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Here are five proper ways to organize and tidy up your wardrobe during the season change. Read on!
The bad news about the climate of a place like New York is that you have to change your wardrobe every season. However, there’s good news too.
Seasonal clothes rotation is the best way to keep closets tidy and organized. So it means New Yorkers can be four times more organized than Californians.
So if your closet of a “creative mess” of four seasons and finding two matching socks in the morning is a sort of accomplishment, you probably need a total closet reboot.
A proper wardrobe system is about showcasing in your closet only what you really need during the current season. This helps you wear more of your clothes while actually having less.
Here is some expert advice on how to keep your closets tidy, organize current season items, and store off-season garments with love.
Develop Your Own Wardrobe System
You can neither clean nor organize the chaos. You need to systematize your wardrobe first. So take everything out of your closet and pile it on your bed and a clean floor.
Now you need to divide all your wardrobe content (including accessories and footwear) into three groups: “great” items you want to keep, “good” items to give away, and “bad” items to toss. The secret of a perfectly organized wardrobe is to never settle for less than “great” in your closet.
After the “donate” and “toss” bags are packed and ready to leave your house, move on to the “great clothes” pile, dividing it into smaller piles, one pile per season.
Only items of the current season will return to the closet after it is thoroughly cleaned, while the other three “seasons” will be carefully stored elsewhere, out of sight.
Keep Only Valuable Items
Sorting clothes can be very emotional because we humans are sentimental and often get attached to different items, especially if they remind us of very special moments in life.
At the same time, our closets can be packed with impulse buys, unwanted gifts, and other useless stuff from past years we cannot wear now for some reason.
As life goes on, we should learn to let go of clothes that no longer add value to our lives. So critically evaluate your “keep” pile of clothes and honestly ask yourself:
- Do I like it?
- Does it still fit my body shape and my current lifestyle?
- Did I wear it within the last year, and will I wear it soon?
- Would I buy this item again?
- Is it versatile enough to be worn throughout the year and used with different trends?
If you answer “no” to at least one question, this item has to leave your closet and your life, however beautiful, expensive, or good-quality it is. Put it into the “donate” bag and think about whom it might benefit.
Clean Closets Before Repacking Them with Clothes
Cleaning a closet is an easy task now that it is empty. The experts from house cleaning services in New York suggest vacuuming the floor and shelves first and then wiping all the closet shelves and light fixtures with a wet microfiber cloth to remove the remaining dust.
If you are a lucky owner of a walk-in closet, ensure that you wash the floor too. Also, clean the closet door from the outside and wipe down the door handle, leaving the door open to let all the surfaces air dry.
Organize Your Wardrobe Real Estate
If you just pile all the “current season” clothes into the cleaned closet, that will be a failure. Without proper organization, sooner or later you will be searching for your matching socks somewhere in Narnia.
So think about buying and installing closet organizers to make your closet a multifunctional space where every item has its own place and never gets lost.
There are lots of organizing products available on the internet for any closet size and budget. Here are some closet-organizing principles that will help you use every square inch of your closet to your benefit:
- Divide your drawers using homemade or commercial dividers to create separate spaces for smaller items like bras, underwear, socks, tights, etc.
- Clothes of the same type must be kept together. If you have many items of the same type (for example, workout outfits), devote a separate drawer or shelf to it.
- Hang as many items as you can on hangers, arranging similar items together.
- Consider sorting your closet by matching colors or planning outfits in advance by keeping matching clothing together.
- Keep clothing you wear more often in the front.
Store Off-season Garments with Care
The easiest and safest way to store clothing you don’t need during this season is in large plastic containers. Unlike vacuum bags, they don’t wrinkle clothing while reliably protecting it from dust, odors, and pests.
So pack every “season” into its container (you can use more containers per season, of course), labeling it, so you know what’s inside.
Shoes are best stored in their original manufacturer’s boxes or individual containers. Decide where you will be storing these containers based on your accommodation opportunities.
It can be your attic, basement, or even utility room if you have enough space there. The only rule is to ensure your clothing is stored in a dry place, away from water, steam, and sharp temperature changes.
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