Pre Wardrobe Cleanse Process
So you want to clean out your wardrobe?
It's spring, we are in a season of renewal and fresh starts. It's only natural to want to clear out anything that feels stagnant or like it is no longer serving you in your wardrobe.
Before you hop in and start removing all of your clothes from their hangers and into one great big overwhelming pile on your bed, try doing a pre-wardrobe cleanse. That way, when you do physically clean out your closet you'll feel completely satisfied.
What is a pre-wardrobe cleanse?
It is a simple practise you can do before your wardrobe cleanse to ensure that you successfully and truly have cleaned out your closet so that there is space for the woman you want to become and only clothes that you feel great wearing remaining.
Why is it so important to take the time to do this?
This simple practise will make cleaning out your wardrobe 100x easier. Which means less frustration, and exhaustion for you.
It will also have you feeling complete satisfaction when you do your wardrobe cleanse, and none of the worry or confusion that comes up around whether or not to keep something.
The other reason this is so important is because it helps you to get in touch with what you truly desire your wardrobe to be. It's an easy and quick way to re-align with what is important to you. Without getting rid of half your wardrobe beforehand.
Here is your pre-wardrobe cleanse guide:
1. Schedule a time to do the pre-wardrobe cleanse.
We are all very busy, and it's not always easy to make time for the things we want to do. However if you have time to clean out your wardrobe, you have time to do this. The first step is simply scheduling a half an hour in your calendar so you have a reminder that is essentially an appointment with yourself. I like to think of the things in my calendar as appointments, even if they are things I am doing alone because I would never miss an appointment with another person or business unless I had a really good reason to, so it helps me remember to follow through with my appointments with me.
2. Set your intentions and have fun with it.
All you need for this step is a pen and some paper, but I highly recommend making it a special experience since you took this time for yourself. You can make this fun by having your favourite drink and snack, lighting a candle, and wearing your favourite cozy outfit. You can even choose a colourful pen, and grab your favourite journal for this. Make this time all about you. If you want to make it even more fun and more like a date, grab all your things (pens, journal), pick up your favourite drink from a local coffee shop and find a view point outside to sit at and do this.
Once you're all settled in you're going to write about what your intentions and mindset are.
The biggest question you're going to ask yourself is, "What do I want to get out of this? Who am I trying to be/become?"
To break this down further: really consider who you are trying to become, and what you want your style to be going forward.
If you are currently wearing mostly casual wear, but want to start wearing more professional or classic pieces then write that down.
Make a note of everything you want your wardrobe to be, regardless of it already is or isn't.
If you want to more pink in your wardrobe so you feel more feminine, write that down. Or if you just want to start wearing more colour in general.
Maybe you want your life to slow down and have a more free-spirited feeling to it, so you want to start wearing more boho inspired clothes. Or maybe you want to take your career to the next level and you want your wardrobe to match that energy.
Really think about who you want to be and how you want that reflected in your clothes.
The second part of this is to write out your ideal mindset for the actual wardrobe cleansing process.
How do you want to feel while you are cleaning out your closet?
Love, acceptance, joy, excitement, confidence, peace? Write it out.
Once you know how you want to feel, what kinds of thoughts will you need to think, or do you believe will help you have those feelings, even when you run into more difficult pieces like the ones that don't fit?
If you want to be able to feel acceptance and love when you're dealing with pieces that trigger negative emotions and thoughts within you, write down on your paper what you want to think when those moments come up.
For example, a pair of jeans you've always loved no longer fits and it's hard to let them go, which normally might make you think all sorts of negative things about yourself. Write out something you think will help you in that moment. It doesn't have to be a directly opposite thought about how much you love yourself either, it could be a thought like, "I am very grateful for how these pants served me, and even though it is hard for me to let them go, letting them go means I get to make room for my new favourite pair of jeans for the person I am now.".
The reason you're writing this all out is so that when you do the cleanse you have this paper with you, it's you supporting future you. It's why this pre-wardrobe cleanse process is so important.
Make sure to write out everything you'd want to tell yourself in order to feel all of those wonderful feelings you wrote out that you want to experience. Instead of just trying to navigate and deal with all of the drama that typically can come up when we clean out our closets.
Do not skip over this step, it is the most important and most helpful part of this process.
3. Decide how you want to re-organize ahead of time.
What will work best for you: Colour coded? Make everything more visible? Cute storage containers for better organization? Organized by category?
Decide how you want to see your wardrobe when you go to look at it every day.
The reason it is so important to organize your clothes in a way you like is because it will help you get dressed easier. It also is another amazing way to care for your clothes, and in turn care for yourself.
4. Schedule a day and time to do THE cleanse.
Give yourself a good amount of time, if you keep a minimalist wardrobe already you may not need very long, but if you have a lot of clothes give yourself the afternoon or all day to do it.
Don't rush this process. Giving yourself time will help you to not rush or make impulse decisions.
Schedule this like you scheduled your pre-wardrobe cleanse. It is an appointment with yourself, show up for yourself the way you would for someone else who is important in your life.
Remember to make it fun! Enjoy it and be in the moment. This time you take to clean out your wardrobe in an intentional way that is all about helping you create a better life and style, can be an amazing form of self care, and an amazing way to connect with your self and the things you wear every single day.
If you have questions about any of this, I work on pre-wardrobe cleanses and closet cleanses with my clients one on one and you can find more information here.
Love & Trust Yourself