Storing seasonal clothing is one of the best ways to free up valuable closet space and keep your most-worn items easily accessible. But throwing your out-of-season clothes into trash bags and stashing them in the garage or the depths of your closet isn’t an effective way to organize them.
With a few tips and tricks, you can clear out last season’s items and know exactly where everything is when the weather changes. Plus, you can declutter beforehand, so you won’t face the same donation pile again next season.
Ahead, we share our go-to methods for decluttering and storing seasonal clothing.
3 Things To Consider Before You Store Clothing for the Season
Donate Unwanted Items
Donating unwanted items before storing seasonal clothing is an important first step. Your future self will appreciate the effort, and you won’t waste precious storage space on items you don’t plan to wear next season. To stay organized and make things more efficient, create separate piles for donations, hand-me-downs, and clothing recycling.
Remove Stains and Repair Damage
Once you’ve identified what you’re keeping, go through your items and check for rips, holes, stains, and other common clothing woes. Use a stain remover before laundering to get rid of spots caused by spills and other mishaps, and set aside anything that needs mending to be taken to the tailor.
Shop for Specific Solutions
After your unwanted items are donated, your stains are removed, and your clothing is repaired, take a look at what you plan to store and find specific solutions for those items to keep everything organized. While most garments can live comfortably in storage totes or moving bags, it might be worth adding item-specific solutions, such as a garment bag for coat storage and seasonal shoe storage boxes, to your arsenal. Some of our other seasonal-storage favorites include this oversized hat storage bag and this set of winter boot protectors.
More from our network
House Outlook is part of Optimism, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
How To Organize Seasonal Clothes
Place Like Items Together
Create piles for each category when storing your clothing for the season. This strategy helps you streamline your storage space by grouping like items, such as sweaters or tank tops, and makes it easier to label your bins for future identification.
Label Everything
Adding tags or labels to your storage solutions can help you keep track of out-of-season clothing items while they’re stowed away. This is especially helpful if you use identical storage containers for other items, such as holiday decor. That way, you’ll avoid wasting time rummaging through every container to find what you need when it’s time for next season’s clothes to make their way back to your wardrobe.
Keep Seasonal Clothing Together
If you have a larger storage area, such as a garage or storage unit, designate a specific section for seasonal clothing. Whether in bins or bags, keeping your stored items in one corner makes seasonal wardrobe swaps infinitely easier.
Find Stackable Solutions
Stackable storage solutions, such as containers with lids, can also be useful when packing away clothing. This isn’t always possible (especially if you use garment bags for coats and other uniquely shaped solutions), but having most of your clothing in stackable containers can help you maximize your space, whether you’re stowing everything in a garage, attic, storage unit, or closet.
Maximize Space With Vacuum Seal Bags
Winter clothing is bulky and often takes up a lot more space than spring and summer garments. If you don’t want to add an extra bin or two to your storage setup, vacuum seal bags can help you make the most of every square inch.
