How to Swap Out Seasonal Clothes

Posted on November 6, 2009 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Organization,Techniques

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Photo by abstract splotcHes

It is finally change-of-season time in the mid-Atlantic, and I swapped out my clothes from summer to winter (we essentially have two seasons here: hot and not.) This seasonal clothes switching is a great time to evaluate your wardrobe. Let’s jump right in!

Putting The Outgoing Clothes Aside

To give yourself some room to work, take all the clothes that you will not be wearing until the next time the season comes around and get them out of the way temporarily. We’ll deal with them in a moment.

I like to put the clothes I am transferring out on my husband’s side of the closet to get them out of my way. A bed or chair will work as well.

Examine Your Incoming Clothes

Do a cursory examination of the clothing you are bringing back into circulation. Are there any that are hopelessly out of style? Put them in a pile for donation or trashing. (Get rid of those parachute pants. They’re not coming back into fashion!)

Next look for clothes that you know don’t fit right. Anything that is too loose, too tight or the wrong length needs to join the out-of-style clothes in the pile. Don’t keep things because you are going to lose weight. When you do lose weight, you will want to celebrate with new clothes; besides, you don’t know that the clothes will fit the way they used to anyway.

Examine the remaining clothes for things that are torn, stained or in otherwise need of repair. If you can’t repair it, ask yourself if you will get it repaired. If you’re not committed to getting it repaired in the next week, throw it on the pile to go. If it is stained, ask yourself if you can get the stain out. Will you do so? If not, toss it.

Checking for Usage

The next little trick will allow you to see if you are still wearing the clothes. Put the clothes away backward. If you are using hangers, hang the clothes so that the hanger comes through to the front of the closet. If you are folding them, put them in the drawer upside down. When you launder the clothes, you can put them back normally. At the end of the season you will be able to see what you haven’t worn and purge appropriately.

Dealing with the Outgoing Clothes

After you have dealt with the clothes you are going to wear, take care of the ones you are rotating out. Check to see if there are ones that need laundering or repair and take care of it. Then pack them away in an out-of-the-way spot. Here are some ideas:

In an empty closet. If you have unused closet space somewhere, consider putting your hanging clothes there. I keep my dress clothes in an unused part of my regular closet.
In the guest room. We have a chest of drawers in the closet of our guest room. I keep my daughter’s out-of-season clothes there.
In empty luggage. If you don’t travel much, consider putting your out-of-season clothes in an empty suitcase. I usually toss in a dryer sheet to keep things fresh.
Under the bed. I’m not a big fan of this strategy, but if you are short on space, consider getting some under-the-bed storage boxes and keeping out of season clothes there.
Space bags. I’ve never had much luck with Space Bags — the bags that compress your clothing with the help of a vacuum– but some of my friends swear by these bags. If you put your clothes in the bags and compress, you can store them on a shelf easily

With a few steps you can sort through your wardrobe as you do the necessary seasonal switches.

Photo by abstract splotcHes