Steps To Organize Your Closet This Fall

When the winds turn chilly and noses turn red, you know that the time has come to pull out those heavy winter clothes. Everything that was packed away and forgotten is now remembered and scrambling for a front row seat in the closet.

Prepare yourself for this time of year a little earlier by organizing your closet so that everything finds a perfect spot. Listed are a few tips to get that extra room for all the winter bulk coming your way.

Clear out the closet

This one is fairly obvious but sometimes left for later too long. Our clothes that can only be worn in the summer and spring, such as windbreakers and tanks, get left out. These end up taking valuable space, leaving a clutter or unorganized chaos. Before you start placing all the winter clothes in, clear out all of your clothes that you know won’t be coming out anytime soon. It’ll make things go along much smoother.

Divide and Conquer

Sort out your stuff and divide into separate piles. Use separate boxes or just pile them up on the floor and pick up later. Start off with “Donate/Ditch” and “Keep”/ “Store” and get to work.

Donate or ditch anything that you won’t wear again. Anything that’s in bad condition should go without a second thought. Other stuff that is wearable, but not by you, can go in the “Donate” pile. Be honest with yourself. If you didn’t wear it last season, you won’t wear it again, so let it go.

Keep your summer clothes together and store away whatever you’re not going to need for the next six months.  Now, start to tackle what you’re going to wear in the winter months.

Dry clean your coats

If you didn’t get them dry cleaned before putting them away, do that now. Grab your coats and jackets and head to the dry cleaners. Better to do it now than later, or they may never get done.

Weatherproof boots

If footwear needs repair, head to the cobbler. Check winter boots to see the condition of their soles. Invest in some quality rubber soles and heels and make winter boots last as long as you like.

Next, move on to closet organization and set it up for fall.            

Removable Storage

For all of the bulky scarves and mittens that can’t be stuffed into drawers, try buying some portable storage compartments. Items such as baskets or hanging shelves are great for easy access to all the things you need.

Especially when getting the kids ready for school, hanging shelves on the closet door do wonders. This will ensure that they have everything right in front of them so they don’t end up playing in the snow with their bare hands.

Having baskets lined right under jackets is another easy trick to make way for all the accessories needed for the cold season. You can store the baskets away throughout the warmer days, and when the time comes, simply take them out and put them where they can be easily reached.

This way, your clothes will be ready for you as soon as you need them. It saves time from opening boxes, searching for gloves and hats individually and makes storing them away simple.

Once the winter days are over, shelves get folded and baskets go away, so you’re not left with any chills from the snow time.

Snow Shoe Racks

Boots are the worst when winter comes. They bring along the snow and mud, dirtying the floor and carpets. A creative way for you to store these boots is to hang them on hat racks. Leaving them upside down, the snow and water will come off, and they won’t take up any extra space on the floor. Of course, getting used to the boots hanging in the air will take some time, but it is a good way to keep floor space cleared and clean.

Simpler ways are to have a rack on the floor that is slightly elevated so you can put a carpet under it. The boots will dry off and the carpet will keep the surrounding floor clean. The carpet can be anything, perhaps a bathroom mat, as long as it can get wet.

Compact Hanging

The first step here is to make sure that you have strong hangers with a bottom bar. If so, then it’s time to hang whole outfits together. Your sweater, jacket, and heavy pants can all fit onto the same coat hanger, taking up less space and leaving more hangers.

The kids can have their winter wear all piled onto one hanger so that they don’t have to go looking for all of their clothes in the morning. Everything is stored in a much easier fashion and finding your outfit for outdoors takes less time.

Cubbies

Everyone loves their own personal space, and the best way to have it in a closet is to have your own cubbies. You can fit all of your gloves, scarves hats and mittens in your own cubby so that they are always there for you.

The cubbies can be used annually, filled with sandals in the summer, hoodies in the fall, and windbreakers in the summer. Everything finds its own spot and nobody has to look through other people's things.    

Door Shelves for Shoes

A clever way to keep snow boots is to place shelves or racks on the inside of your closet door. These racks can hold all of your boots so that they are placed out of sight, and somewhere you can easily find them.

Naturally, it would be best if the floor was then cleared and the closet carpeted. Throughout the rest of the year, other shoes can then come along and take their place. This is an all-around smart way to store shoes so they don’t line the bottom of the bed.

No matter how you decide to fix your closet, you’ll always find that there is a lot more space waiting for you than you think. Extra storage compartments, space-saving tricks, and imaginative organizing can all help fix your closet for fall.