I’m a decluttering expert, there’s a clever hanger trick you can use to clear out your old clothes

THE summer hols are over and Autumn is on the horizon.

And the change of season, when you’re packing away your shorts and floaty dresses, is the perfect time to have a clear-out.

There’s more ways than ever to get rid of old clothes these days with charity shops gratefully accepting donations and pre-loved sites offering a chance to make cash from your clobber.

Despite this decluttering can seem like an overwhelming task.

But the experts at online clothing brand Chums has put together the perfect guide to wiping the wardrobe slate clean before cosy season kicks in.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

TAKE everything out of your wardrobe and split into the following four piles:

Keep – items you want to keep wearing

Maybe – items you’re not sure about

Donate/Sell – items you no longer want that are in good condition

Throw out – items that are broken or damaged and can be recycled or binned

One of the easiest ways to decide which pile an item belongs to is to think about how often you wear it.

But just because you don’t wear something often, that doesn’t mean you should automatically get rid of it. Think about the item and how it fits into your wardrobe as a whole.

For example, seasonal clothes typically get worn less than those that can be worn all year round – particularly those items made for extremes of temperature, such as swimwear or snow boots.

Alternatively, the type of occasion the clothing is for can have an impact. You might not wear formal evening wear very often, but it’s worth having for those occasions where it’s required.

QUIZ CLOTHING

DECIDING whether to keep less often worn pieces can be made easier by asking yourself the following three questions:

If the right circumstances came about tomorrow, would this item be a strong contender for part of my outfit?

Can I pair this item with other pieces of clothing to make at least three outfits?

Does this item of clothing have special sentimental value?

STOP WATCH

ONCE you’ve split your wardrobe into the four categories, place the maybe maybe pile in a box, then add a reminder to your calendar or phone.

If you haven’t missed any of the items inside in three months, that’s a good sign you won’t miss them if you get rid of them.

HANGING TOUGH

IF you want to be ruthless when decluttering clothes use the hanger trick

If you still find yourself coming up with reasons to keep everything and not actually decluttering anything from your wardrobe, this technique can help you decide whether or not an item is worth keeping.

It works best for clothes you could wear any day, so you might find it best to segment your wardrobe and try it first with whichever season you’re currently in.

The trick involves turning all the hangers in your wardrobe so that they face the same way. Then, choose a review period, such as three months, and wear whichever clothes you like, remembering to turn the hanger the other way when you put the clothes back into your wardrobe.

At the end of the review period, you should have a good understanding of which clothes you’ve worn and which you haven’t.

For the clothes you haven’t worn, you can then think about why you haven’t worn them and, using the three questions, decide whether to keep them.

If you want to go one step further, attach a piece of paper to each hanger. Write a description of the item of clothing on it, then keep a tally of how many times you wear it.

You might also find it helpful to keep a record of details about the clothing. For example, if a shirt is scratchy, write that down so that when you come to declutter, you can take that information into account.