Ideas For Clothes Storage That Maximize Space
Without question, if you’re searching on Google for clothes storage ideas, it will lead you down what feels like a never-ending rabbit hole. Simply put: there is no shortage of ideas for clothes storage.
And yet, most people have a closet (or two) at home that’s overcrowded. Full of clothes that for whatever reason you don’t really wear anymore. Embarrassingly it’s brimming with dresses, sweaters, t-shirts + jeans that’ve all managed to surreptitiously evade the donation pile. Sound familiar?
Well, that’s because closets these days are bigger now than they’ve ever been!
And regardless of whether you’ve invested in a garment conveyor rack to help rotate through your clothes or you’ve had a custom closet system installed — being organized isn’t finite, my friend.
It needs to be tended to. It needs constant refinement.
But the good news is I’m about to share a few simple strategies + even some great ideas for clothes storage. So, let’s dive in!
Assess All Of Your Clothes
Remember earlier when I said that being organized isn’t finite? Well, it’s true. In fact, the first step to clearly defining a seasonal wardrobe + identifying ideas for clothes storage that actually will work for you is to –– assess.
Assess All The Clothes You Have + Clearly Identify What You Want To Keep.
And the reason for doing this is two-fold: First of all, by taking time to fully assess all of your clothes + everything that’s accumulated over the years, you’ll begin to notice that (+ even articulate) the things you value most when it comes to your clothes. Perhaps it’s the way something is manufactured, what it’s made out of, or maybe even where it was made that matters most to you.
You see, at the end of the day, value is in the eye of the beholder, which means that when you prioritize + invest time in understanding why you actually value something, it allows you to become a more conscientious shopper.
And the second reason you should take a long hard look at assessing all of your clothes is because in order for you to identify what you want to keep you need to know what you actually have.
In other words, if you don’t look at the whole picture, you can’t decide which blouses to keep + which blazer to get rid of (if any) –– especially if you don’t have all of your blouses together in one place. Make sense?!
Not to mention it helps you establish a baseline. So the next time you find yourself standing in the checkout line with an armful of pencil skirts, you can confidently remind yourself:
WHY this purchase is important
WHERE they’ll fit in your season wardrobe
WHAT they may be replacing that you already own
And that my dear, is what we call a triple-win shopping spree :) However, I’m guessing your closet needs to be readied for summer.
The good news is, most of us live in relatively temperate climates –– where the weather doesn’t swing dramatically from season to season. And because you can generally anticipate the gradual temperature change between seasons it also means you can plan out all that you’ll need for the next 90-days when it comes to your clothes.
Ideally, you’ll want to identify a handful of garments that can be worn year-round, then put the rest of your off-season clothes in organized storage for later.
Realizing of course that the amount of storage space needed is going to vary from season-to-season a strategy for narrowing in on defining a seasonal wardrobe is to consider two things:
What Activities Do You Do Most During This Season?
Consider everyday activities during the next 90-days
Think about the things you’ll do occasionally (travel, camping, skiing, etc)
What Are The Essential Pieces Or Categories For The Season?
Pants (dress + casual)
Dresses (skirts included)
Shirts (dress shirts, blouses, casual)
Athleisure (workout + casual wear)
Then, again in the coming seasons, we’ll reassess + reorganize our closet with the necessary clothes for that season.
Edit Your Wardrobe
Before we run through our go-to ideas for clothes storage with organizing clients, editing your wardrobe is a must.
The easiest way to do this is by category.
...like we mentioned above. Pants. Blouses. Athleisure wear, etc. And you can get as granular as you want to be. Maybe you want all your blouses organized by color, your pants organized by activity (work vs everyday kick-around) + all of your athletic clothes organized by season (spring, fall) etc.
Now don’t get me wrong, editing your wardrobe down to everything you need + nothing more it comes naturally to some people while for others it’s a bit more difficult. Wherever you are in the spectrum, a helpful tip we like to use when working with our clients is to create outfits, take photos of them + upload them to an album for those days when nothing feels like it looks good + you’re struggling with what to wear!
Yeah sis, we all have those days! But the saving grace is knowing these outfits will help you feel your best + give you a sense of confidence when you wear them because you were inspired + motivated in the moment that you paired them together.
Put The Rest Away — Ideas For Clothes Storage
Ok, actually there’s something to consider prior to putting clothes in storage bins + stowing them away.
Clean Your Clothes Before Storing Them Away
Well, friend, this probably sounds like common sense but there are things in your closet that you don’t wash every time you wear them like sweaters, cardigans + even spring, fall or winter coats. Utilize the time before you store them away for the season to drop off your clothes for cleaning at the dry-cleaners or washing them.
There’s a couple of reasons I love this piece of advice. First, it just makes sense to clean them now so when you want them next season they’re all crisp, clean + ready to go.
In fact, did you know that if you leave a stain on your clothes it darkens over time making it more difficult to remove later?
But in case that’s not motivating enough, insects like moths are attracted to the oils on our skin, our sweat, and our perfume. And since these items are going to be out of sight + out of mind, it’s best to probably not find them destroyed later.
Clothing Storage Options
In our expert opinion, there’s no perfect, unanimous, or one-size-fits-all solution (pun intended *wink*) when it comes to clothes storage.
What you want to think about rather is –– where will your clothes be stored + what clothes are you storing?
Where Should You Store Clothes
Ideally, friend, you don’t want your clothes stored in attics, basements, or even garages because of moisture. Of course, there’s always room for making exceptions like when it comes to a garage that’s completely finished or even a daylight basement that has good ventilation. You see, before you choose where to store your off-season clothes, consider whether your clothes being stored in this space for 3, 6, or 9 months at a time is a good thing. Does the basement smell musty or tend to be humid? If so, it’s probably not a good location.
In fact, we often recommend either allocating a shelf in your existing closet, under the bed or storing off-season clothes in another room of the house that is temperature-controlled + relatively consistent. And don't worry, wherever you find the extra space, remember–– it doesn’t need to be easy to access since you won’t need anything stowed away for at least 3 months.
Ideas For Clothes Storage
Alas! We’ve reached the point where we finally get to talk about what storage ideas are the best. Well, that depends (psst… just kidding).
All jokes aside, as long as you’ve done everything we’ve discussed above, deciding what type of clothes storage is actually really easy. Simply ask yourself, what am I storing?
If you’re storing away dresses, skirts, collared shirts, blouses, pants or jackets for business it’s best to hang those — especially since you’ve had them cleaned it will be incredibly rewarding in a few months to whip out that sexy business attire of yours + feel good putting it on.
Hanging Clothes Storage
For hanging clothes, the first thing to consider is welp, the hangers. You want to avoid the dry-cleaning wire hangers as they’ll ruin the shape of your clothes + instead you want to opt for nice wood or even padded hangers.
Now, when it comes to storage solutions for hanging clothes we love the simplicity of garment bags. They keep all your hanging clothes together in a couple secure + safe bags. Again, organized by what makes sense to you (color, activity, etc).
Not to mention, if you need extra hanging space using a garment rack that can fold up when not in use. During the winter months, when you're wearing all your winter clothes, you might not need that garment rack upright taking up space in the house but in the summer, when you’re storing your winter clothes it’ll become a life saver. #TrustMe!
Tip: for items that are loose like cardigans or sweaters, we recommend folding them; as they tend to lose their shape hanging in storage over time.
Folding Clothes Storage
Stackability is paramount. No, really. The first thing you must know about selecting containers for clothes storage, is that you want things that are visually exciting. However, if they don’t stack I can promise that while you love them now, you’ll come to loathe them later.
As professional organizers + interior designers, we suckers for stacking drawers + fall head-over-heels in love with drop-front bins that open from the front :) Absolute #gamechangers when it comes to storing folded clothes.
Alright, once you get everything folded neatly + placed in storage bins, we recommend clear, linen, or cotton bins, you’ll likely want things labeled. Especially since you’ll be rotating through your clothes seasonally, you don’t want to pull out bins for winter when it’s summertime.
Repelling Pests
Whether you’re storing things in garment bags or in sturdy containers with lids when it comes to preventing unwanted pests (or bugs) in the closet, use this –– time when you’re swapping out your seasonal clothes –– to vacuum every corner of your closet.
Depending on where you’ll be storing clothes + for how long you’ll be storing them, I’d encourage you to take extra precautions when it comes to protecting your clothes from pests who love fabric. Things like cedar balls, repellant sprays + even dried lavender sachets work great!
So there you have it my friend, some of our most popular Ideas For Clothes Storage. And if you loved this blog post then without question, you’re absolutely going to go nuts for our FREE video course: 4-Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home
Also don’t forget to check out our amazing Free Resource Library or if you’re looking to start your home organizing journey, book a FREE 30min.Clarity Call and… let’s chat!