As I’ve been detailing how to declutter different overstuffed areas in our homes, I’ve been uncovering things that you CAN and NEED to let go of but just can’t seem to. My purpose has always been both decluttering and, just as importantly, gathering memories and stories.

Now it’s time to tackle the no man’s land of decluttering – your clothes and accessories like scarves, purses, and hats.

Here’s my personal pre-decluttering confessional to kick things off!

In my bedroom closet you will find:

• 4 different sizes of clothes. Probably only a couple of the sizes fit me at my current weight, but yet – what I reach my goal weight and don’t have anything to wear?
• My “going away” outfit from my 1980 wedding (if you know, you know). I haven’t been married for over 20 years! 
• At least 5 purses I will never use again. One is a Dooney & Burke knock off!
• A sweater that belonged to my dad and a leather coat that belonged to my mom.
• A tiny, pink outfit that I bought for a friend’s new baby girl who is now 12 years old. Seriously.

Unless you are a successful minimalist or managing a capsule wardrobe, then I bet you could make your own list like mine very quickly.

And, just like me, some of the things you list can be tossed or donated – but they carry some significant memories.

Here’s the real question that covers all of it. 

How can you declutter your clothing and accessories without accidentally losing the memories and reasons why you kept them for so long in the first place?

Here’s how!

GETTING STARTED – DIVIDE AND CONQUER

If you have read my first four articles on decluttering – books/bookshelves + paper memorabilia + kitchen stuff + household linens – then you already know you’ll need to consider dividing the things you find when decluttering your linens into 4 easy-to-define starting categories. 

I suggest that you’ll want to consider dividing your household linens into these 4 categories:

1. Those things you wear regularly and that make you feel good when you do – they might just be a comfortable fit or they make you feel amazing inside and out when you wear them. Keep those in the closet.
2. Those things you aren’t really wearing often, but you treasure because of their history and want to hang on to, possibly for future generations.
3. Those things that you no longer wear regularly or don’t fit well, but someone else would enjoy and that can be given away or sold.
4. Those things that you no longer wear regularly and are quite dated in their style and/or are in such bad shape that they would not be of any value to someone else.

I’ve created a simple flow chart app that you can use over and over again to help you go through the Divide and Conquer process of making decisions about what to do with your household stuff when decluttering. It’s free to use! Just fill out the form below to get access.

And now, as I like to say whenever talking about starting the process of decluttering – It’s time to make a mess!

But first, some guidelines. Depending on whether you are going to work through this process quickly (over a few days) or need to spread it out longer – choose a good place to sort as you pull stuff from your closet.

You’ll also need a place to store the objects that you will be letting go of until you’ve preserved some of their memories. More on that later on!

Depending on how much stuff you have, find some boxes, baskets or bags and start the sorting process. I’ve elaborated on each of the 4 categories, so keep reading. 

CATEGORY ONE – THE STUFF YOU WEAR & USE

Open up your closet, take a hard look at what you’re finding, and ask yourself – “What in this closet am I really wearing on a regular basis?”

Also take a look at all of the accessories you’ve piled into the closet – the purses and bags, belts, hats, scarves, etc. Decide which of those are really serving you well on a regular basis. 

When you’ve identified those pieces of clothing and accessories – then leave them right where they are for now. This isn’t the time for reorganizing. That can come later after you’ve decluttered.

With the essentials of your wardrobe and accessories secured, now it’s time to declutter and sort the non-essential stuff.

CATEGORY TWO – THE STUFF YOU TREASURE

The Stuff You Treasure category of clothing and accessories will be those things that you: 

1. Maybe aren’t really wearing often, but you treasure because of their history and want to keep, and
2. Will be left in your home after you’ve died for your family to either keep or give away, but with them still knowing why they were precious to you.

But what if there is an article of clothing or accessory in your home that you really treasure but you don’t have the space or desire to keep it stored away?

The answer is simple. Photograph it. Write down your memories. Let it go.

Move on to Category Three where you’ll learn how to preserve memories for yourself and your family. ⬇️ 

CATEGORY THREE – STUFF TO GIVE AWAY OR SELL AFTER YOU’VE CURATED MEMORIES

Here’s an option that wasn’t easily available until around 10 years ago when those smartphones we always have with us started having really good quality cameras in them. Around 2016, smartphone models like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 introduced dual-pixel autofocus and superior optical image stabilization, making them suitable for most lighting conditions.

And that lighting improvement is VERY important in the case of photographing objects that carry our previous memories.

So, here’s a plan. Just take a lovely photo. Write down your memories so that you and your family will have them secured. And then let the dress, sweater or hat go.

And actually, even with those precious articles of clothing like my dad’s sweater that you may want to keep for future generations, this is my recommendation. We aren’t guaranteed that objects in our homes will stay safe or that we will mentally hang onto the memories connected to them. So go ahead, take a digital photo and keep your written memories in a safe, digital place for lasting storage.

Here’s how.

GET A GOOD PHOTO

I’ve got an ebook coming out very soon that will give you more help with taking good photos of your objects, but for now you can get good results with your smartphone’s camera and a sunny spot. Here are some other ideas.

With smaller pieces of linens like a sweater, hat or purse, I would recommend finding a solid background that will give your clothing or accessory the best chance to be photographed nicely. A piece of whiteboard from your craft or office supply store will work great for this unless your clothing or accessory are very light in color. Then find a tabletop or some other solid background near a window for contrast.

Position your object on white board or tabletop lit by the sun. Then use your digital camera or smartphone camera to take a photo.

But what if you want to photograph a short dress or a full length prom dress or long coat?

To get a full, flat view of the dress or coat, find a sunny room or assemble some lamps without shades around the room and use an overhead light, too, if you have one, to pump up the light. Bring in your stepladder from the garage and then lay out your dress or coat carefully on the floor for the photo. 

If climbing up on a stepladder to take this photo feels like too much work (and I agree that it might), I think it would be wonderful to photograph these articles of clothing with them hung on a hanger against a plain wall or from the wood trim around a door. If it’s not too destructive, consider adding a nail to your wall strong enough to hold the weight of what you want to photograph. Don’t forget to take advantage of sunlight!

I would also recommend that you take some close up shots of a portion of your articles of clothing or accessories. Do you love the buttons on that cardigan? Take some close up photos of one of them.

Write those memories. After you take some photos and before you forget about it, open up a Google or Word doc and write a few words about your photographed articles of clothing or accessories and why you loved them. That photo and your written memories can be added to your Family Story Collection for your enjoyment and for your family when you are no longer around.

If you also want to display the photo of this memorabilia, take extra care with the lighting for your photo so that you can get the best possible result. Putting this photo in a frame will give you the chance to relive the memories connected to this memorabilia every time you walk past it on your wall or desk.

NEXT STEPS

If you no longer want to keep this piece of your life in your home, now it’s time to share your object with someone else.

Give to a family member – Once you’ve captured and curated the memories and you’re ready to let go, make sure and check with immediate and extended family members who also might have connections to the object.

For example, I would never get rid of something that belonged to my mom or dad without checking first with the rest of my family who loved them, too.

Sell

• Ebay – If you have clothing or accessories that are in good condition or are vintage, you might be able to find a buyer on eBay. If you’re curious, please take the time to do a quick internet search for value. One tip is to go to eBay and search for an item using the “Sold Items” filter. This will give you a good idea of current market value. 
• Facebook Marketplace – This is always a great place to give away or sell things that you no longer need.

Donating to Thrift Stores – If you want to donate your clothes and accessories in good condition to a thrift store, be sure and check out their list of accepted donations before you load up your car and make the trip to the donation center. And for heaven’s sake, please wash the clothes first and clean up your accessories. Here’s a link to Goodwill but of course there are so many more thrift stores that you could check out. 

CATEGORY FOUR – THROW AWAY 

Even with your best efforts to give away and donate the clothes and accessories you don’t want any longer, you’re still going to need to put some in the trash. Enjoy the satisfaction of a cleaner closet!

Now it’s time to open up your clothes closet and consider the sorting categories.

• What do you wear or use regularly that makes you feel good when you do? Keep those in the closet.
• What are you not really wearing or using very often, but you treasure because of their history and want to keep, possibly for future generations? Photograph, write some notes about it and then place carefully in storage.
• What are you no longer wearing regularly or doesn’t fit well, but someone else would enjoy? Give away or sell.
• What things are you no longer wearing regularly and are quite dated in their style and/or are in such bad shape that they would not be of any value to someone else? Trash without guilt.

As always, my advice is to take your time and make this process as joyful if possible. Congrats on taking the steps now to downsize a bit and be more intentional about what you are keeping in your home.

Can I ask a favor? If you take a great photo of something special or end up framing some memorabilia that is connected to a milestone, I would love to see it and hear the backstory!

You can either DM me on my social feeds or, if you want, tag me so that everyone else could see it and be inspired.

Here are the accounts you can tag me in – 

Instagram @roseandbirdstudio  

Threads @roseandbirdstudio

Facebook @roseandbirdstudio