5 Ways to Simplify the Seasonal Wardrobe Swap
It's ironic that even though we have to get dressed every single day, many of us don't prioritize the order and organization of our wardrobes. In fact, closets tend to be one of the messiest and most disorganized areas of the home because that's where we can hide things to tackle another day. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Searching for clothes or personal items is no way to start your day - it’s setting the tone for a stressful, frustrating, and overwhelming day.
Below are five tips on how you can simplify the seasonal wardrobe swap to keep your closets organized and your items exactly where they should be.
1 - Set time aside to tackle the closet BEFORE the weather changes
It is much easier to get everyone out the door on time on the first rain day or the first snowfall, if you've already done your seasonal wardrobe swap. Even if it's still 30° outside, the seasonal weather change is inevitable, so you might as well get ahead of the game and do it before you're scrambling with 5 minutes before you need to be out the door. Carve out a chunk of time long enough to ensure you're able to do a thorough edit, sort, rezone, and overall organization of each wardrobe. If you’re just starting out on your organizing journey, give yourself at least 1 hour per closet. Over time, it will get faster and likley only take you 15 mins to reset each closet seasonally.
2 - Stay on top of it throughout the year
My favorite way to stay on top of an edit is to dedicate a basket or bin in your home for items to be donated. Instead of putting clothes you no longer love back on a hanger, or too small pants back in the drawer, toss them into the dontation bin right away. Once the basket is full, throw it in your trunk and drop it off the next time you're close to a donation center. Too often I help clients edit clothing they haven’t used in years - it’s just been taking up space in their closet like an unwelcome houseguest living rent-free! Plus, these items get in the way of seeing the items you actually DO want to wear. It is much less time consuming to donate items throughout the season than to wait and donate them all at once.
3 - Zone categories based on who is using the space
If your hope is that your children will dress themselves, don't hang their clothes on an out of reach rod. If your hope is that your kids will maintain the space, please don't expect them to fold and stack neatly on a shelf. Manage the expectation by providing them with tools and systems that will make it easy for them to execute, and create less work and stress for you. I find that baskets are excellent solutions for kids to wash and toss into, especially for smaller garments like underwear, socks, seasonal accessories and bathing suits.
4 - Stop housing items you can’t wear in your closet
If an item needs to be mended, repaired, washed, or doesn't currently fit, it should not be living in your closet. You don't necessarily have to get rid of it all together but you should dedicate your closet to house only items that you can grab and wear each day. The same goes for seasonal wear. If you don't have another area of your home you can store seasonal items, shift them to a less conveniently located area in your closet so as soon as you open the closet doors all you see is in-season and wearable items
5 - Improve visual overwhelm using organizing product solutions
Nine out of 10 times I'm going to recommend investing in matching hangers. If you're using smaller hangers for children's items, the dollar store is a great option since they don't need to last a lifetime, but only a few years. If space is a concern, make sure you're using a thin and sturdy hanger. Avoid gobbling up too much rod space with a bulky wooden hanger. These hangers are a great and relatively low expense option but makes a huge difference in the overall aesthetic of your closet. I also recommend using fabric baskets like these for textiles to reduce snags and damage to your clothing.
Final thoughts: However you choose to organize your closet and manage the seasonal wardrobe swap, the main goal of the system is always the same - shorten the road to the goal. Your home should be the antidote for your stress and not the cause of it.
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