Clothing & Closets - Seasonal Do's & Don'ts.

Summer has come and went and autumn’s colors are popping up everywhere. Soon it will be time to dig the hats and mittens out of the basement. The key to staying on top of seasonal wardrobe changes is to keep your routine simple. The following Do's and Don'ts will help you save time and stay organized as the season's rapidly roll by.

Don't - Store off season clothing in any location other than your bedroom.
Are you tired of dragging totes up from the basement, rifling through them and washing and folding or hanging each article of clothing with the changing of each season? This system takes a lot of time and effort to maintain and if you have children and do the same with their clothing, the job gets even more overwhelming.  If this describes your routine, it may to time to simplify your closet by paring down what you own. Most bedrooms have enough closet space to hold a reasonable amount of clothing for 1 -2 persons.  It is also important to note that statistically, most of us wear 20% of our wardrobes 80% of the time. So take the time to evaluate your wardrobe and be selective, keeping only the clothing you or your child are truly wearing.  Letting go of those items that no longer serve you will save you time again and again each season.

Do - Move heavy winter items in and out of storage each season.  
It makes sense to get heavy winter gear like boots, heavy coats, scarves, hats etc. out each winter and place them in an easily accessible area for convenience.  Storing these item in your basement or storage area in the summertime, frees up space in your garage and mud room so it is a worthwhile task, just don't do the same with winter clothing that resides in your bedroom.

Don't - Keep clothing in your closet that does not fit you.
One common reason that individuals struggle with fitting all of the clothing that they own into their bedroom space is that they also store clothing that does not fit them there.  Think about it, if you lose weight, would you really want to wear those old tired clothes from 3 seasons ago? Or will you want to celebrate by going out and buying fresh stylish new ones? Why not plan to reward yourself for your success? If your weight tends to fluctuate and you feel that you must keep clothing that does not fit, these are the items that I suggest storing elsewhere, such as in a plastic bin in the basement. Don't let these items that you are not currently wearing take up precious space in your closet.   Children's hand-me-downs that you are keeping for a younger child should also be stored in a storage space outside of the bedroom.

​Do - Rotate seasonal clothing to the back of the closet.  
Move out of season items to a less accessible location within your bedroom each season.  The back of the closet, bottom drawers or upper shelves in a closet are good places to store out of season clothing.  Also, don't forget to utilize under the bed space by using plastic bins specially sized to fit underneath. This is the perfect place to store shoes like flip-flops and sandals. When its time to switch seasons, they can be  quickly retrieved and replaced with winter shoes. This is also a great place to store bulky items like heavy sweaters in the summertime.  This rotation can be done with minimal effort to make easily accessible space available for the clothing you will be wearing frequently.

Don’t - Keep keepsake clothing in your closet.
Another common habit that steals closet and drawer space is keeping sentimental items that you don't wear there.   Do you have sweatshirts and T-shirt's residing in your bedroom that you haven't worn in ages? Perhaps a T-shirt from a run you participated in or that old college sweatshirt that holds so many memories? Unless you are wearing them regularly, these items are actually keepsake items and should be stored in a keepsake bin outside of your bedroom.

Do - Beware of the "Out of sight out of mind" tendency.
If you are not yet convinced that storing out of season clothing outside of the bedroom is ineffective, consider the following.  We tend to forget about clothing that is stored out of sight and therefore risk spending unnecessary time and money shopping for items we already have. Have you ever purchased an article of clothing for you or your child just to discover later that you already had that item at home in a storage bin? This is a frequently made mistake due to the fact that when clothing is out of sight, we tend to forget we have them.  
 
The less clothing that you own, the simpler the process will be for keeping everything organized.  Periodically taking the time to go through your closets and dresser drawers to eliminate clothing that you no longer wear is well worth your time effort and will keep your closets and clothing organized and at your fingertips as the seasons rapidly roll by.

Written By Laura Coufal
Clean & Clutter Free
Professional Organizing Services

---