Wardrobe Cleanout Check-list

It's the start of the year, and a great time to get organised. That goes for the wardrobe, too!
After all, who wants to spend half an hour every morning deciding what to wear?
​We all have better things to do.
Here are some tips and a check-list to make it easier.

A few points to consider when clearing out your wardrobe:

• Set aside two hours for this task. After two hours, STOP, pack away what you want to keep, bag the cast-offs, and put the "maybe" items in a box until you have time to sort them out again. (This may be never, but that's not necessarily a bad thing).
• If you are still using wire coat hangers (the dry-cleaner variety), throw them out NOW. They are very bad for your clothes. A good alternative is the new velour-coated plastic coat hangers (they are available at Bunnings and Spotlight and online). They grip the clothes so they don't slip, and they are very slim, meaning you can hang more items in the same space.

• After the cleanout, take the bagged items to the charity shop IMMEDIATELY. This will stop you from rummaging through it to find your ragged little black cardigan when you're getting dressed tomorrow morning.
• Have paper and pen at hand, and jot down any ideas that spring to mind, such as "I should really get something to wear with this top," or " I should get a new black cardigan to replace this one." Also print out the checklist below (make more copies if you have a lot of clothes) for those hard decisions.

Item	Does it suit my colouring and shape?	Does it make me happy?	​Do I have 3 other items to wear with it?
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	​Yes/No
.	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No
.	Yes/No	​Yes/No​	​Yes/No
.	​Yes/No	​Yes/No	Yes/No
.	​Yes/No	​Yes/No	​Yes/No
.	​Yes/No	​Yes/No	​Yes/No
.	​Yes/No	​Yes/No	​Yes/No
.	​Yes/No	​​Yes/No	​Yes/No
.	​Yes/No	​Yes/No	​Yes/No

Use the checklist as follows:

• Write a short description of the item in the first column.
• Circle "Yes" or "No" for each question. If an item scores zero or one out of three, throw it out. If it scores three out of three, keep it. If it scores two out of three, it is still worth keeping, especially if you can easily and affordably find one or two items to wear with it, so that the rule of threes applies.
• Remember to put the "maybe" items in a box or a bottom drawer, and revise them later.

If you still have trouble deciding what to keep, or find it hard to ascertain which colours and styles suit you, then contact me for a Wardrobe Emergency Rescue session.
This is where I spend one hour in your wardrobe, and help you draw up a plan of what you need to keep, what you need to get rid of and what you need to add.
​I will also advise you what you need in order to get more wear and more joy out of your clothes in the future.