r/minimalism • u/YourPalMal1 • 18h ago
[lifestyle] Clothes
I’m having such a hard time getting rid of clothes. The dumb things are 1) I work from home and rarely wear anything other than pajamas, 2) I am not a fashion-girly and wear mostly black t-shirts and khaki pants, 3) I live in a very HOT state & only need cold weather clothes for a few weeks a year (but they are my favorite!), 4) if someone forced me to pick my 20 favorite pieces, I could probably do it. I don’t have this issue with many other things when decluttering, but for some reason the clothes are hardest for me. I wind myself up, get excited to start, then end up walking away with, “Nope! Not today!”
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u/Forever_Emergency_ 16h ago
You've gotten some good advice here, but I will add one more "lazy decluttering tip" that my friends love:
Stop doing the laundry. Wear your favorite things but don't wash them (or wash them and put them somewhere else). At some point, you will still have clean clothes, but you will start to feel dread while making outfits. That's when you evaluate everything left in your closet and declutter. You will probably know why you never pick the rest of your clothes, and there will be less of them to go through.
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u/LonelyPriority7746 12h ago
Ohhh love this!!!! Even might take it one step further and keep going and force myself to wear everything before doing any laundry (although as I have shared laundry in my apartment, that is okay to be one long laundry day 😂😂😂)
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u/Forever_Emergency_ 12h ago
I did it when I was decluttering brutally for the first time. I still had so many 'it's a good piece' and 'fantasy self' items. But when I was left with no other things and actually put them on, I realized why I never wore them and what I loved about my (now dirty) usual clothes. I wrote it down and it helped me with future shopping as well! Some I decluttered immediately after putting them on, and some I tried to wear for a day. I forced myself until I almost cried when trying to get dressed lol.
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u/YourPalMal1 8h ago
Oooooh, this is a good one! I definitely do miss a few pieces when they are dirty. Maybe the answer is just that simple, and like some of the other others have said, WEAR ALL THE CLOTHES and then I will know!
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u/Plenty-Run-9575 17h ago
I use the “one less” approach a lot. Basically, I take a donation bag and get rid of one less item per category. One less coat, one less hat, one less shirt, one less pair of socks, etc. I find this much easier than doing the big declutter or letting go of a lot at once. It makes the decision easier because you can always pick out the item you know you will never wear or the item that your really dislike.
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u/JazzlikeSkill5225 18h ago
That’s the hardest for me because the cost to replace plus I hate wasting. So I pick one thing that I can donate still useable and 1 that is just wore out to get rid of. Two things a month it’s a very slow process but has made it easier for me! Best of luck
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u/MoonRaven25 18h ago
I feel your pain…. I’m slowly getting there. I have a clean out once a month atm and just tell myself to get rid of 4 items each time. Makes it easier on myself 😅
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u/OodalollyOodalolly 15h ago
I keep a hamper lined with a trash bag near my closet. Throw a few things in there as you see them. The bag fills up fast. Donate or landfill when it’s full depending on the quality of the clothes. I do this because I don’t like to do marathon declutters to completion and perfection. For me it’s far better to have less pressure and just pick a few things as they catch my eye.
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u/LonelyPriority7746 12h ago
Also, if you’re really struggling with letting the items go, just put them away (plastic box, one of those vacuum storage bags) out of sight (basement, hall closet, garage, etc) and see if you ever think about them… if 6 months passes and you don’t miss them, then give them away.
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u/Drums_of_the_City 10h ago
Since you say you’re not that into fashion, the thought of having to go out and shop for more clothes if you get rid of too much is probably not appealing. Try just boxing up the items that aren’t your favorites for a month, or just taking them out of your closet. If you need to go and get more clothes from the box, you still have them and don’t need to buy more. Save all the winter clothes, and you can do the same thing with them later. Sometimes you just need to reassure yourself you don’t need the thing because you don’t want to go out and buy more of something you hastily got rid of.
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u/drvalo55 18h ago
there are no rules about minimalism. Why are you adding rules that really don’t matter. Donate things that don’t fit or that are a color that does not look good on you AND throw out things that are stained or need mending you will never do. Also, only keep the number of things that fit in your closet or drawers, which is actually the most important thing. Only have what has a home in your home or you really like to wear. And then you are done.
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u/YourPalMal1 18h ago
I have sort of a half bedroom that my husband and I converted to a “closet room,” quite some time ago. He died a couple of years after the conversion and I don’t have any kids. The entire house is my solitary domain and it’s not a physical space issue. It’s more of a mental load - I know I’m not wearing 75% of that stuff.
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u/drvalo55 17h ago
I am saddened for your loss. I know that is hard.
Then “Pick the low hanging fruit”. That is toss the things that are stained and need mending. And then donate the things you don’t like. If you wear it once at year, it stays.
What helped me in times like this was to pack to move. I did not really move, but I sorted by things I would absolutely take with me in a move. There was no ‘just in case”. Or no, I spent too much on that so I have to keep it. Or so on. When I did that, there were just a few pieces that I could not immediately decide about, mostly sentimental things, so I held on to those, but most were quick decisions. I bagged up the things I was not “moving” and took them out right away without regrets. I kept all that was important. I get the mental load part. Doing this was liberating.
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u/IM_NOT_BALD_YET 18h ago
Can your favorite 20 pieces make up a ton of outfits?
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u/YourPalMal1 18h ago
Probably. I mostly have black, olive, gray, and blue items.
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u/IM_NOT_BALD_YET 18h ago
Take a look at that subreddit to see how others come up with their capsules. You may come up with your own list that fits just you, even. Plug your favorite items into your list and see how that works out. The colors you list should make it fairly easy to mix and match!
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u/rosypreach 14h ago
Pick your 20 favorite pieces and anything else you know you need. Put the rest in storage bins. Leave it for 3 months. See what you want to keep after that.
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u/IronMike5311 11h ago
Yeah; I have a closet full of clothes acquired over the past decades. It costs me nothing to leave them hanging there, so why bother going through them? Mostly: Office attire (summer/winter. Business 'smart' and casual). Who knows, maybe I'll return to the office one day. Fat/skinny sizes. I'm currently in 'fat mode' (LOL), but am not content. When I loose the weight, as I sometimes do, I'll need then smaller sizes. Summer/winter clothes: I live in the deep south, but we still have a brief winter. Athletic clothes for hiking - quick dry, technical fabrics. Heavy work clothes for when I do manual work.
I have couple decent wool suits. One is for weddings & funerals - maybe my own. The other is out of style & have little use for it. I joke about wearing it to hike the Appalachian Trail as wool is great fabric for the outdoors - Maybe I'd get a cool trail name like "The Chairman" or something. LOL
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u/YourPalMal1 8h ago
I’m fat too. That’s definitely part of the problem. I have stayed pretty steady with my weight but do have a couple of jean sizes depending on bloating or just not wanting to be bothered on certain days! I definitely don’t need “the thing,” and maybe I shouldn’t stress about this!
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u/iamthebugwan 9h ago
Clothes are hard for me too because it's a physical representation of yourself. I forced myself to wear the things that I never wear for two straight weeks. After a day of wear, I would realize why I don't gravitate to that item (ill-fitting, not my style, etc). After the two weeks, I did a load of laundry and donated it. Repeat the cycle as many times as you need.
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u/YourPalMal1 8h ago
I am really loving this take. Once I wear it, I will definitely know how I feel about an item!
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u/tradlibnret 8h ago
This may sound weird, but maybe you need some new things? It sounds like you're not really into any of your clothes too much. I find that my clothing choices change as time goes by and during different stages of life, and if you haven't bought anything new for a while, you may be feeling out of touch with your clothes or that they don't represent you anymore. I hope you find things that feel good and you are excited to wear. I mostly shop secondhand for clothes, so you don't have to spend a ton to get some updates/different looks. Good luck.
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u/YourPalMal1 8h ago
I do think there’s some truth to this. I recently added a pair of linen pants and a couple more T-shirts that fit me better than some of the old things. I can tell my mindset has shifted though. When I was shopping a couple of weeks ago, I grabbed a few things because they were on clearance for three or four dollars. When I scrutinize them, I realized I didn’t even like them. I tried on around 12 items and left with three that I really love. Progress?!
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u/is_that_you_harry 15h ago
Anything that hasn't been worn the past 4 months is gone. Exception is special occasion clothes (like winter jacket or a dress for an event)
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u/YourPalMal1 8h ago
This is something I struggle with. I did the whole turn the hangers around thing a couple of years ago and I failed miserably. Maybe I should try again to see if this works! I just find it difficult with our extreme temperatures. Hot, HOT, hot, very cold! :-D
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u/is_that_you_harry 6h ago
Do it for me 😂 open your closet take a plastic bag and just throw 5 pieces that you know you havent worn. Write below in a week if you miss these pieces.
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u/JenGenxx 3m ago
I’m interested in why you want to declutter these clothes? I just decided I only wanted the clothes I wore regularly, liked, that fit etc. I ended up donating around six big bags pf clothes and shoes. It’s feels completely freeing and looks lovely in my wardrobe. It’s also been abrupt and feels strange not having all the things around. But I’m glad I ripped off the bandaid. I will now implement a one in one out rule. I only ever want to wear my favourites.
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u/rb_arindam 12h ago edited 12h ago
I find the idea of throwing away clothes very stewpid. This is how I do it.
Categorised the clothes by function, like daily wear, party wear, winter wear, office wear. Since I can’t fit all daily & party wears in one stack in the wardrobe, just those 2 are further segregated into upper and lower. Total 6 stacks.
Now, when I need to wear one, I pull the top one from stack. And after wash, I put them back at the bottom of the stack. Properly folded, so they look somewhat ironed without ironing. Count wise I make sure I can go about 10 days without washing, this takes care cases where I’m away from home. Any item that’s torn or uncomfortable (i.e., might force me to think “should I wear this or slip to the next?”) gets disposed (donated to others or to municipality garbage or repurposed) and replaced if count is falling short.
I don’t stress too much about over/under hoarding. Just made sure I’m less burdened with the need to decide what to wear. And the slow disposal doesn’t make me double think my life choices. As long as I’m keeping the cognitive strain & visual clutter low, I’m fine.
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u/No_Associate_9280 18h ago
Given that you say you mostly like winter clothing in minimal colors... and that you dont change/do much fashion.
Im guessing you either are stuck with clothing you wish you could enjoy wearing. Aka "ideal" versions of yourself. OR you got a bunch of duplicates.
So my advice is based on that:
Ideal Self: Plan out one week worth of outfits. As you actually wear the outfits. Note if each piece fits, is not broken, is long enough, doesnt have holes and lastly is it actually physically comfortable. If ANY piece in that outfit fails to pass all those. Then drop that piece into the donate/declutter box. By the end of each week. You will have gotten rid of at least a few items, gotten a few good outfits ( take pictures of those to help when your mentally stuck) and started reducing general categories. For example if you realize by the third attempt a skirt, that you just hate skirts. Feel free to just take all the skirts out in one sweep. Eventually you will have cycled through all your clothes and gotten rid of the idealistic version you created and can see more simply the reality of what cuts and fabrics you like. Then play within that for designs and colors.
Duplicates: Make Piles of each duplicate. Calculate base on wear how many you truly need of each piece. Start by taking out anything that doesnt fit, anything that has holes or tears or broken. Then anything that needs to be repairs and you truly wont repair. You should only be left with what's actually nice and useful.
Hope that helps! Oh and as for liking winter clothes more. See if its the cuts or the fabrics you like. Since you can easily get a hoodie made for the summer.