4 Simple Steps On How To Organize Out of Season Clothing

I’ve gotten a few questions on how to organize out of season clothing. I have to admit, I don’t have to deal with that too much with my clients down here in South Texas since we only have two seasons: hot and hotter! Actually, we do have an occasional ice storm or snow storm (we actually made a 5 inch snowman last year)! But I have lived in more temperate areas like Germany and in the mountains of Northern Arizona so I do have some suggestions on how to switch out and organize your out of season clothing.

1. Before you go out and get storage containers…be sure to edit first! Get into your closet and dresser drawers and get rid of anything that you don’t wear, don’t love to wear, doesn’t fit or is worn and torn. If your clothes are in good shape, bag ’em up and donate them to or sell them to a second-hand clothing shop. I don’t recommend selling clothes online unless they are specialty clothing items like: uniforms, maternity clothing or high, high, high end clothes!  Everyday clothing just doesn’t sell well online. You could of course do a garage sale but just consider the time and effort to organize a garage sale versus donating to a good cause.

2. Now that you know what out of season clothing you’re keeping and putting in storage, be sure to prep them:

• Dry clean natural fibers and delicates to kill any moths or other bugs that might have invaded your garments.
• Wash all other clothes if they need it.
• Do not use starch.  Critters love starch. Don’t ask me why…I don’t know.  (Just like I have no idea why a squirrel chewed right through my coolant pipe in my old Saab when I lived in Germany…crazy! But it actually happened).
• Fix or mend clothing and accessories if you can. Sew on those buttons, hem up your pants, fix the zipper on your skirt and superglue those little glittery sparklies on your favorite bling bling sandals!
• Get a few clothing fresheners like humidity control packets, sachets or cedar balls to store in your boxes or garment bags.

3. Use a variety of storage containers. There are so many to chose from but here are a few ideas on how to organize your out of season clothing that might work for you:

• Heavy cubed plastic storage bags
• Under bed storage containers..some even come on wheels!
• Clear plastic  bins or sweater bins with lids
• Canvas boxes with lids
• Space Bags (great for clothes and out of season linens too)
• Garment bags (not dry cleaner bags…they can damage your clothes over time)
• Garment racks with covers

4. Ok! Now you can organize your out of season clothing and store them away! Like the many possibilities of containers to store your clothing, there are many ways to organize and put them away: 

• Under the bed…a great place to store stuff. If you don’t have a bed frame, consider using bed lifts to give you a few more inches of space under your mattress.
• Store them on the top shelf of your bedroom closet.
• Put them in plastic bins in the attic (use sachets, humidity control or cedar balls).
• Use dye-free/acid-free storage boxes and tissue  to protect delicate clothing items and linens.
• Keep them in the closet in garment bags but stored it the back of the closet or on the least used/hard to reach hanging spaces (like high clothing rods or corner spaces).
• Put them on garment racks with covers in the basement, attic or garage if necessary.
• Label your bins.  Some categories might include: size and type of clothing (4T girl’s swim clothes), type of clothing (shorts and tees; sandals and flip flops; summer clothes; etc.) or the name of who the clothes belong to (JR’s summer clothes).