If your wardrobe is full of clothes you no longer wear, now’s the time to get rid of them once and for all. Declutter, recycle, upcycle, donate and consign. Often, our clothes are so tightly packed in wardrobes, cupboards and drawers, it is impossible to actually see each item. “Firstly, remove all wire hangers as they misshape your clothes, gather as many skinny plastic or ideally velvet hangers that you can,” advises Ciara Halpin, Head of Personal Shopping at Arnotts. “Take all clothes out of your wardrobe and put on the bed and clean down the inside of your wardrobe/chest of drawers. Go through each piece and keep items which you either really need (wear a lot) or you really love (and still fit). Then, create four piles: clothes that you can resell or give to a charity; a pile that you’re not sure about that you can revisit at the end; a pile for clothes that you will dispose of as they are too worn/stained to give away; a pile for clothes that could be altered to give them a new lease of life. Once you have your piles, organise your ‘keep’ pieces by category: dresses, tops, skirts, trousers. Occasion wear, particularly formal occasion wear should be stored separately to your ‘everyday’ wardrobe. Create a holiday case (this can be your actual suitcase) or box containing swimwear, kaftans and summer dresses. These items don’t need to be stored with your everyday wardrobe either,” she adds.

Leading global resale site for premium and luxury pre-owned fashion, Vestiaire Collective, is launching a fun campaign to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day (Wednesday April 22), an initiative to help with the global fight against wasteful consumption. The project centres around informing and inspiring consumers to build a more sustainable wardrobe for the future with a Wardrobe Reality Check challenge and How-To guide with extra input from Ellen MacArthur’s foundation, Make Fashion Circular. Teaming up with Vestiaire for Earth Day, environmental activists and models Arizona Muse and Lily Cole will be selling their pieces on the platform after taking on the challenge. To participate in the challenge, download the guide (from today) on www.vestiairecollective.com. 

After decluttering, why not treat yourself to freshly-washed or dry cleaned clothes. Laundrie, Dublin’s first on-demand laundry and dry cleaning delivery service, offers a daily home pick-up laundry delivery service city wide in Dublin (free pick up and delivery on all orders over €20); www.laundr.ie.

Pink Stuk box with compartments, €3, at Ikea

Grey under-bed storage box, €18.95, at The Organised Store

Eco Egg laundry egg (3 years/720 washes), €28.99, at Reuzi

Black skinny velvet hangers, €4.99 for ten, at Home Store + More

Main featured image: Photograph by Tom Craig