it s time to organize your closet for the new season use this as an opportunity to slide into your jeans snuggle up with your favorite cozy sweaters and flannels the seasonal transition for your clothing storage doesn t have to be complicated all you need is a solid game plan the correct storage solutions and a little bit of time to produce effective results with your fall closet organization effort there s no need to throw away the tank tops summer dresses and bathing suits store them and break out the warm winter clothing and accessories by following these steps below 1 start by pulling all your clothes shoes and accessories out of your closet and sorting them into four piles keep clothes you will wear in fall and winter store clothes you will wear in the spring and summer months donate or sell clothes you don t love or wear repair clothes you need to be dry cleaned and repaired 2 bring summer clothes out take everything from your closet that s warm weather related and put it in a pile on your bed sort through last season s clothing before you organize your closet organize before storing you will need these clothes next spring keep all the t shirts shorts and accessories together avoid folding your shirts blouses and lightweight dresses and roll them up it gives you more room and will prevent wrinkling while kept away in storage keep dresses and any fancy clothing on hangers to maintain their shape store these in a garment bag either hanging up or laying flat store items in an airtight garment bag or bin to protect against climate changes and maintain their color and shape to avoid transference or color bleeding of clothes store heavily dyed items separately to white clothes and protect them from red or other dyed clothing 3 wash everything summer clothes can get a little musty with all types of things from sweat sunscreen stains and other odors it s always best to re wash all your summer clothes so that they are stored away clean or sold clean and fresh please note storing stinky materials can damage the clothing and attract pests and unwanted guests in your closet or home 4 evaluate your closet space now that your closet is refreshed with a top to bottom cleaning why not evaluate the closet space an empty closet allows you to view the interior in a much different manner than you re able to when it s filled with clothes you might realize how much space your closet has and start utilizing that space well analyze the space and consider what areas are related to closet storage and organization ask yourself these questions is it a lack of space an inability to locate items as quickly as you d like the need for more helpful closet accessories better lighting make a list of what you d like to improve and do your research on what effective closet organization products are available 5 bring out your fall clothing always start by organizing according to type separate all the tank tops short sleeves long sleeves blouses cardigans and more also separate your work clothes so it s easier to grab out your professional look each morning without a hassle sort by color once broken down into types hang the pieces in the closet according to their color code it makes it easy to look through your closet based on your mood and color preferences fold bring out your sweaters and fold them hanging them could cause them to lose their shape fold them and put them in your dresser or on shelving units in the closet line your dresser or cubbies with fabric or heavy paper to prevent mildew and damage you can even spray this fabric with a mixture of water and a few drops of peppermint essential oil to keep your clothes smelling wintery fresh and to keep winter pests away insects and animals don t like the smell of peppermint use wall hooks keep heavy coats and jackets closer to the door in a separate closet or over wall hooks it leaves space in your bedroom closet and protects your other clothes from snow and water that your jackets might track in separate accessory keep winter accessories like scarves gloves and hats in a separate area preferably by the door for a quick grab and go we recommend hanging them on individual hooks or getting an accessory organizer you re more likely to remember and wear your cute wintery accessories if they re in your line of sight use a shoe organizer you can use boot clips to hang them in your closet or use a shoe organizer for boots you can also either use a rack or designated bins that help maintain shoe shape and get them off your closet floor 6 create a few outfits on standby when re organizing your new season closet make a few favorite looks and leave them on a hanger together this way if you are in a hurry you can quickly reach for an outfit you already spent time putting together and you now have an idea of how it will look