9 Things From Your Wardrobe You Need To Throw Out Today

Do you know what it’s like when you look in your wardrobe to find something to wear for the day and despite having so many clothes, you still can’t find anything to wear?

How frustrating it is to sift through piles of clothes or dig right to the back of your wardrobe because you know you have that pair of jeans that fits just perfectly but you can find them anywhere…

When was the last time you decluttered your wardrobe?

And I mean really decluttered… not just shoved things to the back to deal with another day?

If you haven’t, I’d guess there are some things from your wardrobe you need to throw out today.

Why You Should Declutter Your Wardrobe?

I’m sure because you’re already here, you know your wardrobe probably needs a little help, and you know you’re at the point where you need to get things sorted.

But did you know decluttering your wardrobe has a whole heap of benefits?

There are a few reasons why decluttering your wardrobe is a good idea:

1. You save time when getting dressed in the morning
2. You wear more of the clothes you have and get to enjoy your outfits
3. You can save more money because you know exactly what you’ve got
4. You’re less stressed and overwhelmed anytime you open your wardrobe
5. Easier to keep on top of laundry and washing clothes
6. Gives you more physical space
7. You don’t hold onto ratty old clothes that don’t make you feel amazing

How To Start Decluttering Your Wardrobe

When you’re looking to start decluttering your wardrobe, particularly if you haven’t done it for a long time, or at all, it can be incredibly overwhelming and you might feel a little too intimidated to even start.

Take a deep breath… it’s going to be okay.

You don’t have to Marie Kondo your wardrobe within an inch of it’s life to feel the benefits of a decluttered wardrobe.

In fact, when you’re starting out, the simpler you do things, the better.

I always say that you’ll need a few passes of decluttering before you’re happy and the reason is that firstly it can take a fair bit of time to declutter properly so doing simple passes of decluttering helps keep the task manageable.

Also, you get better at decluttering the more you do it.

The first time you declutter you might be reluctant to let items go, whereas by the third or fourth time you’ll be flinging them over your shoulder saying ‘nope’ faster than you can say ‘Swedish Death Cleaning‘.

Which is why doing a first pass of all the things you should be throwing out from your wardrobe today is the perfect place to start decluttering.

There’s no better time than now to start attacking the things from your wardrobe you need to throw out.

So grab some charity bags and rubbish bags and get to it.

1 – Clothes That Are Faded/Stained/Torn (that aren’t meant to be)

While you may have paid a small fortune for those jeans with all the tears in them, not all of our clothes are supposed to look like that.

How many shirts do you own that have small holes in them, or a stained, faded or torn in ways they aren’t meant to be?

Get rid of them!

The chances are, you don’t wear them and they aren’t going to magically become a wardrobe staple overnight.

Plus, clothes that are ratty and torn don’t make us feel good so we aren’t going to choose to wear them, which means they’re just taking up space.

Sure, if you absolutely love the pair of long comfy pants with the elastic waist (cookie pants… for when you want to sit and eat a box of cookies), and you cannot bear to part with them, then that’s totally okay.

Keep them if they make you happy, but also consider an upgrade.

2 – Clothes That Are Too Small

Still holding onto those pair of skinny jeans because they remind you of that summer when you were super thin but you haven’t been able to fit into them since?

You have to ask yourself – why am I holding onto these?

How do they make you feel when you see them?

Chances are they make you feel frustrated because you’re not that skinny anymore (because who is… seriously?), or at the very least they don’t make you feel fabulous about your current amazing self.

You should only hold onto clothes that make you feel fantastic.

If you’re planning on losing weight or toning up and expecting you’ll need smaller clothes then buy yourself new ones when you’re at the size/shape you want to be, that fit you perfectly, and that make you feel like a million bucks.

Changes in weight, hormones and times in our life change our body shape too, so make sure your clothes fit you beautifully and make you feel fantastic.

And remember, the size of our clothes doesn’t reflect who we are. We grow and change through life and so do our bodies.

3 – Clothes That Make You Feel Less Than Fabulous

Similar to the above sentiments, be sure to pass on any clothes that make you feel less than the gorgeous person you are.

It might be clothes that bring up bad memories, clothes that don’t fit properly or clothes that you just don’t like anymore.

Get rid of them.

We tend to hold on to clothes out of guilt, we feel bad that we spent money on them and even if we don’t ever wear them, the thought of throwing them out seems even worse.

Let it go. In doing so you might even learn to only purchase clothes you love and feel great in.

I totally understand that not everything in our wardrobe is meant to be a knockout piece, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep clothes that actually make you feel bad when you wear them.

Clothes are a choice – choose ones that make you feel fabulous (even if they are just pyjamas).

4 – Broken and Worn Out Shoes

Time to tackle that shoe collection… round up any shoes that are broken, falling apart or worn out and get rid of them.

With them, throw out any shoes that you no longer love wearing, that hurt you feet way too much or that don’t have a pair.

It’s kind of amazing how many shoes just get thrown to the back of the wardrobe or shoe drawer, never to be seen again.

Take some time to try on the shoes and see if they actually feel okay on – you may have forgotten how much a pair hurts your feet until you put them on and walk around in them.

5 – Shoes That Don’t Fit

Have you ever been the kind of person who buys gorgeous shoes on sale, regardless of if they fit perfectly or not?

Like, when they might be just a bit too small, but they are so gorgeous and so cheap you can’t resist, even though they absolutely kill your feet?

It’s time to get rid of them.

They cannot possibly make you happy, they cause you nothing but pain and you probably avoid wearing them.

So pop them on one last time, lay back with your feet up in the air (Carrie Bradshaw style) and take a photo for posterity and pass them on to someone else who will love them just as much.

Our feet contain so many tiny little bones and tendons and when we wear shoes that don’t fit or hurt out feet we can cause some pretty serious damage.

While I love a gorgeous heel as much as the next person, there are some fantastic options now for far more comfortable heels so get rid fo anything that hurts and cuts into your pinky toe, and get yourself a pair of shoes you love and that love you back.

6 – Underwear With Holes In Them

If this point needs an explanation then we have a lot more issues to tackle than your overflowing wardrobe.

Feeling fabulous in what you wear starts from the first layer, your underwear. You can’t expect to feel like a confident woman ready to take on the world if your Target underwear is threadbare and has holes in it.

Throw out any underwear that you can see through (if you’re not meant to see through them) and treat yourself to fresh new underwear if you need more.

This doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on your delicates, but do make sure you pick out underwear that fits, feels good, and that is breathable so it’s good for you too.

7 – Socks With Holes In Them

Again with the clothes that aren’t in good condition. Why keep socks that have holes in the toes and heels?

They only frustrate you when you put them on and your toe pokes through the end.

So get rid of them.

You probably need less socks than you own anyway…

8 – Unnecessary Double-Ups

Do you own five of the same style of t-shirt, one in each colour? Or even five of the same colour?

There’s something to be said for wearing the same outfit each day (Steve Jobs did it for a good reason) but if you own double ups of everything you have, then all you’re doing is adding to the clutter.

Go through and get rid of your double ups. Do you need 10 different pairs of jeans and five different pairs of black pants?

If not, pick your favourites that you absolutely love, and pass on the rest.

If you’re like me and when you find a shirt you love you buy it in every color, I totally understand this. Sometimes it can be difficult to find something that fits perfectly so when you do, you want it in all the styles.

BUT – be sure to rotate items if this is you.

I use the rule ‘one in one out’ which means that when I buy a new item of clothing, I have to remove an item of clothing from my wardrobe.

This helps in stopping my wardrobe from becoming overwhelming again and it means I think a little more before buying new clothes.

9 – Accessories You No Longer Love

You know how that plaid scarf was your absolute favorite accessory 4 winters ago and you haven’t worn it since?

But it still sits in your wardrobe, taking up space and gathering dust. Let it go (sing it with me now…).

Any accessories you don’t wear, the fascinator you wore to an event years ago, and the broken jewelry that you can’t wear, get rid of it all.

There’s no need to keep it.

Chances are, you’re not going to be able to declutter everything in your wardrobe in one go.

It’s like peeling an onion, there are layers to decluttering.

During your first pass you get rid of the obvious things, then as each decluttering session passes you get better at throwing out more and more.

The Next Step You Need – How To Declutter Your Wardrobe (Quick and Effective)

Go through your wardrobe at the start of each season and go over these 9 things each time and you’ll find you have a wardrobe with less clutter and one that makes you happy and confident.