The season is changing, the weather is getting cooler, and that means it’s time to do the old closet switcheroo. If changing out your summer clothes for fall and winter seems like a daunting task, you might want to take note of these genius ideas.
Maria Eckersley shares her best tricks for a smooth summer closet switch out.
Find more of Maria’s great ideas on Instagram, @meckmomlife, or on her website, www.meckmom.com.
Find Maria’s favorite products here.
Maria’s Best Tips for a Summer Closet Switch Out
1. Tell yourself why
The very first step is to tell yourself why you’re doing this. One big reason is that it gives you freedom when you walk in the closet. You don’t have to sift through hanger after hanger of things you’re not going to wear. It also gives you freedom when you’re out shopping! You can go into the store and you can buy that cute fall sweater, because you know exactly where it is going to go. You don’t have to switch out everything, just about 30%! That’s one bin and one hour of your time.
2. Start with a sheet
Give yourself boundaries. Lay it out wherever you are, on the floor, on the bed, and you won’t lose track of small items. You can quickly see the summer clothes, and you can quickly wrap it up if you need to be somewhere.
3. Go small to big
Go through your closet and hit the things that are definite summer. Literally just toss them on the sheet. No sorting, no folding, just tossing pants, skirts, and shirts into mounds. Now look at those piles and decide what to purge. Maria’s number one way to decide what to get rid of is The Sharpie Test. If your kid were to color sharpie all over the item, would you go out and replace it? If so, keep it. If not, toss it.
More tips to help you finish the summer closet switch out
Tip 1
Use lawn and leaf bags to get all your donated items to the thrift store. You can find them at Home Depot and Target. They’re huge, and they stand up. So you can load up everything you’re going to donate and take the whole thing to DI.
Tip 2
Go through your jewelry. It’s not something we often think about, but it is in your closet! For the pieces you’re going to keep, Maria recommends using press and seal. You’re basically laminating your jewelry. Lay out a piece of press and seal, set out your jewelry on one end of the sticky side, and fold over the extra. Now your jewelry is tangle free!
Tip 3
Store clothes of the same size. You don’t necessarily do this with your kids clothes. That’s a little overwhelming. But for your own clothes, it’s nice because you can fit twice as much stuff.
Tip 4
Fold things neatly. Maria uses this handy folding tool. Then, when you’re putting everything into the bin, it’s neat and tidy and you can fit even more.
Tip 5
In addition to folding neatly, put everything in compression bags. You can fit yours in one bag and your husbands in another, and both can go in one bin! Find them here.
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