What I Learned After Picking Up My Two-Year-Old Clothes from Storage

TLDR: Why Hoarding Isn't Worth It :)

Over the past few years we’ve lived in several apartments of different sizes. Living in a larger space naturally yields to accumulating all kinds of stuff, and eventually, you have to put it somewhere. So, during one of the moves, we stored quite a lot of things in a family-owned storage unit. Recently, the time came when the family told us it was time to stop using the storage and that we needed to pick up our items and bring them to our house. So, the two-year-old clothes, among other things, arrived at my house for review.

When the boxes arrived, my husband wasn’t happy with how they took up the majority of our garage, hinting at my hoarding tendencies. I promised to rapidly sort everything out and sell what I don’t use, and the review began.

Of course, I was super excited to see the old clothes I used to wear—it feels like shopping anew! However, once I started reviewing them, I quickly realized what a futile exercise it had been to store these clothes for such a long time. Here’s what I learned:

The Clothes That Have Been Too Small Two Years Ago Are Still Too Small (Surprise!)

At the time, I mostly packed these clothes because they were already too small, thinking that perhaps I'd fit into them again someday. Unsurprisingly, they’re definitely too small now. Whether I like it or not, weight tends to creep up over the years, so most of them I can’t wear. Yes, weight fluctuates, but it doesn’t often return to your 20-year-old self's size so easily. So now, I think it’s much better to think if the size you are storing is reasonable, and to sell these pieces sooner rather than keep them in storage, for reasons I’ll get into below.

80% of the Clothes Were Damaged

This was another unfortunate realization—I had been storing the clothes in transparent boxes, and a bit of sun exposure was enough to damage them. About 80% of the clothes were unevenly faded by the sun. Because they were folded, I can see lighter marks on jackets and other items. So, I had to throw out majority of the clothes, which was unfortunate. They no longer have any resale value, and they’re not really usable anymore, which is a pity. Of course, this could have been prevented, but at the same time, there was maybe only one item I was truly heartbroken about due to the fading, which suggests that you pack these pieces into storage for a reason.

Even Classics Have Details That Can Make Them Look Out of Style After a Few Years

OK, but what about classic pieces, you might ask? One of the must-have items in my wardrobe is gray jeans, which I would have considered a classic. In storage, I had straight gray jeans from Raey (R.I.P., the cool Matches brand!), but even the straight jeans from two years ago now look a bit too skinny! Fashion has shifted significantly in the past couple of years, from skinny jeans to more voluminous bottoms. So even though I thought they were a timeless item, they now do feel a bit out of fashion.

Imagine Everything in Your Wardrobe Is a Rental

In total, out of those boxes, there were only three pieces that still fit me, were in good condition, and that I could actually wear. Considering all of that, as I mentioned when thinking about which pieces to sell in my last week’s post—just like

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

commented, I need to sell them all. I’ve already listed them and sold a few.

In another unsurprising realization, I discovered that hoarding isn’t a healthy mindset. Even if you have something classic that fits but you don’t actually wear, it's probably best to let it go. I find it helpful to think of my wardrobe as a rental—if everything had to be returned at the end of the month, which pieces would I actually pay to keep? If I wouldn’t want to pay, then it’s time to purge. By not selling, you’re essentially losing money on the item’s potential resale value. This approach helps clarify which pieces you truly love and wear versus those just taking up space.