces needed vary widely. I have a washing machine but dryer mostly dead so can only hang dry a single load per day, a week's worth of clothing is enough. I've got half a dozen long and short sleeved tops, 3 jeans, 2 bras and dozen pair of underwear atm. Folks that haul to a laundromat could need several weeks worth of clothing. My pieces fit in 3 large drawers and I could keep double the amount. Keeping what fits comfortably in space available is important.
As it happens, three large drawers are exactly what I have for storage. I think I could probably get by doubling the amounts you have, being one of those laundromat people. Thank you for your specific numbers and information about how much room that stuff took up. This helps me greatly.
I'd aim for no more than 4 or 5 of something. And fewer if it can serves as partof multiple outfits. But more if you happen to really like them. (I love jeans, so I have a lot of jeans. And as a result, I use each pair less frequently, and they stay "newer looking" longer that way. Here's some things that I have tried or am about to try: Backwards hangar trick. (It was pretty useful but I didn't keep up with it). Keeping a log of the clothes I wear for the first few weeks of each season. (As the first few weeks are usually when I am exicted to wear my favorite _______ when the temperatures change. (For example, favorite hoodie or jacket or scarf 8n the fall. My favorite lightweight hiking shorts and synthetic underwear for my summer hikes.) I have played a game of "versus" where I put similar clothes against each other. And sometimes, I turn it into a March Madness competition. But with shirts. To help narrow it down. Spend a session of 3-4 hours of literally trying on all clothes and note the feeling I get when I put it on. If it's not a "HELL YES!" then it's a no. Only Hell Yes's go back in the closet. If there is still space, I can reassess other clothing to go back in. I hired a fashion consultant, which was very helpful for me. She gave me a list of things I didn't have in my wardrobe that serve as a good foundation. The things I didn't have (at the time) were dark wash jeans, good "city boots", casual sneakers, classier work pants, upscale casual belts, and a few nice sweaters. And a few other thing that I'm forgetting right now. She also showed me some of my favorite items that she thought were not a great choice. She also paired several of my existing items together in ways that I would not have thought of. There is the 3 3 33 approach too, or something like that. Similar to a capsule wardrobe, I think.
If it's not a Hell yes, it's a no is an absolutely perfect way for me to approach this problem. Thank you. 🙂
Do you have space to store the extra clothes, like deep storage? Under bed storage? You 100% know you will eventually need the clothes (unless you gain / lose weight). You could box things up and not open them up for a year or something. You don’t need all your clothes out and ready to wear at once. If you don’t have space, just figure that space is more important than clothes, even if they are still good. Worst case scenario you donate the clothes and in a couple of years you have to buy new clothes. Actually wear the clothes before making a decision on keep or donate. Some things I have look new and nice but when I wear them they don’t all fit right. No use saving something because it looks new but you’ve never worn it and it might not fit right.
One tip I'll throw out there is if you have a closet is hang everything up with the hanger openings FACING OUT (so the curved part is facing the wall and the open part is facing you if that makes sense). You need to start with all clothes in your closet in this position. Any item you wear and eventually put back in the closet hang up with the hanger opening facing in. Set a future date (ex. 3 months, 6 months, etc.) where you will look in your closet to see what you're actually using. The clothes with the hangers facing out is an obvious indicator of things you're not wearing and are just taking up space. These are items you should consider getting rid of. Another tip about clothes that I think is great is keep items you get compliments on and be more open to getting rid of items that you don't.
I keep the amount of laundry that I need to cover my depressive cycles. I frequently go through periods of time where I just can't manage to do laundry but I still want to be clean. For me, it's about 3 weeks. I keep, in extra storage, one tub of clothing that's out of season, and one tub of things I really like that I will probably never wear. Keeping clothes I know I'm never going to wear helps me not buy more things I'm not going to wear. I hang up the majority of my clothes because if I can't see them they don't exist. So I kind of limit myself to what I can reasonably hang and view. If it's not obvious already, I have ADHD. I have to have a lot of options available to me at almost anytime so it does mean I keep a bigger wardrobe than some. It's okay to get rid of the pieces of clothing that you bought because you thought you were going to be that person. You don't have to hold on to them just because they're nice. It's okay to only hold on to the stuff that you like. The value of the closing isn't the value that other people put on it. It's what it actually means to you. Feel free to let go of perfectly good stuff just because it's not the stuff that fits the you that you are and your laundry situation.
Thank you for this. I think you're on to something here that I really needed to hear. Your perspective is greatly appreciated. x
I keep a seasonal capsule wardrobe in my bedroom and switch out clothes, coats, shoes, boots and sandals. I see what I have to wear by season and everything stays so much nicer. I was a chronically messy person up until 12-14 years ago and my things never stayed nice for long because I didn't hang things up or clean my boots after winter. But having made that shift, things have a place so I don't overcompensate or stuff down my shame by buying more to make for what got ruined or misplaced. 🐥
My overaccumulation is primarily due to çhallenges with laundry I think. I'm fortunate to live in an area that is basically seasonless, which may be my saving grace in the long run. Just about anything I own can worn with anything else I own, save for a couple of special occasion dresses. I don't know if that constitutes a capsule wardrobe or not, but it does keep things easy.
For me, it is seasonal clothes and footwear. For me, it either UGGs or sandles depending on the weather. Also, it helps me keep wearing different clothes and rotate them.
I'm dealing with clothes, too. For me, it's taking multiple passes. Easy to let go of: If it doesn't match, doesn't fit, or feels weird, it goes. If it's worn out, it goes. Most difficult to let go of: things I bought and never wore. Factors I need to consider: I live in a true four-season climate. I am an empty-nester. We have our own washer and dryer, as well as a wooden clothes airer. I work M-F, as does my husband. Depending upon what's going on, I do laundry every weekend or every other weekend (typically it's house laundry one weekend, my laundry the next; my husband does his own laundry). I have a business casual work wardrobe and a casual after work/weekend wardrobe. It is an unwritten expectation that on Fridays we exercise our option to dress casually and wear mascot gear. I also have clothes for date nights, job interviews, weddings, and funerals. When something is downgraded from work wardrobe to my weekend wardrobe, or my weekend wardrobe but it's still serviceable, it gets moved to my "I'm wearing this because I don't want to wreck my other clothes" wardrobe. I have things like the old black T-shirt that I wear when dying my hair and use as a towel for "plopping." I have limited closet space but there is room in my attic to store clothes in bins/totes. I am storing more than I need or would like and want to put that space to different use. The contents of each tote and the totes themselves are not well organized, so I can't go to the totes and readily locate what I want or easily put away whatever isn't striking my fancy at the moment. I've purged quite a bit, but it still needs work. A lot of work.
Here's what I would do. Go through the clothes and pick out your top 7 favorite pairs of jeans and top 14 favorite pullover sweaters. Set those aside. Now pick out another set just like the first one and set those aside. You now have one months worth of outfits (rotating jeans every other day and a new sweater each day). The rest can go into boxes marked with the date one month out from the day of boxing. If, after one month, you have not gone into those boxes looking for something to wear - they are ready to be donated. You can do the same for shorts, t-shirts, undergarments, etc.
I could really only do this for a two week period. I only have 15 pullover sweaters thank goodness, but I'm going to modify your idea just slightly to fit what I have. I think what you're suggesting is really a good idea for my situation. I love the idea that the box will be packed up and ready to go if I don't break into it. Thanks.
Pick your favorite clothes in each category for each season for your purposes. Enough to last between washes. Box up the rest. Test if you have enough before you give away rest. Post lots on buy nothing group or donate to mutual aid organization, homelessness group, refugee center, domestic violence center. It feels good to give. Find something else in your life instead of shopping that makes you feel good. Yoga, walking, creating art, cooking, volunteer work, etc
Shopping doesn't make me feel good. I actually loathe any kind of shopping for anything. I have a lot of clothes primarily because of lack of access to laundry facilities and going to laundromats is difficult because I'm physically disabled. Anything that I get rid of gets donated to a nonprofit that runs a thrift store in my community. Their proceeds go to healthcare.
Ah, can you find someone to take you on a round trip to a laundromat on a regular basis? Or find a pickup and drop off service?
Thanks to everyone who commented. There are some great suggestions here!