a graphic of a tidy and neat wardrobe which has been organised by a professional
Episode 25 – Organise your wardrobe like a pro

Organise your wardrobe like a pro! In this podcast, Lesley and Ingrid talk about how you can beautifully organise your wardrobe. In previous podcasts we have spoken about the psychology behind clothes and what you need to know to declutter your wardrobe. Today's episode is all about the final step and that is how you now beautifully organise your wardrobe.
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Transcript of this podcast episode
Intro  0:07  
Welcome to today's episode of The declutter hub podcast, your channel for super easy, no nonsense advice on how to declutter and organise your home. Please welcome your host professional organisers, Ingrid Jansen, and Lesley Spellman.

Ingrid  0:28  
Hello, and welcome listeners to Episode 25 of the Declutter Hub Podcast. I'm Ingrid. And I'm Lesley. If you have clutter and want to sort it out, this is the show for you. In today's episode, Lesley and I are talking about how you can beautifully organise your wardrobe. In previous podcasts, we've spoken about the psychology behind clothes, and what you need to know how to declutter your wardrobe. And today's episode is all about the final steps. And that is how you can now beautifully organise your wardrobe. So this is like the the nice fancy part. Isn't it really,

Lesley  1:05  
Leslie? Yeah, it definitely is. I mean, let's face it, there are beautiful aspirational wardrobes out there that we can look at and wish that we had. But a lot of us just don't have a Kim Kardashian style wardrobe space, sadly. So we have to make sure we work with the space that we've got.

Ingrid  1:24  
Yes, our aim. And I think that's really important to point out to our listeners, our aim is not to have a Pinterest worthy wardrobe that can be put in a magazine. We want it to look nice, we want it to look good, it needs to be organised. And we're going to talk today all about the steps and things you need to think about when you're organised. But this is not about perfection. This is being able to find your clothes where you need them and being happy with what's in your wardrobe and you can find it so let's talk through it then

Lesley  1:54  
talking about that kind of Pinterest Instagram worthy wardrobe, I think there is one thing that can really really help achieve something like that. Let's face it, if we could get an Instagram worthy wardrobe at the end of this podcast that would be desirable too. But is the hangers that you use and we really advocate swapping hangers over to the thin velvet ones. For most of our clothes, obviously we're going to talk a lot about different types of hangers. But one of the things that you can do is to make u hangers look uniform and all have the same because let's face it, most of us got our mishmash of metal hangers from the dry cleaners hangers from the 60s from our grandma padded ones wooden ones of all different shapes and sizes ones that we ran out and got from Tesco for two pound 50 songs from the pound shop kids hangers hanging with the we have a mishmash of hangers in our wardrobe.

Ingrid  2:50  
And the hangers from the shops itself as well. You get all your plastic and they say Oh, you want a hanger and you're like Yeah, yeah, I now say no, thank you. Yeah, so that's step one. You know, don't take the hangers from the shops. But of course I find wardrobes full of hangers with from different shops and that makes it looks really messy.

Lesley  3:10  
And this is and to be fair to do a hand hanger swapper is not a cheap exercise, you know to buy enough hangers, you know, I would suggest doing it in stages. So to swap hangers over to velvet hangers, do it one wardrobe or one person at a time because actually, the amount of clothes that you have in your wardrobe can really mount up. So you might be having to buy 250 hangers, you'd be surprised how many clothes there are in your in your wardrobe. I mean, I hope everyone knows what we're talking about. You know, you can get black, you can get pink, you can get bearish, but the kind of velvet and the very streamline. So as well as looking beautiful. They also are massive on Space Storage. And that's the that's the key really, there are so many people out there that are trying to kind of make it work with sort of bent wooden hangers that probably take out you know, they probably take up three times as much space as the velvet ones that were advocating. I mean, I think we'll put some links. I mean, I get mine from Costco, we've got some you can get them from bnm you can get them from Dunelm, home sands, places like that, or you can get them off Amazon, you know, so there really are readily available. Some of them are not amazing. Some of them snap quite easily as well. So you have to be careful with the ones that you get. But if you want your wardrobe to start looking more uniform and tidy and you've got a little bit of money to invest in it, I would absolutely recommend the velvet hangers.

Ingrid  4:28  
Yes and they're good for a lot of clothing items as well. You know they they work well for T shirts they work well for nice stops they work well for trousers, they there's lots of things that you can actually use them for.

Lesley  4:43  
Yeah, because then the beauty of them being Velvet is that they're non slip as well. So your clothes don't slip off them which is great, isn't it for all of those things. I mean, you know, ultimately we can't use those velvet hangers for everything on our wardrobe. There are certain things that we need other types of hangers. For a skirt you're gonna need hangers with clips on for the most part, even the velvet hangers even if you've got those little skirt, I don't even know what the call but there's little kind of things little spaces for you to put you know, the little dents in the top little dents. Yeah, it must have a name have you know the name of them please let us know because there's little dents in the hangers. Sometimes I got but I don't find that the skirts go flat, they tend to bend and fold a little bit if you put them on there. So you're better off with skirts using clip hangers if you can. And I tend to use the wooden clip hangers because again, they're all the same and they look quite nice because those clip hangers are definitely the kind of ones that you end up picking up from shops aren't there because a lot of people have not got enough wooden hangers are are fantastic if you've got the space, and they're brilliant for jackets and coats and things like that, you know, heavier things. We're going to talk a little bit more about woollens as well. But I would certain woollens, I might put on a wooden hanger as well. And then obviously, if you've got the really delicate stuff, then the padded hangers are great, they kind of sat in ones. So that's where that's where if you've got a silk blouse or something like that, those padded hangers really work well for those kinds of things. So you might need different types of hangers in your wardrobe. But for the most part, you can swap over to those velvet ones. Which do that yeah, I

Ingrid  6:21  
agree with you about also about the wooden hangers because I think they're really good if you've got a lot of suits. So you got trousers and so especially for male suits, if they have to work a suit at work if you want to a combination of a trouser and a jacket. That's where I think of wooden hangers really good as well. And also for heavier jackets and coats. You want to have a wooden hanger instead of a velvet one because the velvet ones are then just too thin for them.

Lesley  6:49  
Yeah, absolutely. I cannot talk about something that I absolutely hate. Yes, of course. Well, I hate metal hangers for a start. So the ones that I think dry cleaners now to be fair have mainly swapped over to plastic, haven't they? Hangers? Which are better? Or are you still seeing a lot of metal around?

Ingrid  7:08  
Yeah, yeah, I still seeing I don't dry clean very much at all, but it's still metal here. But what I also always recommend is to see is to contact your dry cleaner and see if they want them back. So so if we decline if we declutter the hangers, keep the metal ones apart. And then when you drop in new clothes to dry clean, also bring the hangers back.

Lesley  7:31  
Right? Okay, fair enough. No, that's a really good point. So I don't like metal hangers, or something else that I don't like as well, which is those are sort of multi hanging type things. So as soon as I see one of those in a wardrobe, it's kind of like my hackles rise up and I'm like, they just come a complete waste of time and energy because they don't save you any space whatsoever. You can't see the clothes on them at all. You just get this huge kind of triangle of trouser at the bottom of them. So do you understand what I'm talking about when you're with me? Because I'm sure you've thrown loads of these away. But I'm like, you know, but they sound like a great idea. Don't if you're short on space, but they're absolutely not. They're just they're just serve for me. Yeah, no function whatsoever in a wardrobe

Ingrid  8:15  
I complete because there's one there's normally like four bars and that exact hang for trousers and I'm like, how do you gonna get them the second or third one out that you want to have? You're gonna have to kind of put his flat wiggle it out everything is going to be either like this should absolutely not be so that.

Lesley  8:33  
You know, maybe some people maybe you know, someone who's listening might love them and might see a purpose for them that we're not seeing you not mean. But for me, I would always go for a single hanger. And always put only put one thing on one hanger. There's also people who put a skirt underneath a shirt. And it's, you know, it's really about accessibility as well. And you have to be able to see what's in your wardrobe, don't you? And if you've got a skirt kind of hiding underneath a blouse or a jumper, you're never ever going to be able to see it. Yeah, that's why, you know, but that's when people have probably run short on hangers at some point. But one thing is guaranteed even if you're not doing the swap over to the new hangers. If you declutter that's going to free up lots and lots of hangers, and then you'll be fine with that.

Ingrid  9:14  
Yeah, the only time I actually have something under this when it's a shoot when it's something that only time or if it's a skirt with a jacket or trousers with a jacket, then I put it together. But otherwise, I completely agree with you. It has to be on separate hangers, because that will also help you with your categorization. And that's I think good, very good intro into our next topic. It will help you with your categorization of your clothes. So let's move on from hangers. I think have we discussed everything we want with hangers.

Lesley  9:46  
I mean, you say that but there is a couple not that I'm really obsessed with hangers but there are a couple more things that I'd like to say first, all right, by all we do it should we just call this the hanger podcast. We've got to go on something else but Anyway, for now. So there's a couple other things I wanted to mention. Yeah, try if you can not not to put adult clothes on kids, kids hangers. And I know that's often because you've run out of hangers when you're doing your ironing or something, but so often because it ruins your clothes. And equally don't put it you know, if you're a size 10, don't put things on those huge hangers that have, you know, bigger sizes, you know, you can kind of get as close get bigger, the hanger sizes get bigger, so make sure so it's surprising where hangers suddenly find a way into your home and you've got all this mishmash of hangers. And the other thing I wanted to say about hangers is definitely a hanger podcast. How do we get rid of them? When we decide that we're going to swap things over? Or they're not fit for purpose anymore? Where do we send them? Well, we feel like it's a massive waste, don't we?

Ingrid  10:48  
Yes, yes, either. I so I think there's there's two things that are important. I'm glad we're actually talking about hangers, Lesley still. First of all, I think like I said before, don't accept the hangers in the shops. So when you go out shopping, unless it's a really nice wooden hanger that no that you know will fit within your wardrobe. Bla bla bla, then by all means take it. But if the same as the if they're the same plastic hangers from the different shops that it can be a Marks and Spencer next or whatever, it doesn't matter. Leave them there, leave them in the shops, don't even take them home if you are going to shop to a same streamlined look and hangers. So that's phase one. Also, if you're now decluttering, and you need to make sure that your hangers go to the right place, metal ones can often come back to the dry cleaner. So that's a good way. charity shops unfortunately, do not want your plastic hangers or whatever hangers, they don't want them at all. So maybe you can use freecycle or free gold or do a shout out on your friends on Facebook or something. If you feel horrible about throwing them away, because actually there's no really other any other place than the tip or the bin

Lesley  12:03  
is, is really it was really harsh, isn't it? It's something that because I tend to to get rid of a lot of hangers at the end of a declutter because we've swapped things over or things like that. So yeah, freecycle is a really good idea because there will be people that are setting up home that do need loads of hangers and things like that. And so you know, when you put something on Freecycle off rego which is the just in case anybody doesn't know it's the site where you can give things away basically to your people in your local vicinity. Things tend to go within five minutes and so you know, use use that option. And the metal hangers, of course can go in the scrap metal recycling as well at the tip. If your local dry cleaners won't take them. Yeah, have we talked enough about hangers?

Ingrid  12:44  
I know Can we please move on to categories because that is something that I love is categorising things.

Lesley  12:51  
Okay, categorization then.

Ingrid  12:53  
Yeah. So I don't know about how about you, but I have kind of chutes, and then trousers, and then and skirts, and then tops. And then I've got my long dresses in a separate wardrobe, because I could long hanging a little bit of long hanging where my long dresses are. So that's kind of how I do it. Yeah,

Lesley  13:17  
I mean, I've got so there's various you know, it's important to talk about the different sections that you've got within wardrobe. And I don't know what the actual terminology but I would call mine long hanging. So long hanging for me is something that would take a maxi dress. Yeah, yeah. And you've got three quarter hanging, which is something that would take a knee length dress or a coat. Yeah, yeah. And then you've got half hanging, which is going to be trousers, skirts, tops, everything like that. So where your wardrobe kind of splits into, not all of us, I've got all of those, the possibility of all those, so we definitely have to work with the space that we've got. I mean, I've got quite, I've got a decent sized wardrobe for sure. And so I've got kind of four sections within my wardrobe. I hang. I hang everything, by the way, because I love my hangers, but I do hang everything because I've got space to do so and I find that it's much easier for me not everything but most things. So I probably hang more than your average person because I find that that's a really simple system for me to work with trousers and skirts go together. Jackets, fleeces, running tarps, that kind of thing kind of outerwear, jacket type things go together, tops, T shirts and jumpers go together. Obviously I would fold heavier woollens that are going to get, you know, kind of those weird hanger marks in the shoulders. But if it's a lightweight, woollen, then I would hang it as well because I love hanging and then dresses and coats going my three quarter hanging, I've not got any long hanging at all. So for maxi dresses, I have to fold mine over the bar, if that makes sense. I can't that's how I have not got any long hang. And so that's that's what my wardrobe looks like. And everyone's wardrobe will look different depending on what their lifestyle is. I mean, I don't have any real formal work because I don't have a corporate job. I'm in my jeans when I'm working with someone. So my kind of I do have a different work wardrobe and different things that I wear. But for the most part, everything can be, you know, for any purpose. And so I haven't got a clear delineation between work and casual wear.

Ingrid  15:16  
Yeah, I actually do. So I have longer wearing long hanging, because I have got some long summer dresses, and I've got some formal wear. So I've got a small area where I kind of hang my longer things. And then I actually fold my trousers over the bar as well, because I don't have three quarters hanging in. I don't put them on the clips, I fold them over the bars, and then they're the same length as my shirts. But it depends listeners on what kind of wardrobe you have and what kind of space you have. Have you got a lot of hanging space like Lesley, or not a lot like me and you actually have to fold more. So you have to also work with what kind of space you have. And I think that's very important. And I want to point out one thing because Lesley something really important. She actually hangs some of her light woollens? I don't I don't have any of my woollens if even if it's thinner, if it's thicker knitwear, I fold everything. And that's okay. You know, that's, but I think we both are agreed that if it's a heavier woollen top, definitely don't hang it. Because you will get those marks in the shoulders and your fabric will stretch. And I think that's really bad for for the quality of the of the clothes. So make a difference between the different kinds of villains and then decide if you have space to hanger, or if you need to fold it because you've got some shelving.

Lesley  16:40  
Yeah, one thing that I'd like to talk about, actually, in terms of sections in your wardrobe, and one of my favourite jobs to do is if, if I'm lucky enough to work with a client who's building a wardrobe from scratch, and we can go to our care, or we can get involved in the design, if it's from shots, bedrooms, or whatever. And so it's really working out exactly if if you are able to create a wardrobe from scratch, do your decluttering first and know exactly what you need, how much to the quarter hanging. So I really micro kind of measure out how many three quarter hanging the need, how much long hanging the need, how much half hanging and things like that. So if you've got the opportunity to do that, in the same way, if you were creating a kitchen from scratch and designing it, don't go with what the kitchen or wardrobe designer suggests, because what they'll suggest is things that are expensive, and your wardrobe, more expensive things. And actually, for the most part, what you need is basic shells, basic hanging space, and basic drawers. And not anything too fancy. So it's bit one of my little bugbears really this always fancy gear and kind of wardrobe and stuff. And actually, we need to keep it really simple. So So yeah, so you've got you need to declutter and know what you've got before you make that assessment. So if you are about to embark on a kind of IKEA trip to buy wardrobes, go with the right information in mind, you know, knowing exactly what categories of clothes and how many that you've got. Sorry, I just wanted to say that yeah, no,

Ingrid  18:01  
I think that's really good. And I also think what we, I think we also should talk about in this episode is about when to wear and somewhere and have you got different wardrobes for that or is everything because for example, here in the UK, we've got kind of the same kind of climate year round. So there's a lot of clothes that people wear your ribbons,

Lesley  18:25  
you mean a rubbish climate? We're not like,

Ingrid  18:29  
I mean, I know. I

Unknown Speaker  18:30  
know what the thing is the same climate. Oh, yeah.

Ingrid  18:36  
Listen, listen, if it's minus two people think we are in the Arctic winter here, which of course is not not that's a bit crusty. Right. So but what I'm trying to say is

Lesley  18:46  
you are wearing something different in January and August, we do have that.

Ingrid  18:52  
Yes, yes, I know that's true. But there's a lot of clothes that we wear year round, because of course, there might be a taupe that in the Ottoman of the spring you wear with a cardigan. And other times you can wear without a cardigan, perhaps I'm not completely you know, but so there's things you wear all the time. So you want to have that in your main wardrobe. So I've got closed and I in stay in the same place. And then I either have my summer section that comes in in the summer with my short sleeved and my my shorts and my summer jackets. And then when the time it's comes autumn, that goes into my other bedroom where I've got a wardrobe as well. And then the winter stuff comes out with the more long sleeve tops. And so I need to shop it around because my wardrobe isn't big enough to hold everything.

Lesley  19:38  
And it might not and that's hopping around might not even be into another wardrobe it might be into into boxes, it might be in the bed, it could be anything. So if you need to rotate your clothes because you really are short on space, then you need to sort of factor that in as well. I mean, quite often it's in the UK it's not really summer and winter but it's kind of more like holiday like really hot when you go out of the UK kind of where isn't it? I swear, sure it's incoming sort of tops and things come in and then might, there might be a chance that you might be able to wear those in the UK. But yeah, I think our April's can be the same as our October's, is what you're saying, aren't they really, kind of we were different than the same things quite regularly.

Ingrid  20:16  
So, so basically, my point is listeners, think about what kind of wardrobe you want to have. If you have a full time job and five days a week, you wear workwear, that's what you want to have in the wardrobe that you access every day, because that's your, all the time wearing clothes. And you want to have maybe some of your gym wear then in another wardrobe, or stuff that you wear over the weekend. So it's not as easy as oh, let's just throw in a couple of clothes on nice hangers. And we're there you need to think about how do I live my life? What do I do all the time? But how can I make it easy for myself? To have it organised in a way that makes sense to you?

Lesley  21:03  
Absolutely. And I think, you know, we talk about these three things all the time, when we're talking about decluttering, anywhere in the home, really, number one accessibility is really so that's what you've just spoken about, which is, you know, things you need the things closest to you that you're using all the time. Secondly, is logic. So what what is logical for you, and that might be very different depending on who you are, and depending on your individual lifestyle. And then thirdly, it's compromised. And so if you've not got the desired perfect space that you want the compromises, putting things under bears, putting things into different rooms, and things like that. So always focus on accessibility, logic and compromise. Yeah,

Ingrid  21:40  
yeah. Beautifully rounded off this episode, Lesley about organising wardrobes. So listeners, what can you do to organise your wardrobe a bit more efficiently for you? Is it maybe that you do have to buy some new hangers and swap them over? Or maybe think about what clothes to wear in your home? So have a think about it and show us those before and after pictures on our Facebook group community, we'd love to see them. And we're excited that you'll be listening today. Unless, Lisa, anything else you need to say before we're going to close these episodes. Just one

Lesley  22:14  
thing, one final little nugget of information. Yeah, don't micro organise. So don't organise beyond organisation and create a system that you can't manage to be realistic about what you can do and what you can manage. That's, you know, the exact case in point for me, is, you know, despite what you might think of me as a professional logger, I am not a perfectionist. I'm all about getting things away, and easy to access and so on. Which is why I hang everything. So don't want macro organised, create a system that works well and is easy for you.

Ingrid  22:46  
Well, that sets listeners. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen today. And if you'd like to get more tips and advice, please follow us on social media. We are on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and have as we said before a lovely Facebook group community where we chat about all things decluttering and organising. We'd love to see you there. And if you don't want to miss the next weekly episode, subscribe to the declutter hub podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher and it will pop into your notifications each Friday. See you next time.

Outro  23:22  
Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Declutter Hub podcast. Check out declutterhub.com For more inspiration, and don't forget to tune in next week.
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