Around last quarter of 2017, I started reading about de-cluttering, organizing, minimalism and capsule wardrobes. I am consistently looking for ideas that can improve my life, so when I’ve read about how to do a total wardrobe clean up, I decided to try it.

Here is the link to the closet clean up article by one of the most popular minimalist Courtney Carver : https://bemorewithless.com/goodcloset/
The article is quite comprehensive and very helpful especially to those who are doing the closet purge for the first time.

Just as a background, I grew up in a simple family in a small town. Life was simple, and the only times we bought new clothes were during special occasions. When I moved to the big city to study for the University, I got a scholarship. Finally, I have my own money. I was able to buy new (affordable) clothes whenever I receive my monthly stipend. I remember the feeling of having and wearing the latest style. It was amazing. Though I usually buy the cheap ones mainly because of the budget, I still feel that “I belong”. I belong with the city, I belong with that prestigious university, I belong with that class.

Fast forward to when I got my first job, I started buying more clothes. The thought of being a “professional”,  I need to look professional became my mantra. My first job was on a roster basis, meaning I work straight for 6 weeks in the mountains, then I go to the city on break for 2 weeks. Imagine how deprived of the “city life” I was whenever I go on breaks. I made sure I went for shopping every break. My closet became crowded, I bought some new “storage” boxes.

Once or twice a year, I give away some of my clothes to my younger cousins. Thinking about how I feel when I was studying and I can only buy cheap clothes, I have no problem giving them away. My cousins were so happy. But still I accumulated a lot of clothes. The funny thing is, I rarely use some of them because of the nature of my job. I am a geologist and while on the job, I only use the same set of clothes that serves like a uniform. When I’m on break, I also tend to use my “favorites” so a lot of them where only used once or twice.

I realized I needed to sort all my clothes for good and give some of them away to people who can use them more.

I started with my clothes here in Laos. I read Marie Kondo’s article and her book “The life changing magic of Tidying up”. I gathered all clothes I have. Oh man, this is how it looked like.

I didn’t know I have this much clothes!

I started sorting them into 4 categories: keep, think, donate, throw.

Then this time, I followed the advice to think about which ones I like to keep instead of which are the ones I want to “let go”.

If you haven’t read about Konmari Method, the main question when you are choosing the things to keep is “Does this spark joy?” So I did just that.

I immediately put away the “Throw and Donate” piles in 2 big bags and remove them from my site. Make sure you follow this step so you don’t end up getting back things from those piles.

Then proceeded to sort the “Keep” and “Think” piles. In these groups, I only used the following categories:

1.      I feel great when I’m wearing them, not just good, great.

2.      The clothes should fit me comfortably

3.      The clothes should spark joy

4.      I can see myself wearing them in the near future.

All the other clothes that didn’t fit in these categories, I put away in the “donate” bag.

We did the same procedure when we got back to Manila during Christmas break. Me and my husband did a closet clean up and I think we did a pretty good job! I also followed Marie Kondo’s recommended way of folding clothes which I really love. Her technique made our clothes easier to sort and store.

 

After doing all the steps, only a quarter of my clothes remained. It’s still plenty but I feel really great after the closet purge. I also feel happier now every time I open my closet, coz it only contains the clothes that I really love.

It was liberating! My closet is now tidy and has more space for breathing. My donated clothes are now with their new owners where they will be used and loved more. It also sparks joy every time I see some of them being worn by my loved ones, instead of being kept at the bottom of my drawers.

Here are some before and after photos of our cabinets.

So what are you waiting for? If your closet is full but you always feel that you have nothing to wear, it is the sign that you have to do a closet clean up. Believe me, keeping just the things that you use and letting go of the things that you don’t will have a positive effect on you. Not only on your clothes but on your whole well-being.

Leave a comment or send me a DM if you’re planning to do a closet purge or if you have questions. I will try to answer them with the best of my knowledge.