Decluttering Your Summer Wardrobe – A Guide

Make it easier to get dressed in the mornings

Decluttering Your Summer Wardrobe

The first step to decluttering your summer wardrobe is to take everything out of it! I don’t own too many clothes, so this is relatively easy for me. However, if your wardrobe resembles Cher from Clueless, you might prefer to do this in sections. I store clothes on a rail, in a chest of drawers and under the bed. I’m ruthless and take everything out and lay it on the bed.

Next clean your wardrobe. I’ll admit this isn’t the most fun part. But by doing it every season, it means it stays relatively clean and shouldn’t take too long to wipe over. It’s worth it; trust me.

Make sure you have a separate place to store out of season clothing. This could be a dedicated drawer, a separate wardrobe, a box under the bed. However, it doesn’t have to be in a different room; we are just trying to divide the clothing up. I place any obviously out of season pieces directly into storage. I know for sure I’m not going to need heavy winter coats and long boots in summer, for instance. Make sure they are clean and folded nicely before stored; for example, I hang up winter coats to avoid creasing.

Now I go through each piece of clothing and check it over. I ask myself a few questions. Do I wear this? Does it still fit? Does it need to be repaired? If I’m not sure, I try it on. If I wear it often, it’s not necessary to do this.

Because I do this process every season, it doesn’t take long. I’ve become ruthless at getting rid of pieces that don’t work for me. And in doing so, I’ve become more aware when shopping for new clothes. I know what fabrics I find comfortable, I know what I like and therefore make fewer mistakes while shopping. Note I said fewer, I still make some mistakes! If you know something isn’t working for you, sell or donate. I would recommend trying different pieces on together; it’s amazing how many outfit combinations I’ve found in my wardrobe by doing this.

If anything needs repairing, leave it to the side. If anything needs cleaning, put it in the laundry pile. Only put clothing and shoes back into the wardrobe that you will wear. Often I’ve put clothing back in that I’m not 100% sure about and I can check it again at the start of the next season. This helps if you find it challenging to get rid of items.

Anything I’m not going to wear this season gets stored away. For example, I hang up my summer dresses to wear, but I store some of my jeans. I wear jeans in the summer but not as often as other seasons. I store swimwear in a more accessible drawer, for those really hot days in the garden. Sandals and summer shoes are convenient for daily wear, but I store most of the heavier boots.

By going through this process, it keeps you connected to the clothes you own. I do this four times a year and still, forget what clothes I have. Moreover, it makes it easier to see what new clothes if any, you might need at the start of the season. For example, I didn’t have enough summer shorts that fit, and COVID 19 made it difficult to get them altered so I bought a new pair.

Think about the clothes you wear each day.

There is no point in having a wardrobe full of summer dresses if you wear shorts every day. It’s personal to you what you store and what you keep and what you store away. If you wear heavy boots in the summer, keep them in your wardrobe! Make it work for you. Decluttering your summer wardrobe should make it easier to get dressed every morning, leaving more time for enjoying the warm months.

For more sustainable fashion info

100 Ways to Embrace Sustainable Fashion

The blue top in the photo was bought secondhand from Oxfam.

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