If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know I’ve made the move to mostly organic clothing. That means wool (merino), cotton, hemp, and linen. I started this transition in December of 2022 and my goal was to be able to pack less for our two month European vacation. Little did I know….
Eighteen months later, my wardrobe is about 85% organic materials with a few synthetics still hanging around. About every 2-3 months, I do another purge and I’m ready to do it again. I get a little more ruthless each time.
I have some uber-comfy, soft but long short-sleeve t-shirts in an oversize that I will keep for those days when I might get messy, but I’m only keeping a max of four. (Note here, I tend to over buy when I find something I like, getting one in multiple colors). I’m ready to tackle my synthetic leggings, I think I’ve worn maybe 3 pairs in the last year. I will keep two gorgeous zip-front cardigans that I love and can wear for travel without worrying about what might happen to them. A couple pairs of pants from Duluth Trading that are quick-dry and a pair of Little Andy Donkey pull-on uber-lightweight pants, all good for travel days. That leaves some synthetic blouses that don’t wrinkle and I’ve used for travel or dressier occasions. I will keep one short and one long sleeve one.
But what has this done for me other than change the items in my current wardrobe? This thought occurred to me when I tossed a load of wool in my washer. It’s so amazing to do wool laundry maybe once every two weeks (or less).
Then as I hung them to dry, I thought about how much less electricity I use as well. A hand wash/gentle machine load is about 10 minutes, 10 minutes in the dryer, and hang. Regular laundry is 45-65 minutes in the washer, 30-45 minutes in the dryer. While I often wore my old clothes more than once, they still needed traditional washing/drying times.
Another thing, following a lot of websites and groups on minimalism, I’ve been purging a lot of other things in the house. Less for my kids to deal with when that day comes (or when I move into an independent living facility).
But the biggest surprise for me has been the lack of draw to buying other clothes. I used to have a huge stash of graphic tee-shirts. Kohl’s, Walmart, Amazon, Life is Good, Duluth Trading, and so many other places including ones bought to commemorate traveling. Then toss in the same with sweatshirts. And pants. And shorts. And…you get the idea. I couldn’t walk through a store without buying something new.
Well, that has changed. I walked through Kohl’s a couple weeks ago and I had no draw to even look at the clothes. Same with Walmart. And Amazon. And any other store I browse. I’m happy, satisfied, and fulfilled with a closet full of my current clothing choices. And no, I don’t need more wool. In fact, I will be selling a few things as I finalize my wardrobe.
