Declutter Your Wardrobe With These 10 Simple Questions

Do you have an abundance of clothes suffocating your closet and clogging up your wardrobe? It can be really hard to declutter clothes. So, here are 10 simple questions when you need to declutter your wardrobe that will make the process easier!

When there are too many things crammed together (as clothing so easily does) it becomes impossible to care for and enjoy the clothes that make you feel amazing. That's a sure sign that it's time to declutter your wardrobe!

I know it seems like an overwhelming task right now, but you can do this. Ask yourself these 10 questions to help cut down the decision-making time which, let's face it, is the most time-consuming part. Click here for more detailed steps on cleaning out your closet!

#1. Do you wear it?

Simple enough, right?

We've all had that item that somehow squeezed past all of the wardrobe purges because we might wear it someday. I know it’s super cute, but if you aren’t wearing it there’s probably a reason. Maybe it looks adorable but itches like crazy, or is a little tight on the arms, or it honestly just isn’t your style (no matter how much you wish it was).

Whatever the reason, if you never wear it then it's just a space suck. Let it go.

If you're unsure which items are really getting the most love click here for steps you can take to track what you wear and then declutter your wardrobe of them!

#2. Is it damaged?

Let’s be honest, you’re never going to patch up the tear in those pants. You’ve had this item for months now and haven’t patched it up yet, it ain’t happening. The coffee stain that’s on your favorite white shirt that hasn’t been coming out with the bleach? It's not coming out, boo.

I know it sucks. But you can take this opportunity to get a few new items because these are moving on.

If you think about it, keeping these items is only going to bring you guilt for not following through with "fixing them" or for messing them up in the first place. It's time to finally declutter your wardrobe of these damaged pieces.

Accidents happen and it’s ok to move on! Don’t leave it there to take up space and to be a constant source of disappointment.

#3. Do you feel great in it?

Just like the appearance of our environments has a huge impact on how we think and feel, what we wear does too. In fact, if you think about it, our clothes are just another piece of our environment...a pretty close piece since it's literally right on you!

Attire can even be so powerful as to bring out different aspects of your personality. It’s not just women either- have you ever seen a man dress up in a tux and immediately feel the need to do a James Bond pose? It matters.

So, when you declutter your wardrobe, you shouldn't neglect how you feel when wearing these things! You can even feel great in a pair of PJs. I LOVE my PJs. It’s a spaghetti strap with light airy material and ruffled shorts in a matching muted pink pattern. I get excited just thinking about how cute these PJs are!

You deserve to have a full wardrobe of clothes that make YOU feel excited and lit up! Keep this in mind as you sift through questions to ask when decluttering your clothes.

BTW, I go into detail about how to tap into the massive potential of your environment in my totally free masterclass, 'My Holistic Clutter-Free Formula'!

#4. Could another person get more use out of it?

Sometimes it helps when you think outside of yourself. It’s less pressure than sitting and digging deep into how exactly you feel about each item of clothing you own, right?

A great way to alleviate that pressure and make quicker decisions when you declutter your wardrobe is to simply ask yourself, “could another person get more use out of this than me?” Whether selling or donating it's a solid question to ask.

Of course, you don’t want to go overboard and start giving away clothes that you actually wear and love (that would be counterproductive). But if you feel like an outfit could make someone else’s life better and you aren’t wearing it- the decision becomes much easier.

#5. Are you guilt-hoarding?

It's a good idea to declutter your wardrobe of things you're only holding onto out of guilt.

Until I left the state, I had family members give me garbage bags full of clothes that they didn’t wear anymore. And it was great! I would get so excited to dig through these things and find new treasures. But, eventually, this started really clogging up my drawer and closet space.

Some of the clothes that they would specifically ask about later were items that weren’t really my style or didn’t fit great. Because they were asking, I figured those items must have had some meaning to them and I would hold onto them out of guilt.

It got to the point that I would get frustrated when people would dump these bags on me because I knew I would feel guilted into keeping a lot of the stuff.

Eventually, I came to the decision that I would not allow guilt to control my space (and my closet). You can make that same decision when you declutter your wardrobe.

This is a HUGE problem for people. I see so many students in Clutter Cure who are clinging tight to things they don't even like because of this "implied obligation". You should watch my video about lies we tell ourselves about clutter if you struggle with this one!

#6. Is it comfortable?

As I mentioned earlier, sometimes we hold onto an item of clothes because they're pretty and look amazing...in our closet. But we never wear them because they're just plain uncomfortable!

If a shirt makes you itch or rubs on your arm or if a pair of shoes is painful to your toes don’t let it take up your space!

Again, this only results in guilt for not wearing the shoes you bought and resistance to buying another pair that is more beneficial to you. You think “well, I have enough shoes” but you never wear any of them because they're painful. 🤷‍♀️

We aren’t buying clothes to decorate our closets! if it is not comfortable, let it go when you declutter your wardrobe. The clothes aren't going to change.

#7. Does it have an upcoming purpose?

Sure, there are some occasion-specific items that we keep for a purpose. So, with these items, ask yourself, “Is there an upcoming purpose for this?” Or has that purpose long passed? It might be interview attire or a formal outfit you got for a wedding.

Now, it’s probably a good idea to keep one of these items around for those occasions but you can still declutter your wardrobe of multiple copies. Choose your favorite and move forward!

#8. Is it a duplicate?

It may be that you bought a bag of undershirts for a certain season of your life when you needed them. If you no longer need the bulk of something then it’s a good time to declutter your wardrobe of any excess.

If you've been collecting a new dress for every semi-formal event then now is a good time to do some eeny-meeny-miney-mo and reduce to a couple. Of all the questions to ask when decluttering your clothes, this is the most straightforward.

#9. Is it sentimental?

People can get really trapped by their sentiments. I have a whole article dedicated to handling sentimental items when you declutter. Hopefully, you’re not a person who assigns a sentimental value to every single thing. If you are, life is going to be much more difficult.

However, if you have an item or two in your wardrobe with real sentimental value- like a wedding dress- then the choice is yours!

One option when deciding whether or not to declutter your wardrobe of these things is to get a large box to hold it on a shelf for a period of time. A box will preserve nice garments longer anyway. For everything else, I encourage you to question the sentimentality of your clothing.

#10. Does it still fit? Currently.

This last of the questions to ask when you declutter your wardrobe is often a tough one for people- that is, does it fit your body? Currently. Not - will it fit your body when you ____ - [fill in the blank]. If you’re trying to maintain a wardrobe for yourself at multiple weight stages then you are basically keeping a wardrobe for two or three people instead of one.

Not only that, but you’re setting yourself up for possible devastation when trying to find something to wear today. Don’t do that to yourself! If the jeans don’t fit anymore, let them go. When you change sizes you can get yourself some new jeans as a consolation.

Look, if you're really going to declutter your wardrobe you have to live in the present, not the past or the future. If you want to expand this to decluttering your whole bedroom, you can get the 10 steps for that right here!

👉 Let's recap the 10 simple questions to help you declutter your wardrobe!

If you scrolled to the bottom, here's a quick list (the meat and potatoes). Here are 10 simple questions to declutter your wardrobe without the stress!

1. Do you ever wear it?
2. Is it damaged?
3. Do you feel great in it?
4. Could another person get more use out of it?
5. Are you guilt-hoarding?
6. Is it comfortable?
7. Does it have an upcoming purpose in your wardrobe?
8. Is it a duplicate?
9. Is it sentimental?
10. Does it fit? Currently.

I would love to make this post a two-way conversation so leave a comment now. Never give up on becoming the best version of yourself because you deserve amazing peace and clarity. Thanks for reading and I'll catch you next time.