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There is no doubt – winter clothes can be bulky and heavy – especially when you live in areas with freezing and harsh winters. These clothes are a pain to organize in the closet.
If you are always struggling to fit all those bulky and baggy coats and jackets in your closet, then you can benefit from a good organization system!
Not sure how to start?
No worries! These tips on how to organize winter gear were put together to help you out!
Let’s do this!
Switch out your wardrobe by season.
Your wardrobe changes as the season change. Spring and summer outfits are totally different from fall and winter outfits. So, it makes sense to change and organize your closet as the season changes to make room for all the clothes you will be needing the most.
Getting your spring and summer clothes out of the way will give you more closet space to accommodate your winter clothes.
Put your spring and summer clothes into storage. Then, once winter is over, you can start switching back to these clothes.
Treat your winter gear like winter decors. You only bring them out when it’s their time to shine. Then you put them away in storage once the season is over.
This works great, especially when you have limited closet space. When you have a small wardrobe and you live in an area that extremely goes through all four seasons, a small closet does not have enough space for all your seasonal clothing.
Declutter your clothes.
While you are in the process of switching out your spring and summer outfits for your fall and winter clothes, take the chance to declutter. You may have damaged or old clothes that you no longer need.
Decluttering will not only lessen your unnecessary stuff, but it will also give you more space for additional clothes if you need new ones in the future.
A good decluttering plan is to start by separating your clothes into three piles: keep, donate, and throw. Keep the clothes that you still use, donate the clothes that no longer fit or ones that you barely use, and throw out any damaged clothes.
You can also choose to recycle your clothes instead of throwing them out. There are a lot of DIY projects that you can do with old clothes.
After you declutter, you can now store the clothes in the keep pile. When winter is over, simply retrieve these clothes and store your winter clothes after.
If you need a more detailed guide on decluttering clothes, read our related post on it – How to Declutter Clothes and Free Up Closet Space.
Consider less is more.
Before, many would not want to be caught wearing the same outfit all the time. But these days, minimalism is a big hit – even in the wardrobe.
Consider decluttering down to just the important basics that you can mix and match to come up with multiple looks. This will greatly help you when you are living in a tiny space. Also, discovering new combinations that works can be quite fun too!
Some can get away with just one little black dress, the perfect dinner jacket, a pair of jeans that go well with any look, one high-quality coat, and so on.
A minimal set of winter gear is easier to organize. It will help you get dressed faster too because you will not get overwhelmed by your options.
Figure out storage.
The next step after decluttering is to figure out where to store your off-season clothes. If you have a huge closet, there may be space on the upper top of your shelves. This way, they will not take up prime space in the closet. If not, you have the option to store them in containers that can be placed under your bed.
When it comes to storage containers, it is best to go with transparent plastic bins. Your clothes will be well protected from the elements. Also, you can easily spot the contents inside in case you need to retrieve something.
Here’s our favorite plastic bins from Amazon. Try it out!
Go to this page for more choices.
Now if you have a lot of clothes and you live in a tiny space, your last resort can be renting out a storage unit. Choosing this option is best if you have a lot of seasonal stuff to store aside from your clothes.
Make sure that all the clothes are clean and folded properly before you store them away. It helps to put a small bar of soap inside the storage container to keep the clothes smelling good.
Divide your closet space into categories.
It helps to have a designated space for the different kinds of winter gear as you organize your closet.
Have one area for jackets, another area for pants, a drawer for scarves, another drawer for mittens and bonnets, etc.
When you do it this way, you don’t have to go through all the contents of your closet to find one specific piece of clothing. Just go to the category and you can easily find what you need in a minute! This is especially helpful when you need to get dressed in a rush.
Check your winter clothes.
If your winter clothes are from storage, you have to make sure that they are in good condition first. These clothes must not be damaged and dust-free before you take them in your closet.
If your winter gear were wrapped up when you stored them, unwrap and let them breathe for a while before you organize them in the closet.
Also, take into consideration special needs for certain clothing. For instance, leather jackets should be moistened first before you store them in a closet. You can use a sponge for that.
Hang your winter coats well.
Winter coats are probably one of the heaviest and bulkiest pieces of clothing that you can own. If you have more than two, it is probably best to have them hung in a separate place.
You can store them in an entryway closet or purchase a free-standing clothes rack just for them. This way, you have more closet space to organize other winter gear.
Fold and stack sweaters.
When it comes to sweaters, you must retain their shape as much as possible. The best way to do this is to fold and stack them in drawers or on shelves.
On the other hand, you may hang lightweight sweaters, but make sure that you use them often to retain their shape.
Roll up your scarves, socks, and gloves.
The best way to organize winter gear like scarves, socks, and gloves is to keep them rolled up. Stack them in a drawer or put them in a bin on a shelf.
You can also hang these winter clothing items in the mudroom or an entryway closet for easier access when you leave the house.
Organize boots and chunky shoes.
You should also do the same thing with your shoes. Store away the shoes that you will not be using this season such as your open-toed sandals and high heels.
Now is the time for boots and chunky shoes. So, make sure that you also do a declutter and organize your shoes.
Have a designated place for used items.
Let’s admit it. Winter gear like coats, jackets, sweaters, boots, and scarves are items that you do not usually wash right away after a single use. Chances are you would still use them for another day.
It is important to remember that if a clothing item is already used, it should not be put back into your closet where all the clean and unused clothes are. Have them in a separate place like a mudroom corner or a small coat rack.
Maintain your organizational system.
Once your winter closet is up and organized, make sure to put in the effort of maintaining it. Do not clutter it by taking items off and returning them anywhere just because you were in a rush. Be disciplined enough to return your winter gear to their proper places and organize them.
One way to avoid this habit from happening is to choose your outfit the night before. This way, you have enough time to pick and make some changes. You will also have enough time to arrange things back to where they are supposed to be. When you wake up in the morning, your outfit is all ready!
Let’s organize your winter gear!
It can be time consuming and really challenging to organize winter gear, especially when you are doing it for the first time. But once you got your organizational system in place, you will see that it is all worth it.
You will be surprised how neat everything is and you may even have a lot of extra space left in your closet!
With these tips in mind, we are sure that your winter clothes will be neat and orderly in no time.
Remember, to make an organizational system work for you, it must be designed for your own personal use. Think about the way you dress in the morning and take that into consideration when arranging your closet.
With the right organizational system in place, not only will you get dressed quickly, but also you will feel more in control of your life.
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