Like many men, my husband was reluctant to declutter his closet. And so, I teamed up with him to get the job done. Find out what I learned that helped him get organized and complete the process.
My husband watched as I decluttered my clothing, creating a 50 piece year round capsule wardrobe. Seeing how freeing it has been for me to have a smaller wardrobe, he became interested in tackling his own side of the closet. Though interested, he had no idea where to start or what to do. In fact, he told me that I could go ahead and get rid of anything I wanted and he would just wear whatever I decided to keep.
While decluttering other people’s belongings isn’t generally recommended, it may work for some items. Things such as dishes, toys, and books might be easy for an outsider to sort through without too many problems. Clothing though? I think it’s much too personal. And though he hates to admit it, I know that my husband has an opinion about how he looks and what he feels comfortable wearing.
And so, after some negotiation, we came to the decision that we would work together on his closet declutter. After everything was sorted, I would then be in charge of organizing the remaining items in a thoughtful way that he could easily maintain.
MY HUSBAND’S STYLE
Before we began the closet declutter, we sat down and talked about which clothing items he tends to gravitate toward. His response was that he likes to be comfortable, and that jeans, t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts were among his favorites. I would agree that it seems to be what he wears most often – though he does need to dress up slightly more for his office job. In that respect, he prefers polo shirts and nice sweaters to button downs and ties.
With this information in mind, we set to work on the process.
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EMPTYING THE CLOSET AND DRAWERS
Following the KonMari method of decluttering, we gathered all of his clothing and laid it on the bed. We share a small closet, where he hangs up his nicer shirts. He also has a couple of drawers where he keeps t-shirts, shorts, and undergarments.
Seeing the mound of clothing on the bed seemed to surprise him. In fact, he commented that he probably had more clothes than I did! Now that I have my capsule wardrobe, perhaps. But during my own closet declutter, the pile I had on the bed was nearly twice the size of his. He just didn’t witness it.
SORTING THROUGH THE CLOTHING
My husband felt more comfortable going through his items while I was standing in the room. He knew from the start that he wasn’t planning on creating a capsule wardrobe. Instead, he wished to eliminate items that he didn’t like to wear or those that were damaged.
If he questioned any of the clothing choices, he would ask for my input. Ultimately though, every decision was his to make. There were definitely a few pieces that he decided to keep that I might have thrown directly into the rag pile!
Take this shirt, for example. It is literally see through – but Craig insists that it is the most comfortable shirt he has ever worn. He loves to wear it when he chops wood or is working outside.
There were also a pair of shorts that I think are too baggy, that he loves to wear. I encouraged him to keep them. This is his wardrobe after all, and I continued to reassure him of that fact as we went through this process.
BENEFITS OF DECLUTTERING TOGETHER
Decluttering can many times be thought of as a personal process. Going through my husband’s clothing with him though, I realized some important benefits.
BONDING
He might not agree, but I actually had a lot of fun helping him tackle the closet declutter. Not only did I get a better sense of what his style is, it helped to cement the unity of this moment as a couple. Minimalism and simplicity is something that we are constantly discussing as a couple, though I am the one who has taken on the bulk of the decluttering. It was nice to share this responsibility. Though I know that he doesn’t plan to help me declutter each and every room or category, this exercise at least gave him a better idea of the process that I am going through.
FINDING DUPLICATES
It was obvious during this closet declutter, that Craig had amassed quite the collection of T-shirts. Ironically, he doesn’t often wear them. After realizing that an entire drawer was stuffed with clothes he doesn’t use, he was willing to choose his favorites and let go of the rest.
In the large pile of t-shirts, we found two identical workout tank tops. Craig was unaware that he had both of them, and even questioned where one of them came from. He was able to look them both over, compare, and decide which to keep.
NOTING WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED
As the person who does the majority of shopping for our family (including clothing), it is important that I know when things need to be replaced. I will admit, however, that I hadn’t been paying close attention to Craig’s wardrobe. During this particular declutter process, it became pretty obvious that Craig is in dire need of a new pair of nice summer shorts, and also a couple new pairs of work Kaki’s.
Since we are currently halfway through a no spend month, these purchases will need to wait a bit, which shouldn’t be a problem. They are noted, and will be taken care of.
ORGANIZING THE CLOSET AND DRAWERS
Holding up my end of the bargain, I went to work getting everything put back in it’s place. The hanging items were neatly arranged in our small shared closet. Short sleeved tops are currently hung on the left side, since they are out of season. The long sleeved shirts are more easily accessible, on the right – closer to the door opening.
I decided since hooded sweatshirts were important to Craig, that I would hang them up as well. This makes them more easily visible. Pants and shorts were also hung, using a special type of hanger.
I folded his t-shirts using the KonMari method, and was pleasantly surprised to easily fit them all into the drawer along with workout shorts and running pants.
While decluttering together, we discussed that the bins we had been using on the floor of our closet were not a great solution. It seemed to us that when items went into the bins, they were easily forgotten about. We decided to fit all of our items either on the hanging rod, or in the dresser drawers. This will not only make the clothing more accessible, it should also hopefully cut down on items being forgotten.
The bins, and also over 60 hangers, are now relieved of their service.
WATCH US TACKLE CRAIG’S CLOTHING
There is something entertaining about watching other people take on a closet declutter. It might even be motivating for you to try the same thing!
If you are looking for more inspiration, check out the husband closet declutter videos from Katie on the Flip Side and Old World Home.
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