With many areas across the country already experiencing colder weather, it's time to think of how you're going to organize your closets in time for winter. Even if you have ample room in your closets, it's time to take a closer look at your warmer garments and accessories and move them to the forefront for easier accessibility.
Organizing your closets for colder weather consists of several steps. You should first start by unpacking and sorting through your winter clothes. Then pack up your summer attire to make room. When organizing, make room for bulky items, consider new organizing methods, and consider hanging your hats. Finally, make the most out of your wardrobe by keeping some summer items.
Read on to learn more about how to best organize your custom closets for the winter weather.
Unpack & Sort Through Your Winter Clothes
When it's time to change your wardrobe around from spring and summer to fall and winter, it is the ideal time to begin decluttering and ridding yourself of clothes you can't or don't wear or are too worn out to wear, according to the Showbiz.com article, Cold Weather Is Coming. As you take out your winter clothing, inspect them for holes and excessive wear. These are clothes you should get rid of. You should also consider donating any clothing in good shape that you don't want to wear anymore, as donating is a good clothing recycling habit.
While you are unpacking your winter clothing, it's time to clean them as well. Most clothes in storage may gain a musty smell after being locked up for half the year. MarthaStrewart.com explains that this is the perfect time to launder them and get them ready to hang in your closet. Special fabrics like cashmere need special cleaning, and this makes it the ideal time to take it over to the cleaners before you want to wear them.
Store Warmer Weather Clothes
As you are unpacking cold weather clothing, it is time to pack away your warmer weather clothing to make room in your closet, as per recommended by the Winter Living Advisor. If you store your winter clothes in bins, you can use the same ones to keep your summer clothes to get them out of the way. You may consider replacing your containers if they are worn or cracked.
If you are purchasing bins to store clothes in, there are different options:
- Plastic bins are typically transparent, easy to transport, and stackable with tight-fitting lids. You can label or color-code them to make sorting easier.
- Bankers Boxes: Made out of cardboard, bankers boxes, are available at office supply or big box stores and are ideal for smaller items. They are simple to label and are sturdy.
- Wardrobe boxes: Wardrobe boxes, like bankers boxes, are generally made of cardboard. They have a rod inside that allows you to hang items instead of folding them. They aren't as convenient to store as plastic bins or bankers boxes, but they are still a good alternative.
Make Space for Bulkier Items
Winter coats and snowsuits are bulkier than t-shirts and tank tops. You'll need to ensure you have enough room. That might mean being creative with how you place items into your closet.
Storing outerwear like heavy-duty jackets and snowsuits in the hall closet or on hooks by the door makes more sense than keeping them in your bedroom closet. Instead, save your bedroom space for items you'll wear more frequently, such as vests, lighter weight jackets, long sleeve shirts, and sweaters.
To make some space on the hanging rod for winter items, relegate your sweaters to a shelf or drawer. Folding your sweaters instead of hanging them can also help them keep their shape and not stretch as severely. They'll end up lasting longer and looking better in the long run.
When storing boots, you may consider not keeping them in the closet area. If you walk through snow and winter mix, your shoes will be wet and possibly muddy. Keep them in the laundry or mudroom so that you can keep moisture and dirt out of your closet.
Change Up Your Organizing Methods
You may have found it easier to group items by color or by how often you wore certain outfits for summer and springtime clothing. When it comes to winter, it might be time to rethink how you organize your items.
Having hangers that are all roughly the same shape and size can help you not only organize your closet but make it look more cohesive. For women, winter generally means more slacks than skirts, while men may opt for more wool blends in their suits. Women may need fewer hangers with clips for their dresses and more hangers that allow for multiple pairs of slacks to neatly hang without taking up a lot of space. Men may need to switch to wood or heavy-duty plastic hangers to help offset their suits' weight.
Organizing your clothes will allow you to find them quicker. Hang similar items together. For example, jeans and slacks should be hung close to one another while shirts, both long and short sleeve, should be together. Suits should also be separated out along with any light-weight jackets or coats. For added simplicity, you may consider organizing these groups further by color so you can quickly find items. You should have a hanger for belts, ties, and scarves, and it should be easily accessible so you can see your options.
Not everyone chooses to hang their ties and scarves. If you decide to fold them and store them in a drawer, consider drawer dividers that would allow you to keep one scarf or tie in each section. This will make it easier to see what items you already have. If you are interested in learning more about different methods for reorganizing your closets, check Four Steps for Organizing Your Custom Closets by Affordable Custom Closets & Garages.
Install Hat Hooks if You Don't Already Have Them
With colder weather brings the need for hats and earmuffs. Not everyone wears hats year-round, so you may not already have hooks in your closet to accommodate your new collection of headwear. However, you should consider adding some to your wardrobe. If you live in an area where you get sleet or snow during the winter months, it gives you a place to dry your hat.
Using removable hooks on the walls not only helps to organize your hats, but it also helps to keep your area neat. These can be left up year-round and used for other items during the spring and summer months or taken down at the end of the winter.
Make the Most Out of Your Wardrobe
Sometimes the best way to get ready for winter is to make the most out of your entire wardrobe and not just a few seasonal items. Sometimes you may want to wear a short-sleeve shirt under your sweater. Skirts and dresses can still be worn in the winter with the addition of leggings or tights.
Just because it is a "warm weather" garment doesn't mean you can't add it to your winter wardrobe. Keeping some of your summer wear can help you cut down on organization time and give you more options when getting ready each day.
Conclusion
With any organizational project, you should always start by going through your garments and deciding what you want to keep, what to donate, and what to retire gracefully. Don't forget to make room in your closet for bulkier items and consider hanging outerwear in a closet closer to your exit, especially during the colder months. Consider making the most out of your wardrobe by not packing away all your summer clothes but keeping critical pieces in the closet for use with warmer items. Most importantly, be creative with organizing your closet space so that it works best for your needs.
