Tips for Seasonal Home Storage

So, as I sit in the garden writing this post, I’m wondering if this is really it!  We’ve had a whole week of glorious weather which has seen people shedding their winter wear and pulling out all manner of summer shorts, t-shirts & maxi-dresses.  Temperatures have hit 80 degrees F across the UK which is fantastic.  But will we be back in our thermals next week?  Let’s hope not!

In keeping with my organised nature, I too have made changes over this last week and done my annual de-clutter of our seasonal clothes.  I keep all of our ‘out of season’ items stored in a see-through box in the loft, ready to be brought down when the weather changes.  This is especially useful for my 2 daughters; as the younger one has the seasonal cast-offs from the older one – with a couple of year’s break inbetween!

For us grown-ups, it’s great to be able to thin out the coats, jackets, boots, scarves & gloves from our hallway cupboard to make way for the lighter jackets, flip flops, pumps & caps.  Hopefully, I wont be saying hello to my ski jacket until mid-November (unless I manage to fit in a sneaky ski at the Chill-factore)!  It’s a chance to give everything – including the cupboard – a good clean, and to check what still fits.  The items that we no longer have a need for; usually things the kids have outgrown, are folded and packed up for the charity shop, and anything which is still in especially good condition will be sold on – after all we’re not made of money and we’ll need to replace with similar items later in the year.

So to store successfully until next season;

• Keep ‘like with like’ – all children’s stuff together, or all hats & gloves, all coats, etc.
• Fold or roll delicate items to avoid creasing.
• Use clear storage boxes/crates and label them so that you know what you have.
• Keep larger items such as ski jackets in thick bin bags or storage bags.  The ones where you can extract the air are great for these.
• Make sure boots & shoes are clean when you store away.  There’s nothing worse than having to clean items when all you want to do is wear them!
• Make a note as you are packing up of the items you DON’T have for next year, and you need to buy.  That way you can keep an eye out over the coming months for any items on sale, or be first in the queue when they are in stock in the shops.
• Move items out of the way where possible and store in the loft/garage/under the bed/spare room.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve any useful suggestions for storing out of season gear!

Have fun storing!