Have you been avoiding cleaning your wardrobe?<\/p>\n
It’s the kind of task that can seem overwhelming. Something for next weekend or the weekend after perhaps.<\/p>\n
If you’re swapping out winter clothes for lighter ones this spring, it’s the perfect opportunity to review exactly what’s in your wardrobe.<\/p>\n
Here are some simple ways to get started.<\/p>\n
Declutter your wardrobe<\/p>\n
Home organiser Pip Renfrew lives in Maitland, on the traditional lands of the Wonnarua people, and says people are sometimes blissfully unaware of how much clothing they own.<\/p>\n
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Pip Renfrew says when working with a small space, it\u2019s important to use it all. (Supplied: Pip Renfrew)<\/p>\n
She says an audit is in order if you’re struggling for space.<\/p>\n
“The items you didn’t really wear over winter maybe kick them aside to sell or to donate.”<\/p>\n
Emily Deneys works part-time as a stylist and fashion content creator in the central Victorian town of Castlemaine, on Dja Dja Wurrung country.<\/p>\n
“If something sat there untouched [for the season], I ask myself why,” she says.<\/p>\n
“Do I already have something similar? Does it not fit right? Does it just need mending or dry cleaning? Or does it just not work for my lifestyle anymore?”<\/p>\n
From there, she decides whether she should donate or sell the item.<\/p>\n
Ms Deneys recommends the “coat hanger trick”.<\/p>\n
“Every time you wear something put it back on the rack with the hook turned the other way \u2026 you’ll easily see what hasn’t been touched.”<\/p>\n
Jaimie Shiel is a disability advocate and wheelchair user who lives in Naarm\/Melbourne and “works to make fashion more inclusive”.<\/p>\n
She describes her style as maximalist, which makes sharing a “pretty standard sized cupboard” with her partner challenging.<\/p>\n
Ms Shiel approaches wardrobe decluttering in chunks so it’s manageable.<\/p>\n
She might get started by sorting a pyjama drawer or spending half an hour organising her T-shirts.<\/p>\n
“Even if it takes two weeks to sort your whole cupboard out, it means that you have done it bit by bit instead of just putting it off and not ever getting it done.”<\/p>\n
If something no longer fits, it’s not allowed back into her wardrobe.<\/p>\n
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Jaimie Shiel shares accessible fashion tips and recommendations online. (Supplied: Jaimie Shiel)<\/p>\n
Sort and pack seasonal items away<\/p>\n
If people have the space, Ms Renfrew suggests storing bulky jackets and jumpers that are no longer needed.<\/p>\n
She has the caveat: “I don’t recommend hanging jumpers or knits because obviously they stretch.”<\/p>\n