The best way to organize clothes is to have fewer clothes.

 

Raise your hand if you have ever been overwhelmed by the amount of clothing in your house?!

 

Me! Me! Washing, folding, deciding what to wear, chasing naked toddlers who threw their clothes all over the room… it can all get a little crazy.

 

I want you to know that it can be less crazy. There doesn’t have to be piles of dirty laundry to fold, piles of dirty laundry on the floor, drawers that won’t shut, and the perfect outfit that doesn’t exist.

 

This can be achieved by owning less clothing. Let me tell you the benefits of owning fewer clothes and then I’ll tell you how to properly declutter them.

 

 

Less Laundry To Do

 

When I first heard about minimalism and decluttering your closet, I thought those who said there would be less laundry, were crazy.

 

I mean I’m still going to wear the same amount of clothes so there will still be the same amount of laundry.

 

I was wrong.

 

There is less laundry.

 

I use to have so many clothes that the dirty clothes hamper could be overflowing and my closet didn’t even look like anything was missing.

 

The pile of laundry would be stacked up against the wall and start growing taller than I am. I’m not a tall person, but still, that’s a lot of dirty laundry.

 

But now… I own less and I do less laundry.

 

I no longer have the ability to let my laundry pile that high. If I did, I would have nothing to wear because it would all be dirty.

 

So you see, owning less does make you more mindful of getting your laundry done in a reasonable time frame. There are fewer clothes to wash because it’s not possible to build a 5-foot tall dirty laundry tower anymore.

 

Plus, don’t you think that is is a little ridiculous that we own so many clothes that we wouldn’t have to do laundry for months and still have plenty of clothes??? 

 

No Wasted Time When Getting Ready

 

When your laundry hamper is really full and you look into your very full closet, do you find yourself wishing for that dirty shirt at the bottom of the hamper?

 

This was me before I decluttered and organized my closet. And this was definitely my husband.

 

He would ask if I knew where his favorite white shirt was… you guessed it… at the bottom of the hamper. He had a closet full of clothes but that shirt fit the best and he wore it the most. 

 

We don’t NEED all of the clothes in our closets. There are roughly 50 pieces of clothing that hang in my closet now and there are still a few pieces that don’t really get worn.

 

50 compared to the hundreds that I use to have. And I always have something to wear. 

 

There is no denying that you constantly reach for the same clothes. You have your favorites and you reach for those first.

 

Or have you ever done this… you come across that cute shirt in the back of the closet that you haven’t worn in ages… you tell yourself, “I should wear this.” Then you put it on, look in the mirror, and are not happy with what you see. So you take it off and change back into something you are more comfortable wearing.

 

You’ve done this too, right?! Okay, so what did you do with the shirt after you decided it wasn’t worth wearing again that day? Did you put it back in the closet or did you put it in a bag to donate?

 

I’m guessing it went back in your closet because that used to be me.

 

Declutter your clothes. Only keep what you love and what is necessary. Then you will always know what to wear and there will be no wasted time when getting dressed each morning.

 

You know exactly what is in your closet and you won’t feel overwhelmed by all of the choices. You get to wear your favorite clothes and don’t have those other shirts making you feel pressured to wear them. 

 

Drawers and Closets Are More Organized

 

When you own fewer clothes you can organize your drawers and actually see everything that you own.

 

You don’t need to buy the fancy drawer and closet organizer. Just own less.

 

Owning less is great for kids too.

 

I have a 3-year-old and she has started to be interested in picking out her own clothes. Because of the small amount of clothing that she owns it is easy for her to see all of her outfits.

 

It’s also easy to pick up if she decides to empty the entire drawer while making her outfit decision.

 

In the early seasons of her life, she owned too many clothes.

 

Because I am a laundry (almost) everyday person, there were a lot of clothes that she wouldn’t wear.

 

Or I found myself avoiding certain pieces… like for real… who put real buttons on the back of newborn’s dress?? Not wearing that again!

 

Anyways, she has so few clothes for this summer that all her outfits can be laid out in her dresser, no stacking, and all of her outfits can be seen. Two drawers and no crazy Konmari Method of folding her clothes.

 

I will add that she does have another drawer with just pajamas, that drawer is a mess because we keep it simple and just toss things in there. Plus, she has a couple of nice dresses that hang in her closet.

 

But that’s it, easy peasy. We just grab and go in the morning and despite having a small wardrobe she has more than enough to wear.

 

** Extra clothing tips for moms with little girls – buy them simple dresses that they can wear in the summer then wear with pants in the fall and winter. They will of course grow but their long t-shirt dress can now become a cute tunic. Save money and space in your home. 😉

 

Save Money

 

Owning fewer clothes will help you save money because you’ll love your organized closet so much that you won’t want to fill it up again.

 

After getting rid of all of those clothes you never wore and wasted money on, you will be very mindful of future clothing purchases.

 

Something about purging all your clothes makes you learn what your style is. What were you buying before and not even wearing?

 

For example, I learned that if I have to wear a crazy bra with it, I won’t wear it. I had some cute tank tops and dresses that I never wore because I would always say to myself, “I don’t want to wear a strapless bra.”

 

I eventually was honest with myself and got rid of them because I wasn’t wearing them.

 

Now when I’m shopping for new clothes, I ask myself, “can I wear a regular bra with this?”

 

If the answer is “no,” I don’t buy it.

 

As you declutter and reorganize your closet you will find things like this for yourself, you’ll be more mindful of your purchases, and you will end up saying “no,” more often.

 

Why You Are Holding On To Clothes Clutter

Now that you see the benefits of owning less clothing you may be feeling the itch to dive head first into your closet and throw everything out.

 

That’s great!

 

Go with that and don’t look back!

 

Except there may be some things that you find you want to hold onto even though you don’t wear them.

 

When that happens I want you to come back (so make sure you pin this for later) and read my post on Why Decluttering Is Hard and How To Overcome.

 

How To Let Go Of Clothes You Don’t Wear

 

Alright, time to hop to it. I suggest starting with your own clothes, then going through everyone’s in the household.

 

Take everything out, touch each piece, and ask yourself if you love it or if you are going to leave it. Put the “leave it” items in a bag and don’t look back.

 

You can also read my tips on Decluttering Clothing to help you through the whole process.

 

Need More Help?

 

That’s it! I hope you found what you needed here and that you find yourself doing less laundry in the coming months.

 

If your house is totally out of control, beyond the piles of clothes, you may want to stick around for a bit.

 

I have an ebook that you can grab that will walk you through the whole process of decluttering your whole house.

 

 

Or you can sign up for my free 3 Day Challenge – Declutter Your Entire Bedroom In 3 Days.

 

Both of these are very helpful tools.

 

Thanks again! Come by any time.

 

Read these for ideas on keeping homemaking simple:

Decluttering Sentimental Items – How To Let Go

A Simple Cleaning Routine To Keep Up With Housework

10 Habits Of Tidy People