How to store, sell and donate the clothes you aren’t wearing
There was a time when I knew my closet well.
I used to dip into her double doors every morning for a crisp, button-up, ponte pants and flats. If my day called for a dressier look, I made a beeline to the jewel-toned sheaths.
These days I only pop in to my closet once a week to grab a backpack for a trip to the grocery store. My primary wardrobe consists of work-from-home yoga pants and tanktops.
My closet and I are strangers. I know I’m not alone.
We probably won’t need one of the cocktail dresses or the wrinkled blazers they are smushed between anytime soon. And alas, our jeans may not slip over our hips with the same ease they once did.
It’s time to reconcile our old clothes and our new lifestyles. I talked to some experts to help find answers on how to sort, store, resell, donate and give away what we’re not wearing.
Sort your clothes
This is an excellent time to reevaluate all of your clothes, says Joey Clark, owner of closet editing service Kin Boutique. Sort your clothes into three categories: keep, maybe and give away.
Ask yourself: Do I love it? Does it still fit? Does it make me feel good?
If it’s yes to all three questions, keep it. If it’s yes to two questions, maybe. If it’s yes to one question, give it away.
Find your new style
“This is a great time to get introspective about your own personal style and what works for you,” says Clare Sauro, director of Drexel University’s Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection. “One of the things we’ve learned during this time is what we can do without.”
Study the items you are keeping. What do they have in common? Do you like printed blouses? Are you in love with the sheath silhouette? Make these items the core of your wardrobe and build a capsule collection around them, says Sauro. This means that everything new you buy should match back to these items.
Give away, resell, donate
Once you’ve decided what you are are willing to part with, separate these clothes into three piles: give away, resell or donate.
Give away: If that red shirt no longer fits and your best friend has eyed it for years, give it to her. Think about setting up a Zoom clothing swap with your friends. But before you make the contactless trade, thoroughly wash the clothes.
Resell it: Consignment shops, either brick-and-mortar or online boutiques that offer you a percentage of sales for the clothing they sell for you, are hit and miss these days. So call in advance to find out if they are taking clothes and what their coronavirus policies are.
Donate it: It’s also a good idea to call donation centers first. The need remains great, but because of COVID-19, many have changed their open hours or drop-off processes.
How to store what you’re not wearing
Now it’s time to store what you want to keep but aren’t wearing right now.
Examine everything. Replace missing buttons. Repair holes. And most importantly, Sauro said, make sure your pieces are clean and pressed.
Use the right hangers. Plastic and wire hangers often leave indentations in clothing, especially sweaters. It’s better to fold and stack your sweaters.
For clothes you need to hang, use hangers covered in soft fabrics like velvet, Sauro says, because the grip ensures the clothes stay in place.
And make sure the hangers are the right size when hanging blouses or blazers. They should fit the width of the shoulder.
Use garment bags. You definitely want to store your most special pieces — cocktail dresses, business suits and ball gowns — in woven garment bags, says Brian Lipstein, owner of specialty menswear brand Henry A. Davidsen. An opaque fabric will keep the ultraviolet light off clothing and help to prevent fading.