Simplify your life by spring cleaning your wardrobe.
With the change in season upon us, it’s time for the warm jackets and bulky rain-wear in your closet to make way for your spring wardrobe. But how to start and where to put it all?
Be ruthless
The best approach is to start by being ruthless. Pull out all your clothing, dump it on a bed and weed through it for items you no longer wear. These can go in a pile for donating to others.
If you haven’t worn something in a year, chances are that you won’t wear it again. Let it move on!
Like in other parts of the home, clearing out clutter can make life simpler and easier. It will mean less hunting for the items you do wear, and more space for the occasional new purchase.
Plus once you’ve pared things down, it’s easier to see what you’ve got left. That means you’ll waste less time trying to decide what to wear – potentially saving valuable minutes on rushed mornings.
Divide what’s left by season
The next step is to divide what’s left into clothes and accessories you’ll need for spring and summer, and another you can safely pack away until next winter.
Count on a few more chilly spells and remember, you may need light to medium-weight jackets and jerseys until well into December. But boots, heavy woollens, hats, scarves, mitts and heavy-duty winter coats? They can all be evicted until next season.
Prepare winter items for storage
Once you’ve got a pile of items for storing away, it’s a good idea to wash or dry-clean everything, including hats, gloves and scarves.
This is important because untreated stains may darken during storage. Oily residue from perfumes and deodorant can discolour fabric over time, food residue can attract moths and bacteria can even create holes in cashmere and wool knitwear.
When preparing clothing for storage, avoid using fabric softener, bleach and starch, as these all attract insects.
Before storing your winter boots and heavy shoes, use either a wire brush or an old toothbrush to remove dirt from the soles. Clean the rest of the boot or shoe with a damp cloth, or, if they’re made of unfinished leather, with a dry cloth and saddle soap. Follow up by polishing leather shoes and leaving the polish to air dry.
Once your boots and shoes are clean and ready for storage, sprinkle baking soda inside to absorb moisture and prevent odours.
The best way to store winter wear
It’s best to store clothing and accessories somewhere clean, cool, dark and dry. For this reason, avoid storing garments in cellars, attics or garages, all of which are prone to damp.
Also avoid using plastic garment bags, which can trap moisture, and skip the cardboard boxes, which can attract insects.
Rather store clothing, shoes and accessories in separate air-tight plastic bins. These work well because they’re lightweight and seal tightly, to protect your clothing from insect infestation and mould and mildew growth.
Ideally, place acid-free tissue paper between items if you’re worried about colour transfer, or if you have garments with embellishments that could snag on fabric.
When stacking clothing in storage containers, put the heavier items at the bottom. This will prevent bulky clothing from crushing lighter items. It also helps allow airflow, which will prevent the clothing from becoming musty. Finally, it’s a good idea to place cedar balls in the containers to keep moths away.
Store winter clothing with XtraSpace
Keep your winter clothing organised, in great condition and out of your way until next winter with XtraSpace.