Kate's Closet: Ad; Three steps to a streamlined wardrobe

It's that back to school time of year when change is in the air. Perhaps it's down to memories of cleaning out your schoolbag and restocking your pencil case, but autumn always feels like a good time to have a clear out and make some changes, in fact, some experts now say that it's a better time of year to set goals than New Year. What better place to start than by tackling your wardrobe? A quick and easy win for getting more organised, it can help you to make more space, declutter for a more organised beautiful home and sort out your clothes for autumn and winter. So what's the best way to tackle the job?

Start With Streamlining

Research suggests that the average woman doesn't wear 50 per cent of the clothes they own, we've all had that feeling of 'nothing to wear' while also having our drawers and wardrobes groaning at the seams. The issue is that we hold onto things for the wrong reasons, so we end up with lots of clothes which don't fit either our body or our lifestyle. This makes it much harder to see and work with the good clothes that we have. So start by being quite ruthless and creating four piles. One is for clothes to take to the charity shop, good condition items which just don't work for you anymore but that someone else will appreciate. The second is for anything you might want to try reselling on eBay , perhaps that amazing pair of boots you had two Christmases ago that the heels are just too high for you? The third pile is for items which you still like and wear but that need a repair or an adjustment, a zip replacing, or just dry cleaning, that you haven't gotten around to. The final pile is your must keep essential items. You may rediscover some gems that have been hiding at the back of your wardrobe the whole time!

Consider Your Storage

Sometimes the storage that we have in our homes isn't fit for purpose anymore. Review the housing you have for your clothes, as that can make a big difference to decluttering. It could be that you consider rauch wardrobes or a build-in solution which can maximise awkward pockets of space and give you more custom storage, or you could consider rotating your clothes by investing in some plastic storage boxes which fit under the bed or go into your loft which you fill with anything out of season.

Try The Hanger Hack

To stop clutter creeping back in once you're fully organised, you need to make editing a constant part of your life. There are different ways to approach this. You could start a policy of 'one in, two out', where each time you want to buy something, you have to first take our two items to donate. Or you can try the hanger hack. Turn all the items in your wardrobe so their hangers are facing the wrong way. Each time you take something out and wear it and return it to the wardrobe, turn the hanger back the right way. After a few months, you'll have a very clear visual guide to what items never get worn that you should consider rehoming.

Do you need a wardrobe sort out? or do you already have a streamlined closet?