Everyone Is ‘Tidying Up.’ Are Thrift Stores Bursting at the Seams?
Recently, I went from thrift store to thrift store with my friend Dana . I was looking to see if the stores seemed any different than usual — if the items seemed more abundant or of better quality than normal.
I’ve been reading that thrift stores are seeing an uptick in donations due to the Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the program, Kondo uses the method she wrote about in her 2014 book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” to help people de-clutter their homes. Her main advice is to keep the items that “spark joy” and get rid of most everything else.
I read the book more than a year ago, but I didn’t put what she calls the “KonMarie method” into practice in my home. I may consider it at some point, but today wasn’t about tidying up. Today was about seeing if the thrift stores that Dana and I frequently haunt seemed like they had an abundance of items that someone else found joyless.
Roaming thrift store aisles
My first stop was a thrift store in Destin FL. I frequently visits stores over there. I noticed that the store was fuller than usual with some better-quality items.
We asked one of the employees if she knew if there was an uptick in donations specifically because of the Netflix show, and she said she didn’t know. She had never heard of the show and no one had mentioned Kondo to her.
We headed next to a large thrift store that carries clothing, housewares and toys. The store was very organized. Every shelf was full and every rack had clothing from beginning to end. It’s one I hadn’t been to in a while, but Dana goes there frequently. She said she didn’t notice a difference in the quantity or quality of items we saw today. We moved on to a small thrift store — one with a few racks of clothing and a few shelves of housewares, books and jewelry. It was full, but no more than usual.
I was going to ask the cashier about Marie Kondo but right as we started to make our purchases, the fire alarm went off and everyone was whisked outside. By the time we were let back in and able to finish the transaction, it slipped my mind.
Our conclusion was that the stores were full, but not necessarily full of excellent quality items you’d expect if everyone in the region has started to donate their possessions that didn’t spark joy.
What did seem unusual, however, was the sheer amount of people out shopping midday on a Thursday at these stores. Granted, I tend to thrift on the weekends, but the stores were incredibly busy. I wish I had the nerve to just call out, “Is anyone here because they read that the thrift stores have an abundance of good things because of the Marie Kondo Netflix show?”
Still, I wonder, even if the stores aren’t seeing an increase in donations because of “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” are they seeing an uptick in customers hoping to find joy in something that did not spark joy in its original owner? If people are choosing to buy used instead of new because of the show, it’s a win either way.
Before you head to the store or online to buy something new, decide how necessary your purchase is.
If something necessary is broken — like a can opener, hair dryer or computer — then you no doubt need to replace it. But if something is just aging or doesn’t fit your decor anymore, can you live with it?
Some people attempt to take part in a no-buy year where they try to go 12 months without buying certain items like clothing, knickknacks or electronics. Some do this to save money or to pay off debt, but others do it so they won’t accumulate more stuff.
Whether you want to go a year or just want to be more deliberate in your spending, before you go shopping, think about spending intentionally. When you see something you want, ask yourself if it’s truly a necessity or something you’re buying on a whim. Will another cute T-shirt just sit in a drawer or a frame just gather dust on a shelf? Think about it overnight and if your eagerness for the item isn’t quite so strong, save the money for something else.
Is it made to last?
If you decide you truly need to purchase something, then opt for long-lasting quality when you can. Making smart purchases saves money, time and resources.
Shop around and do your research to find products that last a lifetime. Many items come with guarantees while others just have rave reviews from legions of fans.
If you’re tired of replacing things, head to Buy Me Once, a website that’s dedicated to finding items that last forever. There’s everything from clothing and cookware to toys and luggage.
Founder Tara Button started the site after working in advertising and realizing a client, Le Creuset, had a lifetime guarantee on its ceramic cookware. She wondered why more products didn’t follow the same approach and decided to find out what was available.
“It’s frustrating, and I feel it’s immoral to make something that breaks and ends up in a landfill, and it’s really short-sighted,” Button told MNN. “If you’re not a wealthy family, having to replace these items is not cheap … People really do want stuff that’s built to last.”
Can I recycle the old item? What about the new one?
In 2015, Americans generated nearly 262 million tons of trash. Of that, about 34% was recycled or composted, but more than 137 million tons of that trash — a whopping 52.5% — was sent to landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
If you decide to buy something new and it’s replacing something old, what happens to the old item?
If it still works, you can donate it to a thrift store in Destin FL, give it to a friend or a family member, sell it online or offer it through a sharing website like Freecycle.
If it doesn’t work (or no one wants it), don’t be so quick to toss it into the trash. You’d be surprised at the items you can recycle. From bras to eyeglasses, there’s a place for many things other than the landfill.
“Sustainably managing materials requires thinking beyond waste and instead focusing on the life cycle of a product, from the time it is produced, used, reused and ultimately recycled or discarded,” says the EPA.
So when you eye that aging toaster oven or computer, think hard before you replace it, considering where it will end up and whether it has a next life beyond your home.
Purging my wardrobe is always a satisfying feeling, but the real work comes after, when I have to figure out what to do with the remaining bags and boxes of stuff. Clothes that are in good condition can easily be donated to a thrift store, given away in a clothing swap, or sold online, but it’s the clothes in poor condition that always stump me.
Stained, stretched, smelly and torn, they cannot be donated, but throwing them in the trash fills me with guilt. Are there other options besides the landfill?The short answer is yes, but the long answer is considerably more complicated.
While looking into this issue, I’ve discovered that there are some decent options for textile recycling, but the unfortunate reality is that it’s a largely undeveloped industry. Using recycled or upcycled fabric has yet to become standard practice in clothing manufacturing, so there has never been a push for companies to collect it, nor to make old textile recycling easily accessible.
(There are some promising efforts underway, such as this initiative by Evrnu.) In other words, if you want to repurpose or recycle your old clothing, you’ll have to work for it.
This, of course, is unfortunate because the more inaccessible something is, the less inclined people are to pursue it. That’s why so much of what we buy ends up in landfill; it’s too much work to bother recycling it.
1. Can It Be Repaired?
Don’t give up so fast! Play around with different stain removers and washing techniques to see if you can get the stubborn marks out. Contact a seamstress or tailor to repair tears, make adjustments, or add patches. You’ll be surprised at the magic these skilled professionals can work, and how affordable it is. Maybe your city has a Repair Café or a traveling Repairathon (like this one in Toronto). Check these out and learn how to fix your own clothes.
2. Call Your Local Thrift Stores
Find out the policies of your local thrift stores in Destin, FL for clothes in poor condition. They likely have an agreement with a recycling company to hand off non-sellable clothing, and might be willing to take a bag off your hands that does not require sorting.
3. Contact the Manufacturer
Some brands have begun accepting back their own worn clothing. This tends to be more common among outdoor gear retailers, such as Patagonia, REI, and The North Face, although a few other fashion brands offer it as well, including H&M;, Levi’s, Eileen Fisher.
4. Send It Somewhere Useful
The Blue Jeans Go Green program will accept your old denim via mail and turn it into insulation. Alternatively, you can drop it off at J.Crew, Madewell, rag and bone, and FRAME stores, all of which will give you a discount off a new pair of jeans. You can also print off a shipping label from Community Recycling and ship your old clothes in a box right from your doorstep.
Note: Be aware that many donation bins are labeled ‘clothing recycling’ when what they really mean is ‘clothing donation.’ It drives me crazy when organizations call themselves recyclers, when in reality they only want gently-used items in good condition. There’s a big difference.
5. Upcycle the Fabric Yourself
There are countless DIY projects you can do with old clothes. I’ve compiled ideas for what to do with old jeans and old sweaters, but T-shirts are incredibly versatile as well. Turn them into sleeveless workout tops, halter tops, tote bags, quilts, pet bedding, and cleaning rags.
6. Try Composting
If you have all-natural cloth, such as cotton, wool, silk, cashmere, or linen, and have not used it to soak up any toxic liquids, then you can try composting it. Here’s a guide to doing it, via 1 Million Women. Must have patience!
While these steps are all worth pursuing, it would be naive to assume they can solve our planet’s enormous trash problem. What is needed more than wide-scale recycling is less consumption. There needs to be a shift to buying less and buying better, focusing less on ‘good deals’ and more on what will last and what can be repaired. When shopping for future items, support those few companies that are incorporating recycled material into their goods, since this is an effort worthy of support.
Just be aware that this transformation won’t happen overnight.
Transforming your conventional wardrobe to a sustainably sourced one can seem like a daunting task, but it needn’t be. View it instead as a long-term project, something that will happen gradually as you shift your approach toward shopping. An excellent article in Harper’s Bazaar outlines 10 simple steps to dressing more sustainably, and I’d like to share some of the less commonly known ones below, as I think they’re useful.
1. Do the ’30 Wears’ test.
When faced with a potential new outfit, ask yourself if you’d wear it 30 times or more. If the answer is no, walk away. This will eliminate many of those special occasion outfits and shoes that have few opportunities to re-wear, and will push you toward more versatile, practical pieces. The #30Wears campaign was started by Livia Firth, who told Harper’s, “You’d be surprised how many times you say no.”
2. Invest in trans-seasonal clothes.
Clothes that can cross seasonal boundaries are the most useful investment. Often this means simpler pieces, like jeans, tees, blazers, and classic dresses. Consider climate when making decisions. If you live a cool, cloudy climate, don’t splurge on summery dresses that will fail the 30 wears test on an average year; buy what you know you’ll wear and whatever can be layered for more seasonally-appropriate dressing.
3. Have a working list of go-to brands.
This is enormously important, as I think one of the major blocks toward more sustainable shopping is people not knowing where to start. Assemble a list of go-to retailers (online or in store) where you can source key items; add to it as you discover new ones. One downside is that I tend to shop more online than in person, simply because ethical retailers and brands are hard to find in my rural area, but this also results in more deliberate purchasing.
4. Adjust how you spend your money.
Don’t think of shopping as a chance to splurge on something frivolous. Instead, see it as an investment in a staple piece that’s going to be worn and re-worn. From Harper’s: “Stop thinking, ‘I would never spend that much on a pair of jeans.’ Consider that you are only going to buy one pair of jeans this year, or one item this month – and make it this.”
You should also try buying clothes at the thrift shops in Destin, FL. You never know if you find a fantastic deal!
All of this takes time. Don’t feel overwhelmed or daunted. Just build it up slowly, piece by piece. Before long you’ll have a wardrobe that reflects your environmental and ethical concerns, without feeling like you had to fork out extra money to do so.
In generations past, members of a household would have made a family’s clothing. Even in wealthier homes, lace-making and embroidery were common hobbies; even if clothes weren’t sewn at home, seamstresses and tailors were close by. It wasn’t so long ago that this was still the case. I was raised by my grandmother, who made about half my clothes until I was a young teenager.
Besides creating clothing that fit the wearer perfectly, home sewers also knew fabrics well and could tell by eye and feel if a given cloth would last or fray after a few wears. They also could tell if something was sewn well using proper techniques, or if it was thrown together cheaply.
Because my grandmother taught me to sew and what to look for in a well-made garment, I can tell whether something is good quality or not. But very few of my friends can do the same. The sad part is that poor quality plagues all levels of the fashion marketplace.
It’s not just cheap, fast fashion that tends to fall apart after a few wears. But even pricier brands, which used to boast quality materials and workmanship, have a wider variability in quality than you’d expect.
That fast fashion, by the way, refers to clothes that quickly go from the catwalk to the retail stores to capitalize on fashion trends. It is often sewn by people — sometimes children — who are paid poorly, abused and overworked.
But consumers want those low prices, and many don’t think about what paying bottom dollar means for the people who make the clothes or what it means for the planet’s landfills, which are already full of discarded clothing.
Environmental fallout of fast fashion
These clothes aren’t just affecting landfills, they also play a role in greenhouse gas emissions. According to a 2018 report by an environmental consultant group, the global apparel and footwear industry produces 8 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The average world citizen consumes 25 pounds of clothing a year, which produces the same amount of emissions as driving a car 1,500 miles.
It isn’t just cheap fashion that is bad for the environment. The material is also a factor. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon don’t biodegrade and are made from petrochemicals. Cotton may seem like the better choice, but many pesticides are used to grow large quantities, and chemicals and dyes are used to color cotton.
Here’s what to look for so you can invest your money in good-quality pieces for yourself of loved ones — and know they will last and have less of a negative impact on the environment.
Avoid trends
Before you consider plunking down your hard-earned cash for a new piece of clothing, make sure it’s something you will love to wear for years to come. That means considering both style and fit. “First and foremost it’s important to choose pieces that flatter your body and suit your style, and are not ‘trendy,'” advises Sass Brown, interim dean at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s School of Art and Design. That goes for gifts as well — if you’re not sure about size and fit, get a gift receipt so the person you’re gifting gets something that will last.
Use your hands
Sometimes it can help to close your eyes when you touch fabric. It should feel substantial and heavy unless it’s meant to be a lightweight material. It shouldn’t feel rough or flimsy — even a lightweight material should have a tightly packed weave to it, and it should be dense even if it’s thin. “The more fiber there is, the more likely it’s going to last longer,” Timo Rissanen, co-author of “Zero Waste Fashion Design” and an assistant professor of fashion design and sustainability at Parsons School of Design in New York told Quartz.
Read labels
Like food, clothing labels can tell you a lot of about what a garment is made from and where it was made. (Though where the fabric was made may be different than where the item was sewn together.)
Look for natural materials and avoid blends of natural and man-made fibers. Technical gear made from advanced polyesters (that could eventually be recycled, as Patagonia does) are better bets than combo natural/synthetics which can never be made into new materials and will never biodegrade, as natural fibers will.
Mixed fabrics also tend to wear poorly over time, as some of the fabric shrinks or fades while other fibers don’t, which can result in odd shapes and colors. Mixes of natural materials can be wonderful though, like cotton-silk blends or combos of wool, cashmere and alpaca. Small amounts of spandex in jeans for stretch can be useful.
Look for items made in the USA, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia, which all have labor laws that prevent the worst abuses in the fashion industry.
Examine the stitching
No, you don’t have to obsessively look at every seam; looking at just a couple of them will give you a good idea of the garment’s quality. They should be straight, and places where seams meet should be neat. If you see a jumble of threads where, say, a sleeve meets the body of a shirt, that’s a sign that care wasn’t taken, and it’s likely you’ll have a hole there sooner than you’d want.
If a textile has a print (or a knit has a pattern), a really well-made piece of clothing will have those patterns meet neatly at the seam. So a striped shirt will have stripes going all the way around, not off-center at the seam. This is harder to do with more complex patterns, but some attempt should be made to bring together a seam in a way that reflects the sewer was paying attention to the pattern.
Factor in finishing
“Look at the finishing. Usually well-made clothes look as good on the inside as they do on the outside. Look for modest seams and clean finishes,” says fashion designer Tabitha St. Bernard, co-founder of Tabii Just, a zero-waste clothing line made in NYC. Better clothes also come with extra buttons and matching thread or yarn for repairs. And heavier clothing (and skirts) should have a lining to protect the fabric from body oils and moisture.
Skip buying new
Want to find something completely unique and original for yourself or as a gift when you are on a serious budget? “One of my favorite ways to choose more quality clothing that has stood the test of time is to shop at the thrift stores in Destin, FL.
No loose threads on necklines and hems, no disintegrating fast fashion fabrics and less synthetic fibers that we have so much more of than ever before,” says Amy DuFault, Communications Director of the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator.
If you haven’t done a lot of second-hand shopping, here’s how to get started.
Use these recommendations to create a wardrobe that feels as great as it looks.
Is building a more sustainable wardrobe one of your goals for the New Year? Perhaps you want to get away from buying fast fashion and start investing in higher quality pieces that fit you perfectly. If so, you should become familiar with the 7 Rs for sustainable fashion.
While the following concepts are likely familiar to anyone who’s done reading on this topic, I love the way it is presented by Kelly Drennan, founding executive director of Toronto-based Fashion Takes Action. Drennan wrote an article on this topic last year and said,
“Most of us can easily list off the 3 Rs — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — as they’ve been part of school curriculum for over three decades now, but our global fashion consumption problem is so off the charts, it’s time for a few more Rs — Research, Repurpose, Repair & Rent!”
What follows is the 7 Rs, along with a mix of Drennan’s and my recommendations for sources that can you help you explore each of these Rs. Be patient and work at incorporating these into your wardrobe gradually.
1. Reduce
The most important concept on this list is to buy less. This leads to less clutter in our closets. We can see what we own and take better care of it. We are more likely to wear the pieces we have because they don’t get forgotten. Drennan writes, “Try shopping for VALUE instead of COST. Investment pieces that can be worn through the seasons for many years have a cost per wear that makes them more inexpensive than fast fashion!”
2. Reuse
Wear your own clothes for longer and learn how to wash them properly to extend their life. Be an #OutfitRepeater. Host a clothing swap with friends or use a bartering app. Buy clothes second-hand when you need them, either at the thrift shops in Destin, FL or vintage or consignment stores.
3. Recycle
I used to think that I could only donate clothes in wearable condition, but Drennan advises donating everything to thrift stores, regardless of its state. She explains why:
“The fact is, EVERYTHING can go into the bins. That’s right. Even your holey-toed socks, underwear and stained linens. Not because there is a market to resell these items, but because there is a market to recycle them. And while that market might be small, we have the power to make it great.”
The idea is that, by inundating thrifters with recyclable textiles, the industry and government will be forced to come up with better solutions as quickly as possible. Some recycling technologies do exist, but there hasn’t been enough investment yet to help them grow significantly.
4. Research
When you have to buy something new, take time to research and compare brands’ standards for production. Many brands share this information on their websites, but a careful reading will reveal whether or not it’s true or just greenwashing.
See if they mention specific factory locations, adhere to respectable certifications, and pay fair wages to workers. Read reviews on repairability and durability. Companies like Everlane and Patagonia do a great job at being transparent about production.
You can find lots of other great fashion providers that have been profiled on TreeHugger over the years. Visit the sustainable fashion category.
5. Repurpose
Get creative with your old clothing. We live in the Pinterest era where ideas for old fabric uses abound. “Unused or ripped leather can be turned into clutches, bags and totes. T-shirts can be repurposed into totes, pillow cases, necklaces, and even braided carpets! Old wool sweater scraps can be mixed with new wool roving and made into wool dryer balls,” Drennan says.
Look, too, for brands that sell repurposed clothing. You can find these in person at makers’ markets and artisanal shows. If you’re buying outdoor gear, check out the mainstream retailers that are selling repurposed pieces at reduced prices. The Renewal Workshop is one great business leading this effort.
6. Repair
Always try to repair your clothing and shoes before deciding to throw them out. This is a big problem with fast fashion. Because the pieces are so cheap, it’s hardly worth the cost to repair, nor can the shoddy construction withstand a repair job, so many people don’t bother. It’s a good reason to opt for higher quality clothing.
Develop a relationship with local tailors and cobblers, or learn how to do repairs yourself. Dust off the sewing machine, take a class, and start experimenting.
7. Rent
The clothing rental market is one of 3 trends in sustainable fashion that Triple Pundit says to watch for in 2019. I believe it! Lately I’ve been seeing all kinds of mentions of rental businesses and fashion libraries across North America and Europe. This notion is not really that far removed from other things that we rent in our society these days, like housing and transportation.
You can’t even bear to look at it sometimes, right? That corner of your house where all the excess clutter lives or the closet where you shove everything without its own place. You’re hardly the only person to have these areas in your home, but why do we let them get so bad? As it turns out, there are many reasons why it’s so hard to get rid of clutter. We’ll show you some common explanations so that you’re more aware of your own reasoning.
Clutter Becomes a Part of You
There is a blurry line between thinking, “That object is mine,” and, “That object is a part of me.” Sometimes, we forget that we are not just the amalgamation of everything we keep around the house. Physical items often carry the memory of accomplishments or feelings of self-worth. Throwing these away can sometimes feel like losing a part of yourself, rather than just losing another piece of clutter.
Feelings of Guilt Can Arise
A very common reason why it’s so hard to get rid of clutter is the guilt we feel upon throwing away some items, even if we don’t like them. This guilt can pop up for a lot of reasons. We might feel guilty that we’re throwing away something that we received as a gift, or we could feel guilty about the money we originally spent on the item.
At the same time, that item only brings you guilt when you look at it. As such, it would actually be best to get rid of whatever it is so that you can stop feeling guilty every time you see it.
We Keep Things That We Love
Even if it’s outlived its usefulness, you may not want to give up something that still makes you feel good. The important thing to remember is that those feelings will still be there after the item is gone. “It’s the thought that counts” is the key phrase here. While we may feel that we need to hang onto gifts or accolades, you don’t actually need to have the item to remember the good feelings that it once brought you.
Decluttering Is Stressful
Sometimes, the answer is quite a bit simpler. Decluttering a house that is full of clutter of all kinds is a daunting task that no one really enjoys. You may do it because you must, but the process can be grueling if you’ve left it to build for a while. Starting a little bit at a time and not trying to tackle everything at once can help.
You can feel better about donating these items to a thrift store in Destin, FL because they’ll head off to a new life with someone else. Your donations enable our partner charities do the good work they do – each and every day.
It’s no secret that our planet needs more and more help as time goes on. Anything we can do to stop the pollution of our planet needs to be put into action as soon as possible. As a singular person, you may often feel like you have no way to cause any real change in the world. We’re here to tell you that that’s not true.
When everyone works together, we can collectively make a huge difference. If you want to lessen your impact on the environment, consider donating your old clothing. We’ll show you how donating clothes helps the environment, so you can become someone more environmentally conscious.
The Issues with Fast Fashion
We should first look at how the fashion industry currently affects the environment. As more and more people enter the middle class, the demand for new clothes goes up as well. This high demand for new clothes has created a push for faster clothing manufacturing processes. Unfortunately, these faster processes often involve greater damage to the environment. This can result from the factory’s practices or the materials used in the clothes.
The fashion industry has a bad habit of changing what’s “in fashion” in order to sell more clothes more quickly. Because many people want to stay fashionable, they buy new clothes too often and discard perfectly good clothes that still have plenty of life in them. Combined with the fact that many clothing production methods are extremely wasteful and harmful to the environment, this means that consumers need to lower their demand for new clothes and use what they already have.
Landfill Reduction
Nobody likes landfills. They are ugly, harmful, and take up far too much space in our world. When you throw away clothing, you’re consigning it to an eternity in a landfill somewhere, to clog up valuable space. Every year, tons of clothing articles are discarded and end up in landfills for no good reason. Many of these clothing items are in perfectly serviceable conditions as well.
By donating your clothing, you stop the landfills from getting bigger and you keep usable material from being thrown in the trash. Many mass-produced clothing lines have fibers inside of them that will never break down, no matter how much time passes. These clothing fibers can do serious harm to the planet if left in a landfill. Donating your clothes gives them a new life that isn’t in a dump somewhere.
Lowering Your Carbon Footprint
As we mentioned, certain fibers in mass-produced clothing don’t break down at all. Unfortunately, some of those that do break down do so in harmful ways. When textiles are placed in landfills, they can release two of the most damaging chemicals to our environment: methane and carbon dioxide. That’s not to mention the emissions from textile factories as well, which contribute a large amount of greenhouse gases every year.
Donating clothes helps the environment in two ways. Keeping clothing from reaching the trash means that it won’t start breaking down and releasing gases that harm the planet. It also creates less demand for new clothing.
With less demand, textile factories will not produce as many clothes, thus reducing their overall greenhouse gas emissions. The first step toward reducing your own carbon footprint starts with a simple drop off to one of our clothes donation boxes. You can make a difference for the environment, even in a small way.
Reduction in Water Consumption
Most people don’t think how much water goes into the production of each article of clothing. In addition to greenhouse gases and soil pollution, the diminishing amount of water on the planet is another cause for concern.
The fashion industry uses an enormous amount of water every year in the production of new clothes. For example, people often grow cotton in extremely dry climates, making their demand for water much higher than the average.
By choosing to donate your clothes instead of tossing them, you break the cycle of overusing fresh water. Lower demand means factories won’t need as many clothes materials that require huge amounts of water.
In addition to this, clothes dyeing pollutes an egregious amount of water in its processes as well. When the demand for new clothes goes down, the amount of dyeing is reduced as well, saving tons of water in the process.
Helping Those in Need
By helping those in need with donations of clothing items, we can do a lot to help the environment. One of the biggest reasons to donate clothing is to aid people that have been affected by natural disasters as a result of climate change.
Many of these people can no longer afford clothing. Clothes that could have been sitting in a landfill taking up space will instead help the people that need them the most. You can also help those in your immediate community this way, helping to foster a sense of inclusion and engagement.
Circular Economy Changes
Donations can even change the way our economy works. Right now, our economy is heavily based on consumption alone. This overconsumption of goods and materials causes so much harm to the environment. We should strive for a circular economy; one in which everyone reuses and recycles items whenever possible.
This way, everyone will be doing their part to help save the planet. This shift to a more sustainable economy is something that can cause drastic and long-term change for the better.
You can drop off your clothes at the thrift shops in Destin FL, so you don’t have to worry about them ending up in a landfill or adding to the cycle of pollution.
If there’s one thing we can all get behind, it’s that having a clean home is better than having a dirty and cluttered one. While this is easy to say, putting it into practice is usually much more difficult. Take your closet, for example.
Most of us have closets full of extra clothes and accessories that we no longer wear or haven’t worn in a long time. Looking at these bursting closets can be a little stressful and make you want to start over fresh. If you think it’s time to start putting everything in its proper place, this complete guide to organizing your closet will help you get started and stay on track.
Gather Your Supplies
Before you really start to dig into the work ahead of you, it will help to make sure you don’t need to stop and gather more stuff in the middle of the process. The supplies you need will depend on what you’re planning to do with the clutter in your closet. When you’ve gathered everything you need, you can start the process in earnest. Here are a few items that will help you get started:
Boxes to help sort through clothes quickly
Sturdy shopping or garbage bags
A measurement tool to help you know how much space you have
A basket to throw miscellaneous objects in
A mirror to try on clothes you’re unsure about
Use the Multi-Box Method
The method we’re referring to here involves having labeled boxes for what you will do with the clothes you put inside of them. You’ll most likely want four of these, at least. One box for items that you will definitely be keeping, another box for items that you wish to sell or donate, one box for items that can be recycled, and a final box for anything that is unequivocally trash. Make sure to put large labels on these boxes so you don’t get them mixed up. The last thing you want is to accidentally donate all your good clothes.
Completely Empty Your Closet
The reason you’ll want to have those boxes before you begin is that you’ll be completely emptying your closet so you can start from scratch. If you do not follow this process you may leave way more stuff inside your closet than you would prefer.
Take the time to go through every piece and really decide if it’s worth keeping or if it could make someone else happy. Once you have a completely empty closet, reorganizing it will be much easier and go much more smoothly than trying to jam things in where they happen to fit.
Don’t Be Afraid To Let Go
Arguably the hardest part about cleaning out your closet is letting go of clothes and accessories that might have once meant a lot to you. This wouldn’t be a complete guide to organizing your closet if we didn’t address the very real feelings of loss one can feel when decluttering.
Part of the reason the multi-box method is so important is that it allows you to let go of things without having to throw them in the trash. Your clothing donations can be a huge help to someone who is in need, so you can feel good about letting go of your old possessions.
Clean the Closet Top To Bottom
When we say clean, we mean clean with cleaning products. Chances are that if your closet has been clogged with stuff for a while, a lot of dust and dirt has settled inside. Before you go and start putting all your nice clothes back in the closet, you’ll want to give it a thorough scrub with some cleaning spray and a towel.
Make sure to also vacuum the floor and dust any cobwebs away. Having your closet be squeaky clean will let you better visualize how you want to set it back up.
Get Some New Closet Organizing Equipment
One big reason your closet probably got so cluttered in the first place is because you didn’t have any organizational equipment helping you keep everything in its place. Don’t underestimate the impact that having a few dividers and extra baskets can have on the organization of your closet.
There are some products you can buy that will transform your entire closet into a beacon of efficiency, but don’t worry too much if they’re out of your price range. Buying a simple door organizer or a new shoe rack can go a long way in preventing piles of clothes and shoes from building up.
Separate and Organize Your Clothes
Once you have the basic outline of how the closet will look, you can finally start the task of separating and categorizing the clothing that you’ve decided to keep. Remember to keep similar types of clothes together to start. Separate by pants, shoes, shirts, belts, scarves, and whatever other category of clothes you may have. There are a few extra organization tips we can give you as well:
Once everything is separated, keep the categories in mind as you find places to put the items. Don’t separate similar things onto different shelves if you can help it.
Pieces that don’t see a lot of use, such as seasonal wear or super formal clothing, should be kept out of the way of clothes that you more regularly wear. Tuck them in the higher or further back portions of your closet
Organize your clothes by how often you wear them. Keep the clothes that you always reach for first right in the center of the closet, so they are easy to grab. This way, you can slowly work outwards through your wardrobe, making it easier to keep organized.
Maintenance
All the organizing and cleaning in the world won’t help if your closet looks like a mess a week after you’re done. The important thing to remember about cleaning out your closet is that it should help you continue these habits in the future. This is why you want to find a system that works for you, not just one that looks good. You’ll be more inclined to continue on the path of cleanliness if you make it easier on yourself.
Organizing your closet may seem to some like a monumental task, but you can do it with a little time and diligence. Thrift store in Destin FL is a place to donate clothing once you’ve figured out which clothes to keep and which to donate.
There’s a lot one can say about the concept of minimalism. It’s a trend that has garnered a lot more traction nowadays thanks to our overly busy and cluttered lives. Minimalism is the idea that we don’t need a ton of material possessions to be happy, and enough people make it work that they might have a good point.
A minimalist lifestyle can even be a great way to help others if you decide to donate the old possessions that you no longer need. We’re going to go over a few of the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle, so you can see how even small minimalist changes can have a big impact on your life.
Less Attachment To Unimportant Things
If you look around you right now, what exactly do you see? Do you see a lot of stuff you hang onto “just because?” If you do, you’re hardly alone. People from all walks of life have a habit of collecting things they don’t really need or are just afraid to get rid of for whatever reason. Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is to reject this idea in favor of focusing your attachment on what really matters.
The things we attach ourselves to can stretch us thin if there are too many, and being a minimalist allows you more energy to put into the things you actually want to stay attached to.
Spend Less Money
One of the more tangible benefits of a minimalist lifestyle that you can immediately start to notice is how much money you’ll save. Whatever your vice happens to be—clothing, collectibles, shoes, kitchenware, or anything else—you probably spend more money on it than you even realize.
Without the draw of always needing to buy the next thing in your collection, you can save a ton of money in the long run. That money can instead go to your long-term dreams and goals rather than something that will only make you happy for a little while.
Improves Focus
The concept of “visual noise” affects a lot more people than you would imagine. Visual noise refers to how much stimulation your eyes take in all at once. If you have a lot of stuff lying around all over your house, you regularly deal with a lot more visual noise. This visual noise is actually detrimental to our brains and can make it harder to focus on what we’re doing.
By removing these tiny distractions all over our homes, we also reduce the visual noise we have to deal with on a daily basis, thus allowing us to more easily focus on the things that matter, such as our work or our hobbies.
Happier Mindset
Being a minimalist is all about reducing what you have so you can focus on more important things. Even something as broad as “being happy” can be much more difficult than it needs to be because of our attachments to things that don’t matter as much. When you let go of the things that tie you down, you feel a sense of freedom that can improve your mindset. The process of getting rid of these things is also rewarding itself, as you get to enjoy the feeling of being very efficient.
Fewer Things To Clean
This one is less of a mental benefit and more focused on the mundane day-to-day tasks you need to do. It’s a simple fact that the less stuff you have around, the less you need to clean up. More than that, the less stuff you have sitting around collecting dust and allergens, the better off your home’s air quality will be.
No one enjoys the chore of cleaning up all their possessions, so why not just remove them from the equation? You’ll be glad that you did once a day like spring cleaning comes around.
Quality Over Quantity
Given that you’ll have some more money once you switch to a minimalist lifestyle, you might be asking what to spend it on if you’re supposed to stay a minimalist. The important thing to remember is that being a minimalist does not mean that you have to give up everything in your life; it means choosing what you allow into your life more carefully.
Now that you’re not spending money on every little new thing, you can instead focus on buying things that bring you real joy rather than just temporary satisfaction. Pick quality over quantity, and you’ll almost always be happy with your choice.
Stop the Comparisons
Perhaps the worst part about our extremely connected world is how it makes people compare themselves to others unfairly. Many of us focus on who has this new thing or the things that they have that we wish we could have.
Minimalists don’t fall into this trap because they know that having those things won’t instantly make them happier. Adopting a minimalist lifestyle allows you to remove yourself from the comparison conversation, letting you just be happy with the things you have rather than always wanting more.
More Confidence in Yourself
If you’re a minimalist, you spend a lot more time with yourself than with your possessions. This can take a lot of getting used to for new minimalists, but it does end up being a very good thing. Knowing yourself better is the first step towards being more confident in yourself.
You can be more confident in your body, in your mind, and even in your home, since you have the time and energy to check in with those things more often. Confidence is an issue for a lot of people, and removing any unnecessary distractions can help you on your way to being more confident in yourself.
The switch to a minimalist lifestyle isn’t necessarily for everyone, but don’t be afraid to try it out if it sounds like something that you could benefit from. Remember that minimalism is not about getting rid of every single thing you own and living in the wilderness, but rather about reducing the number of unnecessary things in your life.
When the time comes, the thrift shops in Destin FL will always be there to help you out. You can drop off your clothing donations there to get a head start on your minimizing.
Steve Clark 