Sorting and Storing Your Seasonal Clothes

As this time of winter starts to come to a "clothes," we have many things to think about when it comes to storage.  I am not the best at storing things but every now and then I find a very efficient way of doing something.  I figured out something that really works for my family and I hope that you will find that it also works for yours.

First thing to do is SORT:

Separate clothes into

• No longer fits
• Damaged
• and The Rest

I often just use trash bags when I sort.  You can also use boxes or you can just use your bed to make piles. 

"No longer fits" will be put in a bag or box and will be taken later to a charity like a church or Goodwill.  I have a giant box of clothes that I had been trying to get back into.  It's from my first and second years of college, before having a child (and now being pregnant with another).  I look at those clothes and I know that even if I were to get back to that size, I would not wear them because of how "young" they seem.  I have passed that stage in my life and don't wear things so flamboyant as I did before.  I wear bright colors differently now than I did then.  All those clothes, OUT!  Anything I throw out, I can buy again and it will be up to my taste now.

When you are doing this to your child's closet, especially if you plan on having more children, you want to put all of the clothes your child has out grown into plastic containers.  Be sure to wash all the clothes you store and it's also a good idea to wipe down the insides of the plastic containers.  Be sure the containers are completely dry before anything goes into them.

"Damaged" are clothes that have holes in them, tears that were not fashionably intended (in my opinion, if you have kids then your clothes shouldn't have any big tears in them unless its your "cleaning the house clothes."  Depending, it's hard to avoid not having jeans that are made with a snag, my husbands pants are that way), faded clothes and thinning clothes; these clothes will be thrown into the trash.  Some people like to keep parts of "damaged clothes" and use them as cleaning rags or as pieces of a quilt.  I tried that once and it only caused a bigger mess trying to fit those things in place that aren't as organized as they should be; example: my fabric "area." 

My opinion is throw out any clothes that is damaged and don't look back!

Ignore the memories that may come with any damaged clothes.  If you have a shirt from your engagement photos or from your first date with your husband (or wife), take that one piece of clothes and either frame it with the picture or movie tickets that you have with it and display it.  Don't lock it up in a box because that defeats the purpose of keeping that memory if you are only locking it away.  Show off such sweet, affectionate things that you have kept.  I love to see those kinds of things in my own home and the home of others.  The simple things we treasure often become the things that molded us the most into whom we have become.  Remember, almost anything that you throw away can be bought again at a later time.  If it is something from your past in the 60s, well, it was well used!  You can always ask your kids and grandkids if they want them.  Retro is in, and if you can't fit into them anymore, your granddaughter might be able to!  Just be ready to see them have adjustments after you have turned them over to other family.

After you have finished on your "No longer fits" and "Damaged" piles and have put them aside ready to be taken to charities or you have already thrown them out, then you can go back to "The Rest."

...and The Rest:

Now you will sort again:

• Spring
• Summer
• Fall
• Winter
• Work Uniforms

I have my clothes separated into two piles:  Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.  In South Texas, we don't really get all the seasons.  Where my family lives, this winter, the lowest it went during the day was about the mid 30s.  At night the lowest was the low 30s.  So lumping Fall and Winter works well were I live.  If you have snow clothes then Winter should have it's own category, like I show.  Most likely then, you use a light jacket in Spring time so you would also want to have Spring separate from Summer.  So, for many of you who live further from the waist band of the world (the Equator), you should have the four separate categories for your clothes.

I really do go by the seasons with my clothes.  I like to dress my family to match, even day to day wear sometimes but especially for birthdays and holidays.  Having all our clothes separated into seasons helps me to quickly pick out outfits and it makes getting ready for the next day easier.

If you are unsure about the differences of seasons in your clothes, look it up online or just look around you at nature.

I still like having pastels in Spring, it reminds me of my childhood wearing pastel flowers with white lace and it always make me smile.  Fashion changes what "is best in Spring" from pastels to black and white(?) to brights and back again.  I like sticking with classics and what makes me happy.  If you like being what's happin' now...you want to watch closely because it's always changing.  Depending on where you live, you may want a jean jacket or other light weight jacket in a light fade or even a white.  Some people like to use scarves.  I like to use scarves.  You want light weight scarves in Spring with the same colors you see in your clothes no matter what color scheme you plan on using.  Sun hats can be first seen at this time also; white and wide!  When the flowers just begin to bloom, and color comes back to the earth, your clothes will reflect that.

Bright colors, like turquoise, coral, lime green and lemon colors are best for summer.  I think it's a timeless thing.  When the sun is brightest, your clothes reflect that.  Nautical is also very good for summer!  White capris and a navy blue/red and white stripe shirt with a boat neck and deck shoes in a natural canvas is perfect whether on a boat or shopping at the mall.  Don't forget your sun hats!  Have a white or natural woven wide brim sun hat for women and for men a straw fedora.  I like fedoras and my hubby looks hot in them so I try to influence the use of them! ;)

When the colors begin to change on the trees and a chill begins to blow in the air, earthy colors, browns, creams, deep greens, mustards, khakis, plums, burgundies and burnt oranges are what you want to reflect in your clothes in the Fall.  Skip out on all whites at this time.  Replace white with nude or cream colors and it will all work just fine.  You should also have a couple of light weight jackets in a brown or maybe in a red or green to help keep you comfortable.  Scarves come back again and as in Spring, the scarves you use in the Fall should reflect the colors in your clothes.  These scarves are heavier than your scarves in the Spring because Winter will be just around the corner.  I like to wear gold jewelry in the Fall the most, but I won't get into jewelry today.

Winter is tricky to me.  In South Texas it's hard to tell when Winter starts, so it often feels like I should be wearing earth tones until February when I like to start to wear reds for St. Valentine's Day.  Talking in a general, "We actually have Winter here" mind set this is what I always wish I could do every year by having a real winter.  Winter clothes can be very bulky.  Sweaters and large down coats and maybe even snow suits take up a lot of room.  When you have a regular snow fall, you really do have a completely different wardrobe.  In Winter, the colors can vary.  You want your snow clothes to not blend into the snow so that you can easily be found in an emergency.  Especially kid's snow clothes.  You need to easily spot them as they slide down a snowy hill with other kids.  December is when I start to wear Winter colors.  White is a color you can use again!  If you are where it snows, you can easily see that nature has brought it back.  White, blue, red, gold, green and other solid colors work for wintertime.  Also...things that glisten!  With the glimmering snow on the ground, your clothes will reflect that magical picturesque view outside your window.  Glimmering colors also are what help to celebrate the new year.  Scarves, mittens and gloves are used almost daily in Winter.  Look at the colors you have for Winter and pick the most frequent color and buy scarves and mittens in a color opposite of the color wheel.  Wintertime is when the world looks a little bleaker and having contrasting colors in your wardrobe help you perk up as well as those who see you out and about.  When February comes around, I like to start wearing reds and pinks to help celebrate love.  March is tricky sometimes because it is the transition month from Winter to Spring.  I like wearing greens at this time because of St. Patrick's Day.  My mother in law's birthday is on the same day and she also has Irish blood in her so I like to have my family wear green to remember that we have that in our family's history.

Now Storing Your Seasonal Clothes

Now that you have separated all your remaining clothes into seasons, it is time to store them.

Be sure all clothes that goes into storage is washed accordingly whether by dry cleaning or by washing machine.  The best containers to use to store clothes in are plastic containers/totes.  Wipe down the insides of all plastic containers with warm water and a little mild soap.  Rise them out well and dry them.  Be sure they are completely dry before you put in any clothes to be stored or your clothes will mold.  Label all of the totes before you add in any clothes.  Have one tote only for each season.  This needs to be simple to use, so use only one per season.

Fold your clothes and gently put each item in with your bottoms on the bottom since they are usually the heavier clothes.  Silk tops should be on the very top as they are the most delicate.  Scarves can be put in their respective seasons or you can have shoe box sized plastic containers to hold them for each season you have scarves for as well as other seasonal accessories to keep them from being lost in the larger containers.  Remember, you want to keep this simple.  When Spring comes, you want to be able to grab one tote and a shoe box of scarves and be able to quickly hang them up.  So each season there should be an empty tote in your closet.  If you have a shelf at the top of your closet, that is the best place to have your totes.  The empty tote can be stacked if you have the same kind of tote for each season.  You can also color coordinate your totes with the seasons but be sure they are the same size and preferably the same brand.  I have clear totes, though that is not necessary at all.  For your snow clothes, using something like vacuumed out bags that shrink down to a quarter of the size it started at are the best things to use if you don't have an extra closet to keep your snow clothes in year round.  If you are lucky enough to have an extra closet, lets say in a guest bedroom, use that closet for large coats and snow clothes so that they don't get musty over the year that they are stored so that you can quickly get them when you need them.  Coats are things that need to be dry cleaned a head of time and cutting that part out makes life easier when Winter comes and you lost track of time with the holidays.  For your hats, buy a hat box.  Nothing will work as good as a hat box for a hat.  I have one extra large hat box that I have all my seasonal hats in.  Our Resistol cowboy hats have their own boxes.  Those are special hats that need special care.  If you have special hats that need special care, give them their own box.

Work uniforms are something that you will always need to have out.  My husband has work clothes that is the same for every season so those are things that don't need to ever be stored.  If your uniform is just being in business dress, then that clothes should be sorted by seasons with The Rest and when you put them out and hang them in your closet each season, you can separate your designated work clothes from your day to day clothes at that time.

I hope this post has not been over whelming and I hope that it has helped you in some way. 

Be sure to be safe when you are doing any outdoor activities and be sure that your clothes and the clothes your children wear reflect your want to protect yourselves.  That's why I mention jackets, hats and scarves also.  These articles of clothing will help keep you and your family protected from harsh winds and the harsh sun.  Don't forget, fashion isn't fashion if it's also not functional.  As a mother, you can't live any other way when it comes to your family and what they wear or really anything you do together.  You can be comfortable and fashionable in these times we live in.  More mothers are the ones making what mothers need.  Go and search for what makes you happy in the skin you're in.