Wardrobe Overhaul PROBLEM – LIMITED SHELF STORAGE
MISTAKE – The standard wardrobe is just deep enough to fit a hanger. This is ideal for hanging clothes, but not ideal for stacking them on the top shelf. Invariably, you can't reach your clothes comfortably and if you need something, it is always crumpled up at the back of the shelf.
SOLUTION – Wicker baskets with washable calico liners. These will prevent your clothes from getting dusty and if you label them, you'll always know where everything is. If you have room at the bottom of the wardrobe, put them there. Be realistic about what you need access to because if it's hard to reach, you just won't bother.
PROBLEM – SHOE STORAGE
MISTAKE – How may we count the ways?: on the cupboard floor, out of sight and dusty, in anonymous boxes….
SOLUTION – Clear plastic boxes with slide-out drawers, that stack neatly, or expandable shoe racks. Alternatively, use a small bookshelf with a curtain on the front to keep the dust off. When you take off your shoes, put shoe trees in them; the shoes will reshape overnight so you only need to buy a few pairs of shoetrees.
PROBLEM – NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE IN YOUR WARDROBE.
MISTAKE – Overcrowding your chest of drawers and not hanging the right clothes.
SOLUTION – Store everything by type. All trousers (even jeans) should be hung, so they don't get creased and you can actually see what you own. Keep one drawer for T-shirts, one drawer for knits, one drawer for black tops and so on, and label them if you need to. This makes it much easier to see what you have and what you need.
PROBLEM – OVERCROWDING MISTAKE – We only wear 20% of what we actually own.
SOLUTION – Take out every item from your wardrobe and try everything on. You must then justify why you are keeping each item. Now divide your clothes into three piles: 'good' items, which go back in the wardrobe on the right hangers, grouped by style; 'bad' items that need something doing, ie, dry-cleaning or alterations; and 'ugly' items that are no longer flattering, which can be sold, swapped, or given away.
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