Top Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Wardrobe

Perhaps you’re looking for a new style to try this year? Or maybe you’ve been inspired to have a clear-out and throw away or donate unwanted items to make space for new ones. It could even be that a spring clean is a yearly routine for you, but you’re looking for ways to make it easier.

Despite being called a spring clean, when it comes to giving your wardrobe a much-needed clear-out, it’s a good idea to get ahead of the season and prepare for upcoming trends so you can stay in style no matter the time of year. To get a head start, we advise sorting your spring wardrobe just before the season starts.

Join us as our style experts at Lily Ella share a number of useful tips and tricks for clearing out your current wardrobe. We'll also provide a stylish variety of flattering spring outfit ideas to inspire you and get you ready for the beautiful season ahead.

What is spring cleaning?

Spring cleaning usually refers to the thorough cleaning of one's household. This can include undertaking chores that aren’t done very often, such as deep-cleaning, dusting hard-to-reach areas, replacing worn-out items, clearing food pantries, and so on. Researchers are not exactly sure why this tradition started, but it’s one that many of us have continued to do.

However, the tradition does seem to have come from a focus on clearing the house of dust and soot. As a result, we tend to consider a spring clean as a time to deep clean rooms and surfaces, forgetting that our wardrobe is part of the house too!

It isn’t unusual to have plenty of unworn clothes sat gathering dust in your wardrobe that haven’t seen the light of day. Although you may not have worn these clothes, you might still find it hard to part ways with them - even if you know for a fact that you won’t ever wear or use them.

However, there are a few helpful tips that might help make sorting your clothing out appear less of a daunting task - as well as to help you resist the temptation of adding to your collection of unworn items.

Tips for cleaning out your wardrobe for spring

While you’re in full spring cleaning mode - this is the perfect time to declutter your wardrobe space as you’ll have already built up the motivation to have a thorough sort out. Cleaning out your closet is no easy task, but our helpful hints should make the job much more manageable.

1. Take everything out of your wardrobe.

To clear your wardrobe properly, we advise placing all your clothes in clear view so you can see everything you own. This includes socks, shoes, accessories, and all items still with the tags still on, just waiting to see the light of day.

This will help give you a better idea of just how many items are in your wardrobe and can help you sort these into categories, such as knitwear, jeans, and dresses. This will also allow you to see what you have too much or too little of.

2. Discard any damaged clothes

To help you sort through the pile quicker, we suggest keeping an eye out for damaged garments while you’re sorting your clothes. Whether you encounter socks with holes, t-shirts with stains, or jackets with broken zippers, more often than not, these items don’t hold any sentimental value and rarely get taken out of the wardrobe.

Bonus tip: It’s a good idea to check what your local textile recycling accepts so that your discarded items can be recycled into something brand new rather than being sent to a landfill!

3. Sell or donate items that don’t fit

The next step to reduce the pile is getting rid of items that you know don’t fit. If you’re unsure, try on the item. If it fits, throw it back onto the pile to go into further sorting; if it doesn’t - it’s time to part ways. Of course, this excludes items with sentimental value, such as wedding dresses.

4. Sort through items that do fit

Sorting is the part that many find the most challenging, but there are several hassle-free ways to tackle this seemingly daunting task. For instance, some like to use the ‘Marie Kondo Method’ of sorting out, which follows the philosophy of whether an item sparks joy. Another good tip is to remove items from your wardrobe that you haven’t worn in the last six months - and particularly items that haven’t been worn in the past year.

Bonus Tip: If you haven’t worn an item in the last year, you’re unlikely to wear it again. Don’t hang on to those items ‘just in case’. Instead, consider donating these to your local charity shop, or selling them online to free up wardrobe space.

5. Storage

Keeping an organised wardrobe can help make it easier to maintain, as well as make selecting outfits a simpler task. And once you’ve sorted your items into a pile of clothes, shoes, and bags that you do wear, you can start to put them back. We recommend organising by season, style, and colour.

Another useful tip is to store away seasonal items such as oversized coats and winter hats if you’re done with them. Vacuum sealing is a great way to do this, which can help to save space. This method allows you to organise your collection by category and colour, providing a clearer picture of what you own.

Bonus Tip: We recommend storing your knitwear by folding it, as hanging knitwear can cause it to lose its shape over time.

How to keep your wardrobe tidy with a spring capsule wardrobe

Now that you’ve created more space for your clothing, you might want to consider creating a capsule wardrobe. This idea isn’t for everyone, but it’s great if you have a minimal style and want to further narrow down the number of items you own to keep your wardrobe tidy.

A capsule wardrobe focuses on versatile items that can be paired easily with each other, so it’s advisable to consider plain colours and complementary design styles. For a proper capsule wardrobe, we recommend owning no more than 40 items of clothing and accessories.

Invest in a few simple tops and quality trousers that can be effortlessly coordinated with one another. For example, the versatile Luxury Wool Mix Trouser is available in ten different sought-after colourways and can be paired with various styles of tops. Try pairing the black trouser with the Deacon Knit. Or go for a more spring-themed appearance with the forest green trouser paired with the white Elderflower Knit Top.

You can further add to the outfit and keep in theme with a spring capsule wardrobe by opting for more neutral colours that can easily be matched, such as black boots and a grey blazer or blouse.

Spring outfit ideas

If a capsule wardrobe isn’t for you and you’d instead like to have brighter colours and a more varied choice of outfits, spring provides the perfect opportunity to experiment with more vivid colourways that reflect the beauty of the blooming flowers of the season. Here are three spring clothing ideas that are perfect for trying out this spring.

Yvette Dress

The Yvette Dress features a floral style ideal for spring. Its mellow blue and white colour scheme perfectly complements the season and creates a flattering silhouette. The short length sleeves and skirt length that sits perfectly at the knee means that it provides sufficient protection for colder spring days while maintaining a cooling and lightweight feel for warmer temperatures. Finish the look by pairing with your favourite boots or sandals and a handbag that matches your choice of footwear.

Spot Batik Trouser & Blouse

The Batik outfit provides a lightweight and vibrant fit perfectly suited to a warm spring day. The elasticated waist and ability to wear the blouse over a vest top can help create a comfortable and versatile style. With delicate patterns across the hems and sleeves, the outfit stands out and works well with the season. Finish the look with a necklace, and if a bag is required, we recommend a backpack for a casual yet trendy effect.

Meryl Jacket

One of our favourite picks for spring, the Meryl Jacket features a beautiful ocean green colourway, which is complemented by delicate tassels and detailing to embody that beach-inspired look.

This flattering blue shawl is made with velvet detailing that provides extra warmth for spring, while also maintaining a lighter feel. A versatile piece that can be easily incorporated into many spring wardrobe outfits, the brightness of the pashmina can be easily paired with other neutral colours. For a simple yet timeless appearance, we recommend pairing it with classic jeans.

Get your spring wardrobe ready with Lily Ella

Hopefully, you’re now feeling inspired to clear out your wardrobe and give it a much-needed refresh ready for spring. Featuring a wide range of vibrant styles and colours well-suited to the season, find exactly what you’re looking for with our collection of flattering clothing, jewellery and accessories at Lily Ella.