Ideas for Getting Rid of Sentimental Clothing

Are you having trouble giving away the dress you wore on your first date with your husband, the pants that you fondly remember getting into, or that sweater that reminds you of high school? You’re not alone. Many people create attachments to clothing for one reason or another. Over time, these clothes can take up too much space and create a cluttered closet. Here are some tips for streamlining your closet without missing those old duds too much.

First pull everything out of your closet. Only keep the clothes that fit you right now. Try them on in the mirror if you are not sure about the fit or style. Most people keep older clothes around thinking that they will someday fit back into them. Sometimes it’s just too hard to get rid of clothes because they are in perfectly good condition. The truth of the matter is that most people that do achieve that college waistline and get back into those skinny jeans, no longer like the fit or the style and end up buying new ones anyway. Our bodies change with age and the same weight or size may show up in different proportions than it was in our twenties. So go ahead and give away those smaller clothes. If you lose the weight, then you deserve to replace them with new ones anyway!

Sentimental clothing is a little different than keeping clothes that are the wrong size. What looks like an ordinary, old, out-of-date shirt to one person, may hold a plethora of memories about college days to another. Getting rid of items like this can be especially hard. Take all of these clothes and get a camera ready. Have someone take your picture wearing them, or simply take a picture of them on your bed. You can keep the pictures in an album so that you can enjoy the memories of the clothes without keeping the actual item. Another idea is to cut a portion of the fabric to keep in the photo album with the picture. You can even turn it into a scrapbook and write a little about why the item is important to you.

Cleaning out your closet and getting it organized can be a more emotional experience than many people realize. Find a way to commemorate your precious items while giving yourself more space to make new memories. Go ahead and indulge in some organizational products for your closet or some nice wooden hangers. You will be feeling so good about your new-found space that it will soften the blow of getting rid of sentimental items.