Fall is here! I love fall because it brings the hope of cooler weather. If you are like me, by this time of year, you are over summer clothes.
Spring and fall are opportunities for us to hit reset on our wardrobes and wear clothes we have ignored for an entire season. Unless you have a closet the size of a small garage, you should be storing your out of season clothes somewhere else.
They may be stored in a guest room closet or in bins under the bed.
Moving unworn clothing to another location within your home when not in use frees up a significant amount of room in your operating closet.
Here are the steps to making it happen, regardless of where you may be in the process.
Special note: This is hard work. It will take you a while for sure. I can make a swap for a large closet in about four hours and I am a seasoned professional.
Here we go!
Pull next season’s clothes out of storage. If they are stored in bins, take them out and lay flat on the bed. If they need to be laundered or pressed, set them aside. (You should always launder before storing.) If the incoming season clothes are coming from a closet in another room, lay them on your bed.
Remove last season’s clothes from closet and drawers. Take them somewhere else. You don’t want to get them mixed up with the 
incoming clothes. The sofa is a good place unless it is too far away. Here is a quick list of things from summer:
As you are removing last season’s clothes, pay attention to anything you did not wear at all. If you find you have something you did not wear, you really do not need it. It is taking up valuable real estate in your closet and adding more work to your seasonal wardrobe swap.
Fold the items nicely, much like how you would pack them into a suitcase for a long trip.
Place the incoming clothes. Now you can add the current season’s clothes into your closet and drawers. Inspect each item to ensure it is clean, free of holes or defects, and check the size to make sure it fits. Just because something has been hanging in your closet since the dawn of time doesn’t mean the end of the world if it’s gone.
You may need your steamer or wrinkle releaser and that’s okay. Either use them now or wait until you are ready to wear the garment. This is the steamer that I use, it was the best $30 I have spent in a long time!
This is a great time to implement some organization to your closet. Like most areas of our homes, our closets need zones. Here are the closet zones I use.
I place the least used items (fancy party dresses) closest to the back.
If you have a window in your closet, you want the most worn items to be in the area that gets the most sunlight to prevent fading.
There will be garments that live in your working closet all year and that is great!
Bonus tip: Having hangers that are uniform in shape and color will make you closet look SO MUCH BETTER! Even if you cannot afford to replace them all now, the seasonal switch is the best time to replace as many as you can. One box each season will eventually get you there.
Store last season’s clothes. Store last season’s clothes, making sure they are clean. Fold carefully. I would not put a dryer sheet in plastic boxes as that concentrated scent will knock you out in the spring!
Shameless plug: If you want to swap but don’t want the hassle or don’t have time, Neat as a Pin would love to help.
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