Winter months are approaching us slowly, and it’s time to do a wardrobe rotation. You won’t be needing those stylish, colorful summer shirts for a while. It’s time to pull out the cozy, neutral tones and chunky boots.
Here are some quick and practical ideas to help you prepare your wardrobe for the winter:
Put away summer items properly
If, like most people, you rotate the clothes from your closet, you will have to take care of your summer clothes before giving space to your cozy winter coats and sweaters.
The first thing we recommend you do is to sort through your closet item by item. This way, you can check for any damaged clothes or any minor repairs that you should do.
When looking through your wardrobe, you will notice some items you probably haven’t worn all summer that are stuck in the back of the closet and taking up space. We’re all guilty of keeping things for the sentiment, but maybe this is the perfect time to think twice.
Make three piles, one that you will donate, one that you will keep, and one for the clothes you will throw away.
This tactic will force you to rediscover some old things you may be surprised to find, and it will also make space for winter clothing. Maybe some pieces aren’t so trendy anymore, or perhaps some are simply things you replaced with higher-quality versions of the same item. Regardless, you won’t regret doing this.
After you’re done sorting, you should properly store the clothes away. We recommend washing your clothes before putting them away. You should take the more delicate items to dry cleaning.
You want to ensure your clothes are safe when you aren’t wearing them for an extended time. If you’re big on saving space, consider getting vacuum bags. When sealed, they will protect greatly from many things, such as dust, moisture, and insects.
Take good care of the clothes
Even if you’ve adequately preserved your clothes during the summer, it would still be a good idea to wash your clothes before wearing them.
For heavier items like coats or jackets, you may want to bring them to dry cleaning. It’s recommended to do so at least twice during the season. Some companies offer pick-up and delivery, like this business for dry cleaning in NJ, that allows you to schedule and take care of this task without leaving the comfort of your home during the cold months.
Try hand washing if dry cleaning is not an option for you. Although it takes more time, it is also a less expensive choice. The care label is another thing to pay attention to. While some products might be machine-washable, others might only be appropriate for dry cleaning. Don’t toss the label away before reading it; most brands will have comprehensive instructions on it.
Arrange and store clothes properly
Once you’re done sorting through your summer clothing, you should do the same with your winter clothes. You will save a lot of space, but also do a nice thing by donating some warm clothing. Winter clothing will take up a considerably bigger area, so it might be tricky to arrange everything in a way that is practical and fits. By looking through your clothes, you can also check if any of the clothes need smaller repairs or mending. You can easily fix most minor damages with a hand-sewing kit.
Sweaters and any other knitted items are best folded on the shelf. That way, they won’t lose their shape or get any rips. Still, consider that material like wool needs space to breathe and go back to its original shape after wearing, so don’t stuff them all together tightly.
For boots and other winter shoes, it’s best to keep them in the original box. That way, you can stack them on top of each other and save some floor space. Plastic boxes can also be a good way to store winter accessories, like gloves and scarves.
