By Christina Morton DesAuguste
Christina is the founder and CEO of The Organizing Company. She’s been organizing professionally since 2013. She has a background working with kids and teenagers, as well as in clothing retail. Today’s saving grace during self quarantine: sundresses.
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Sweater Weather is alllllllmost a thing of the past. The weather here seems to be playing a little hot and cold with us, but we know it’s almost time for it to make up its mind.
When it's time to transition your closets and wardrobe where you are, there are a few things I recommend:
Try to keep sweaters within view so you can pull one down if there's a chilly evening/trip to Pike's Peak during the summer. Of course, you’re probably not going to grab the reindeer Christmas sweater, so articles that you wouldn’t wear out of season- even if the weather was appropriate- can be harder to reach/out of sight.
I do recommend keeping off season clothing in your closet all year. Not just for the reason above, but also because it helps remind you of what you have and that you probably have enough. You may find a sale on a great off season item, but when you can see that you have stacks and stacks of off season clothing already, it’s easier to say no.
If space or minimalism aren’t issues, it’s often just a good solution to store off season clothing with on season clothing because it’s unlikely for a lot of people to take the time to go to wherever they store things to get just one sweater or some ski gear. Many people will go buy more, thus contributing to their disorganization. And if they do go look through the bins (or vacuum bags under the bed), often we find them looking like they’ve been ransacked: left open, stuff strewn about, stuff not put back in the right spot. Don’t get me wrong, I know that is MY tendency to not put the energy into it too, so I’m not judging anyone who does that. It’s just something that can be avoided easily if off season clothing wasn’t such a pain to get to. I also see that people just plum forget about their off season clothing in the basement- usually when they only put some of it down there and keep the rest upstairs. It’s out of sight out of mind and they buy new stuff the next year.
BUT, I know that sometimes it’s just not practical to keep everything in your master closet. And that’s okay. So if you do move sweaters, etc out of the closet to storage for the summer, make sure you keep them organized and in LABELED bins. Especially if you have multiple categories in multiple bins (ie a bin with shorts and skirts; a bin with sweaters and ski gear, a bin and a half of scarves). It means less rummaging if you have things labeled; we even label it so it’s clear that this side is skirts and that side is dresses, or whatever.
We also recommend LARGE labels. You want to be able to see things from further away as you are crawling in your attic/crawlspace or looking through the stack of bins in the basement. You don’t want to have to get close enough to read small label maker labels. If you must use the label maker though, they make one inch label tape for bigger font. Just make sure your machine is compatible.
Other label options:
Budget friendly: Duct tape/large colored masking tape with large black letters. We recommend light colored tapes for contrast. You can even color code: Pink tape is for Christmas bins, yellow tape is for spring decor, etc so it’s even easier to find what you’re looking for.
Middle of the road: Check out these adhesive label pockets. You can write- or print off your computer- large labels and just slip them in.
Pretty but more pricey: If you can commit to putting things back in the same bin each year (or to buying new labels every year), check out these beautiful custom vinyl labels. They are large, easy to read, and come in several colors and fonts. We’re big fans.
Okay, back to the tips. Notice I said "bins." Make sure your clothes are stored in something that keeps moths/bugs/mice out, and also protects against flooding if you store them in the basement, garage, crawlspace, or even the attic (roof leaks!). Vacuum bags are great as well. But no cardboard boxes of sweaters in the basement, please! This goes for keepsakes, photos, holiday decor. Anything in storage should be protected. It’s the saddest thing when we uncover boxes of priceless heirlooms and photos, but they are covered in dust and mildew. Bins for the win.
Last tip: If you store anything in bins, we recommend investing in some shelving. It seems like such a luxury thing sometimes, but I’ve seen how it makes all the difference in maintaining organization over time. Having shelves and designating them for specific categories (Christmas, Halloween, Off Season Clothing, Luggage) means that A) you know where to find things; B) you know where to put things back; and C) that it’s easy to do both of those things. All of that translates to less rummaging, fewer back strains moving an unnecessary amount of bins, and more organization maintained because things actually get back where they belong. Make sure you factor in bin size (depth and height especially) and weight when choosing your shelves.
Here are some of our favorite shelving options:
Husky: Heavy duty, but not fun to assemble.
Wire Racks: Heavy duty and available with casters, but a nightmare to assemble: Different versions come in white or silver too.
Oragami shelves: Heavy duty, casters, no assembly, and folds easily for storage if you have a season where you don’t need it (aka the winner).
So go fold up your winter clothing and start pulling out the sundresses and tank tops!
Happy Organizing!
Christina + The Organizing Company Team
May 01, 2020
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