13 Items to Prune During Your Spring Wardrobe Switchover
It’s springtime! I love the spirit-lifting changes that the season brings — warm weather, longer days, and more sunshine. Time to toss the winter coats and enjoy the freedom of lighter outfits, ones that haven’t seen the light of day in a while.
But before you pack up the winter coats and hang out the short dresses, be sure they are worthy of taking up precious space. The spring wardrobe switchover is a great opportunity to take stock of what you have and prune out all those items that have seen better days. Time to retire the old smelly sneakers and that trendy outfit you used to love but now is a fashion fail.
Why Declutter?
There are so many reasons to declutter your clothes. A staggering 54% of Americans feel overwhelmed by the amount of clutter they have, so you are not alone if you feel this way. Besides relieving anxiety, removing your clutter clothes saves you time and energy that you would have spent packing and valuable space when closet and storage space are at a premium.
Pruning out the worn, ill-fitting, off-trend clothing from your wardrobe lets you focus on the good stuff that makes you feel fabulous and find what you need more quickly. And bonus, if it’s not there, you won’t be tempted to wear it out, saving you from an embarrassing moment running into your ex in your fav comfy sweats. Who knew decluttering equals a wardrobe refresh?!
13 Items to Prune
Damaged
That means anything torn, tarnished, stained, discolored, mildewed, or moth-eaten.
Worn out
Think stretched hair bands, t-shirts with misshapen collars, and shoes with more than 500 miles or 60 hours of use.
Mismatched
Items missing their match, like stray socks or earrings and buttons for clothing you no longer own.
Clashing Style
Clothing or accessories that are in a style or color that doesn’t go with anything else you wear. Bon voyage to my turquoise jewelry collection! It made a great gift.
Immature
While some people say wear what you want at any age, if you think there are age-appropriate limits for clothing, get rid of anything you or your children have “outgrown”.
Smelly
If vinegar in the wash or Odor-Eaters insoles ain’t cutting it, toss it.
Ill-fitting
As a general rule, you should remove adult clothing more than 1 size too big or too small and children’s clothing your smallest kid has outgrown.
Uncomfortable
Don’t torture yourself. Get rid of anything uncomfortable, especially if it hurts or makes it difficult to breathe.
Unflattering
If you don’t feel fabulous in it or you wouldn’t want to run into your ex in it, then toss it.
Unused
Has it been a year since you’ve worn it? Does it need ironing and you never iron (that’s me!)? Has it been sitting in the mending pile for ages? Let it go to someone else who can appreciate it.
Off-trend
Time to toss the M.C. Hammer pants, shoulder pads, and bedazzled denim, among other things. No fashion fails for you.
Special Occasion
Save space by donating your special event, maternity, or vacation clothes and use Rent the Runway or Nuuly if and when you eventually need something.
Extras
If you have a lot of a certain type of clothing, decide what you need and love the most and donate the rest. Pay particular attention to items that are duplicates of the exact same thing.
Bonus
Don’t forget your hangers. Pare down your collection of extras and send those wire dry cleaner ones back to whence they came.
Responsible Disposal
With the strain that fast fashion has had on our landfills, I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to find a second life for your clutter clothing. First, cycle down worn items to pjs or rags if you can (and don’t forget to prune your rags while you’re at it).
Clothes in good shape you can donate or sell. For designer brand items, you can sell them to a consignment shop or a resale company like The RealReal (high end brands only), Poshmark, or ThredUp. Just keep in mind this will take time and may not be worth it.
Clothing that you don’t sell you can donate to a local charity or theater group or put them on your local Buy Nothing group, Nextdoor, OfferUp, Freecycle, or Facebook Marketplace. If you can place the donations outside your home, the fast and easy solution is to schedule a donation pick up. Check out my 10 National Charities that Pick Up Donations freebie.
Some ideas for specific items:
Concert tees and other mementos can be framed, passed onto a child, turned into a quilt, or even sold.
Donate professional attire for women to your local Dress for Success, which provides women living in poverty professional clothes to aid in getting a job.
Donate wedding dresses to Brides Across America for military servicewomen, first responders, and frontline healthcare workers.
Have a tailor shorten your bridesmaid dresses into cocktail dresses, donate them to teens for prom, or give them to your kids for dress up. Becca’s Closet has locations nationally where you can donate dresses for the prom.
Happy spring, y’all!
P.S. — You can get a ton more ideas for responsible disposal of your clutter in my Avoid the Landfill: Disposing Your Clutter Responsibly.
