Jump Start January: Declutter Week: Day 7

While it’s tempting to say you’re going to sort through your entire wardrobe one day in January, be realistic. That’s not going to be a quick declutter. Instead, pick out three things that you no longer wear to give to charity or sell on an auction site, or try what I’m doing today and clean out one drawer. I’m sorting out my t-shirt drawer.

This should be a quick and easy tidy up, so let’s go:

• Empty the drawer and give it a good dust out or wipe down
• Add liner paper or dividers/boxes to the clean, dried drawer (optional)
• Sort out your clothes: ‘keep here’ (put in the wash if needed), ‘keep but put away somewhere else’, ‘keep but mend’, ‘sell’, ‘recycle’, ‘give to charity’ or ‘bin’
• Don’t spend too long on the sorting, and remember that if you haven’t worn a t-shirt or sweatshirt for 2 years or more then you’re probably never going to wear it again
• Fold the ‘keep’ pile neatly and put everything back in the drawer, grouped by type or by colour
• Empty the bin and the recycling immediately, and mend/sell/give the rest to charity within the week

People sometimes hang on to old t-shirts for years and years. If there’s something you never wear any more but it has massive sentimental value, consider taking a photo of it and then giving the item away.

I’ve sorted the drawer out into piles of camisoles, vests, sleeveless tees, standard tees and long-sleeve tees and sweatshirts. Saves time on winter mornings when you’d rather not be blundering around in the near darkness.

Are you going to do a mini clothes declutter this weekend? What are you tackling?