Is your closet getting cramped? Do you spend forever digging through your clothes to find one specific item? If you’re nodding, it might be time to rethink your wardrobe.
Don’t worry — you don’t have to sort through everything to decide what to donate or keep. Swapping clothes out seasonally provides the benefits of downsizing without the heartbreak.
Tips for clothes storage and out-of-season items are something you might need to consider if your closet is small.
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The Benefits of Swapping Your Clothes Every Season
Why keep bulky sweaters or stacks of denim shorts in your closet when you know you won’t wear them for months? Storing off-season stuff elsewhere frees up much-needed room.
The time you save not having to search through your gigantic clothing collection when you desperately need to find a specific item is worth it. However, having a smaller wardrobe saves you time even when you’re not rushing. Deciding what to wear goes faster when you have a limited selection. You already make hundreds of minor decisions daily — why not simplify the start of your day by temporarily downsizing your closet?
Regardless of whether swapping clothes out seasonally saves you time or not, it’ll result in less clutter. On top of being visually appealing, you’ll have an easier time organizing and cleaning your closet throughout the year.
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When you declutter your closet and reduce the number of clothes you have, it’ll be easier to see what you’re missing. For example, you might realize you’re in desperate need of a rain jacket or a new swimsuit.
Another of the biggest benefits of having a seasonal wardrobe is it can lengthen your wardrobe’s lifespan. For example, cleaning jewelry before storing it can restore its original quality and prevent tarnish — excellent news if you have a few items you adore.
While swapping out your clothes multiple times a year takes time and effort, the benefits can be worth it. The longer you do it, the more space, time, and money you’ll save. Besides, pulling out the items you have in storage when the seasons finally change can feel great.
Related article: Tips And Ideas On How To Organize Your Closet
Why Should You Swap Your Clothes Out Seasonally?
There’s no need to go shopping if you’re tired of seeing the same options in your closet. Instead, breathe life into your wardrobe by temporarily sunsetting some of your clothes when they’re not in season. Going a few months without seeing them can make them feel brand new, even if you’ve had them for years.
If you’re content with your clothing, swapping your clothes out seasonally is a great way to get a lot of extra room. If your closet is particularly small and the typical space-saving tips aren’t as helpful as they should be, then temporarily removing a good chunk of your wardrobe is the ideal way to free up space and reduce clutter.
Strategies For Swapping Clothes Out Seasonally
There are two ways you can swap your clothes out seasonally. The first is to store everything but the stuff currently in season. This method breaks up your wardrobe into four separate sets — one for summer, spring, winter, and fall. It’s ideal if you have a ton of items taking up space in your closet.
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Swapping your clothes out at the start of every season gives you new outfits to wear right when you start to get bored of your current options. It also ensures you always have seasonally appropriate items on hand.
If your wardrobe isn’t big enough for you to have enough outfits for each season, consider swapping them out when the weather changes. Although spring is cooler than summer, hanging up warm-weather clothes a month or two early won’t hurt. The same goes for fall and winter — having extra warm items on standby can be helpful.
The benefit of swapping your clothes for warmer and cooler weather is it helps you get creative when putting outfits together. It’s also helpful when there’s an unseasonably warm or cool day. Instead of going through storage containers for a winter coat or tank top, you can go straight to your closet.
The right strategy depends on how the weather is where you live and how much clothing you own. Whichever way you decide to swap your clothes out, you’ll reap the advantages of having a seasonal wardrobe.
How to Swap Out Your Clothes Seasonally
Seasonally swapping your wardrobe involves more than shoving your off-season clothes in cardboard boxes for a few months.
Wash Off-Season Clothing
You should wash whatever you plan on storing because invisible blotches can turn into stains after a few months. For example, sweat causes clothing to yellow in storage and washing won’t always remove the discoloration. Once they oxidize, the stain might become permanent.
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Organize Off-Season Clothing
Organizing the clothes you aren’t keeping in your closet is essential. Fold every item according to its material type to minimize wrinkles and wear. Then, stack them in labeled containers.
Store Off-Season Clothing
Critters like mice, roaches, and snakes like to nest in cardboard boxes full of clothes because they’re warm, comfortable, and easy to get into. In other words, you should pick your storage containers carefully. Most experts recommend plastic bins because they’re relatively pest-proof.
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Although the garage, attic, or basement might be your go-to place for storage, you should avoid them. Otherwise, you risk humidity and pests damaging your clothes. The best place to keep everything safe and out of sight is under your bed.
Maximize Your Closet Space
Once you store your off-season clothes, it’s time to make the most out of the space you have. Jewelry boxes, over-door organizers, shoe racks, shelf dividers, closet rods, under-shelf baskets, and hooks are all space-saving options that can make your closet feel more organized.
Organize In-Season Clothing
You can organize your in-season clothes by color, length, material, or purpose. For example, you could hang coats, shelve sweaters, and stack boots. Get creative with storage options and the space you have left to get the most out of the small closet.
Tips For Swapping Clothes Out Seasonally
Knowing insider tips about swapping clothes out seasonally can help you save extra closet space and streamline your process.
1. Have Supplies on Hand
You should have trash bags on hand for things you realize you no longer want, whether it’s a shirt with holes or a shoe with broken straps. The same concept applies to storage — you need containers, markers, and labels to organize your off-season wardrobe and simplify future swaps.
2. Know How Often to Swap
While the best time of year to alternate clothes depends on your wardrobe and local climate, you should generally do it two to four times yearly. More specifically, you should aim for every 12 weeks for each season, or every 24 weeks for a spring and fall swap.
3. Use Proper Organization
Good organization methods keep your in-season wardrobe intact and looking fresh. For example, properly sized hangers can lengthen the lifespan of your clothes and save closet space, while the wrong ones can cause wrinkles or stretching.
4. Consider the 80/20 Rule
According to the 80/20 rule, you wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time. Consider placing your most-used items front and center to keep your space organized and clean longer. This way, you won’t make a mess trying to find them at the bottom of a pile or the back of the closet.
5. Rethink Your Wardrobe
If you’re not excited to pull out your clothes in storage when they come into season, consider giving them away or selling them. The same concept applies if they’re no longer in style or you barely wear them.
6. Take Care of Special Items
Delicate, sentimental, or expensive clothes probably shouldn’t go in the same container as your shoes or pajamas. Place them in a separate storage bin from the rest of your off-season wardrobe and take them out every so often to ensure they’re still holding up.
Give Your Wardrobe A Refresh And Regain Closet Space
No matter how often you swap your clothes out seasonally, you’ll refresh your wardrobe and free up the much-needed closet space you’ve been craving. Even though it takes some planning, you’ll only have to organize and store your clothes four times a year at most. In other words, you’ll probably find the effort is worth the reward.
Article written by: Evelyn Long is an interior design writer who is passionate about helping homeowners keep their homes tidy and decluttered. She is the editor-in-chief of Renovated Magazine, where she writes about current interior design and organization trends.