Take a deep breath and start sorting out your possessions. Get three huge boxes and label them Keep, Toss and Donate. Our advice? Keep those that are closet staples (i.e. white T-shirt, black blazer), toss those that are worn out and donate those that are still in good wearable condition—you might not need it, but someone else might, and you get to play a part in the sustainable movement as well. H&M has an on-going programme where you can exchange your old clothes, which will be sold as secondhand goods or recycled into other products. In exchange, you get a small gift voucher. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Here are other organisations you can go to if you want to donate your garments:

• The Salvation Army (Several locations, but their headquarters is at 20 Bishan Street 22, Singapore 579768)
• New2U Thrift Shop (96 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187967)
• Greensquare (You can schedule a pick up of your pre-loved clothes here.)
• MINDS (They have four MINDS shops, including one at 800 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149310)

Or if you need help making sense of all the mess, hire sortorial where the professionals will give advice on what you should keep, toss and donate. Sortorial also helps you re-organise your closet, create looks from the clothing you already have, provides suggestions on how to accessorise and what makeup to wear so you look effortlessly chic.

Basically, this rule is simple. If you have not worn a particular piece at least once in the last six months (and it’s in a dubious state), toss it. If it’s still in a good condition, donate it. You’re allowed to keep an unworn piece only if it fulfills the following criteria:

• It is a basic and you intend to keep it as part of a capsule wardrobe.
• It is both appropriate for work and play.
• You’ll wear it out within the next week.

There are no excuses for timed or trendy pieces. In the “Toss” or “Donate” box they go, if they did not meet the six-month rule. Also, make sure you really do put it on if you say you will. It’s all about integrity, yes?

Cut the flab by limiting the number of hangers in your closet. For starters, give yourself 15 hangers to play with per garment category (such as tops, outerwear and bottoms). Slowly cut this number down to 10. This approach may seem aggressive and drastic, but it works. You can’t fall back on the excuse that you have extra hangers (“So keeping that little piece won’t matter!”) and you are forced to keep clothes that are really important. Once you run out of hangers, it’s time for you to clear out your closet again.

Once you’ve cleared out your wardrobe, it’s time to get cracking on beautifying it by neatly and carefully arranging what’s left. One way is to organise pieces by colour, and then within each colour category, you group apparels together by category. Not only will it help you easily locate a particular item, it’s also Pinterest-worthy and oh-so-pleasing to the eye.

Once you’re done spring cleaning (hurray!), it doesn’t mean you’ve completed your task (oh no!). To ensure your efforts have not gone to waste, make sure you heed the “one comes in, one goes out” rule. If you really want to get a new dress, pick one that you feel you’d be least likely to wear in the foreseeable future, and donate that. This way, it helps prevent an overstuffed closet, making the decluttering process much easier for the next year.