Whether they’ve gone out of style or they no longer fit, many of us are giving up copious amounts of storage space to old, unwanted clothing. The UK government statistics claim there are around 2.4 billion pieces of clothing nationwide that go unworn for at least 12 months, many of which are brand new. This all adds up to an astounding £10 billion of clothing, shoes, bags and accessories that are languishing in wardrobes or lofts the country over, doing no one any good.

All in all, hanging on to unwanted clothes is a big no-no. With many householders struggling for space, clearing out your closet can free up the space to get the organisation into your home you need. Here are a few things you can do with your unnecessary garments to turn chaos into order and make the most of your unwanted clothes.

1. Sell them for cash

Selling clothes is easy to do, and could see you making enough money to purchase something you otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Online auctions, social networks and classified sites all offer facilities to find new and loving homes for your clothes. If that sounds like too much hassle there are a number of companies offering clothes collections for cash, where you simply bag up your unwanted items and have them collected from your door in return for a cash payment.

2. Give them away

Donating wearable yet unwanted clothes to charity is a great way to help worthwhile causes and clean out your closet too, and with many offering doorstep collections it needn’t be a chore to get rid of your items. A report by the New Scientist states it takes only 2 per cent of the energy required to manufacture a new garment to collect and resell an item of clothing, so by donating your clothes to a charity collection, you are doing your bit for the environment, too.

3. Upcycle into new stuff

If you’re a bit handy with scissors and a sewing machine, you can make your own unique clothing pieces from the materials of your old abandoned garments. If you have children, this can be a great way to create unique dresses, jumpers and t-shirts using long-forgotten fabric from clothes that are not good enough to sell or donate. As well as clothing, you can create delightful bags, home furnishings and artwork from fabric, giving your clothes a new lease of life and a new purpose.

4. Wear them!

It might sound like a bit of an ‘out there’ idea, but if you have clothes you don’t wear, why not try them again? If they don’t fit, often a few simple tweaks to adjust the sizing can turn an item that’s no good into something you really want to wear again. If you feel they have gone out of style, you can try adding some embellishments or accessories, or making minor design changes to bring them up to date.