Mindful Clothing Decluttering - downsizing your wardrobe ethically

By Sarah TaitJanuary 28, 2025

My wrap-up for January - the first month of my IMPERFECT YEAR OF LESS.

Mindful Clothing Decluttering is a process to downsize your wardrobe ethically. A way to declutter your existing wardrobe into one you love and wear while moving on unnecessary items to places where they will be of use, rather than landfill.

Doing this ethically is key so read on to see how you can give your unused clothing a second life through reselling, repurposing or repairing and how best to recycle so they don't end up as landfill statistics

How to downsize your wardrobe ethically without the stress
The best platforms to resell clothing items and pop extra cash back in your pocket
Donating unused clothing so it makes its way to new homes not landfill
Repurposing or repairing damaged clothing sustainably

PLUS

I've created a handy directory for you as well with places and resources to resell, or recycle and some inspiring movies below!

It is said that most people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time.

I can completely relate to the above statement. One of my biggest areas of clutter/anxiety was clothing. I don’t have huge amounts, and I actively avoid plastic or fast fashion clothing, but I was holding on to clothing I no longer wore or loved out of guilt, creating clutter. Clutter in my physical space and my head.

My goal was to reduce my wardrobe to items that I valued, loved and would ultimately wear.

As time allowed, I tackled small areas. If I only had 10 minutes, I would do a single draw which made the larger task more attainable - small bite-sized tasks adding to the bigger collective picture.

I went through my wardrobe and either kept, passed along, donated or recycled.

To help me assess what I truly loved and valued I posed myself a question;

"Have I worn this lately and if I was leaving the country, would I take it with me?"

This may not resonate with you so here are some other questions you could ask yourself.

Does it fit me? Size naturally fluctuates with life's ebbs and flows.
Does this suit my lifestyle? You loved it in your 20’s but is it you now?
Guilt clothing. The old you may have over-purchased items but keeping them out of guilt will just keep that guilt in your closet. Finding it a new home honours the resources that went into creating it.
Am I keeping it just in case? An outfit you might be hoping to re-wear but don’t for the above factors.
When was the last time I wore this? If I hadn’t worn or couldn’t see myself wearing items in 2 years/seasons, then it was time to move them on.
Do I feel comfortable wearing this? Not sure if something suits you – get a friend to help.
You could always try the reverse hanger trick. Hang items back-to-front & if they haven’t been worn in 6-12 months it’s time to move them on.

Key areas for sorting

Keep/store

Sell/swap

Donate

Recycle

Mindfully moving items on

Keep

Only you can determine what you will keep or move on but here are some of the parameters I gave myself.

Keep good quality items
Things I love and wear often, no matter of condition
Classics and basics that can be worn in a variety of ways
Special or sentimental items

Store

Storing seasonal clothing helps ease the visual clutter load. You could place them in a tub or use a space-saving vacuum bag to protect them from moths etc. I recommend adding a moth deterrent to avoid any unwanted guests.

Swap, gift or sell

You may wonder why swap/sell is above donating to your local op shop, charity or thrift store but if your local ones are anything like mine, they are overwhelmed. We have become such mass consumers that charity stores are now inundated with clothing, namely mass-produced fast fashion. We have too much.

Consider having a clothing swap with friends or approach your local council to host/help host one. Offering items to others is a lovely way to connect with your community and see your items get the wear they deserve.

You could also offer items to friends or family members or local freebie pages.

NB - If you are local to Ku-Ring-Gai they are having a Kids clothing and Toy swap on the 15 Feb 2025.

Sell

Reselling items on second-hand platforms or locally is another great way to see them have new owners and get a little extra cash. Adding them to the second-hand marketplace also takes the focus off the fast fashion marketplace.

Depop

Facebook Market place

Local market stalls

Craigslist - US

Vinted - UK

Poshmark - UK

Reluv - AUS

Venla - AUS

Recycled Threads - AUS

Reloved Clothing Co - AUS

Good as New - AUS

Pre Loved Clothing Co - AUS

The PLC - AUS

The Closet - AUS

Ziggurat - NZ

Tatty’s Boutique - NZ

Nine Lives - NZ

The Recycle Boutique - NZ

Donate

As mentioned above donating is a little further down the list and your items should be of good wearable quality before donating. Assess the quality of the item before donating and if it’s damaged in any way it’s unlikely it will be accepted. Charities in Australia spend $13 million on waste management each year sending 60000 tonnes of waste to landfill each year.

Ensure items have been washed and are clean before donating. Clothing that has been stored for long periods especially baby clothes may have stains that appear during storage.

Op shop, charity or thrift stores
Bras – Support the Girls
Corporate clothing - Dress for Success – Professional attire for unemployed and underemployed women
Local women’s shelters

“Charities divert over 500,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill every year with their reuse and recycling programs. Australians donate over 285 million products to charities, giving them a second chance and generating over $500 mill in revenue towards social welfare programs.”

Recycle

Repurpose damaged or well-worn clothing around the home. Could they be used for cleaning rags, in the garden or the garage to mop up spills to give them another use.

Underwear - Underwear for Humanity
Clothing – see list below
Blankets and towels to local animal shelters
Create - Turn sentimental cloths into a quilt or photograph
Avoid places/retailers where donation programs lack transparency - I’m looking at you major (fast fashion) retailers.

Repair

Take the time to repair or get items repaired that may be damaged. I love the Japanese technique of Sashiko for this.

Watch my wardrobe declutter below

Moving Forward

So now that we have our wardrobe in a calmer, simplified state our objective is to keep it like that.

Being more intentional with shopping is key. Some guidelines you may want to set for yourself could be:

Think Slow Fashion and Plastic Free clothing
Buy well and make it last. Consider buying less and higher quality items that will stand the test of time.
Select natural fabrics. They are more skin-friendly and biodegradable, avoiding long stays in landfills. Linen and cotton serve as excellent substitutes for synthetic materials, which can be uncomfortable to wear and have negative impacts on health, including fertility.
Avoiding fast fashion and “trendy” items that you will tire of or won’t stand the quality test of time.

Happy decluttering & if you have any stores or platforms to add to the list below pop them in the comments below..

A sneak peek into February’s task of my IMPERFECT YEAR OF LESS will be rest!

Yes, that's right month two and I’m already resting! There is good reason for this scheduled rest and I figure we could all use more so stick around and I will aim to share throughout the month how to take time out and restore.

Yours in nourishment,

Sarah