How To Declutter Your Wardrobe Of Coats & Jackets Clutter
Today's mission is to declutter your wardrobe of coats and jackets that you don't need and are excess stuff, to get rid of your closet or drawer clutter.
This mission is designed to be done while we're focused on the Entryway & Mudroom Organization Challenge, because that is often where your coat closet is located, which is where often the family's coats and jackets are hung.
Of course, this mission could also apply to one of several other different weeks of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, all dealing in one degree or another with clothes, including the Organize Master Bedroom Closet Challenge, the Organize Master Bedroom Challenge, or the Outgrown & Seasonal Clothing Storage Challenge.
Instead of trying to get rid of all your clothing clutter at once, and then feeling overwhelmed, or pulling out too many clothes all at once and making a big mess, I've broken this task up for you into a series of missions, some of them focused on the type of clothing item, while others are focused on clearing out the places you store the various types of clothes, such as in drawers in your bedroom, or hanging up or on shelves in your closet for example.
As always, when decluttering any type of clothing, make sure to use these 9 questions to help you with the process, so you can feel good about the choices you make.
What Types Of Clothing Items This Mission Encompasses
During this Declutter 365 mission I want you to evaluate whether to keep or get rid of the following types of clothing items in your coat closet, bedroom closet, or dresser drawers that are considered coats. This list can include:
- Heavy winter coats and overcoats
- Lighter coats and jackets
- Leather jackets and coats
- Fleece
- Jean jackets
- Windbreaker
- Poncho
- Raincoats and slickers
Please note that other cooler weather clothes, that you'd wear inside, are part of a different mission about decluttering sweaters and sweatshirts.
In addition, we have another decluttering mission for gloves, scarves and hats that you may often wear with your coat, when outdoors.
How Many Coats & Jackets Do You Need?
Today's the day that you ask yourself how many coats and jackets you need (and have room for in your closet or drawers), and then keep decluttering until you reach that number.
Since everyone has their own lifestyle, fashion and style sense, and a different amount of space in their closet and drawers to store this type of clothing it's difficult to say with certainty what that number of how many you need is, for you.
Therefore, I find it easier to talk about minimums, and then additional factors to consider to decide if you need or want any number above that minimum.
At a minimum you need enough coats and jackets to keep you warm in the climate you live in, and to be able to have clean items until the next time you do laundry, during the cool weather months.
As discussed in more length in my article about how often to wash various types of laundry, assuming you've just worn the clothes as expected, and not fallen in a mud puddle or otherwise made big mess, you can wash coats and jackets every month to two months of wear (with kids always lean to more frequently since they tend to be messier).
That means you don't need to wash (or dry clean) coats and jackets too frequently, which means on a practical and totally utilitarian level we don't need many coats of jackets, and typically most people on have one heavy winter coat, for example.
However, most people use other considerations to decide they'd like a few more lighter jackets that aren't utilitarian, but based on other wants and preferences. Here are some things to decide for yourself, when determining how many coats or lighter jackets you'll want to keep.
- Consider what weight of jackets or coats you need for various activities, such as going out with friends, hiking outdoors, going to work during the deep winter, etc.;
- Consider what types of coats or jackets are appropriate for each season; and
- Consider fashion and colors, to decide what variety of styles, colors, and fits you need for a wardrobe that fits your fashion and style choices
Keep decluttering to get rid of excess items that you haven't worn in the past year, don't fit your body, you don't like, aren't in fashion, have too many stains or tears to be salvageable, or otherwise will not fit into the space you've got designated for them.
Are You Ready To Declutter Your Home?
I hope these instructions have inspired you to get rid of your jacket and coat clutter, so your wardrobe and closet contain only the items that you love, and look and feel good on you.
When you begin to declutter the feeling you get is contagious, so if you're loving the results you're getting I would encourage you to keep going.
I've got a whole series of 15 minute decluttering missions (eventually 365 of them!) that you can do.
Just pick and choose the ones you want to do, that will make a big impact in your home. But if you want someone else to tell you the order you can also grab the 15 minute daily decluttering mission calendars and follow along as we all get our homes clutter free together!
In addition, here's a round up of all the Declutter 365 missions on the site for decluttering clothes of all kinds.
Top photo courtesy of Hywell Martinez, and second photo in collage courtesy of Collin Anderson
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