Tips for Handling Clothing Quandary

Question:
Now that the warm(er) weather is here, what tricks do you have up your sleeve to manage the clothing changeover for your kids?

Answer: Anike Denise
I am in no way qualified to answer this question.  I tend to have snow pants lingering on the mud room hooks in July.  A few years back I did go out and purchase a bunch of plastic bins and oversized Ziploc bags with the idea that I would finally get organized.

Never happened.

The only original tip I can offer on the subject (and really it was my husband's idea) is to purchase a few stand-alone hanging storage racks with with zip-up plastic covers and set them up in the attic.  Dressier clothes can be then be hung on hangers vs. stuffing them into bins where they get wrinkled.

For further wisdom on this topic, I cribbed an answer from TLC, who cribbed their answer from Martha Stewart  and HGTV:

"The best way to store off-season clothing is in large plastic bins. Use a different color for each season, but still be sure to label each bin its contents. Careful labeling allows you to find your clothing quickly. For example, all your winter sweaters should go in a bin color-coded for winter. Label and organize all your clothing this way.

Using bins also protects your clothing from pests. Mice and bugs are not likely to chew through plastic bins, especially since there is no food inside. And as long as the lids are properly secured, moths should also be deterred [source: Martha Stewart Living]. To keep your clothing smelling fresh, even after months in storage, consider adding a dryer sheet or a sachet of potpourri to each bin.

Decide where to store all the bins based on your availability of storage space. Some families store their off-season clothing in the attic or basement. Be sure the area you choose is safe from water damage. Store your items off the floor of your basement -- even on simple raised platforms -- to prevent mold and other problems. A bit of air circulation will help prevent mold, too. If you are concerned about this, you can drill a few tiny holes in your bins to encourage air circulation [source: HGTV].

If you have several children, store off-season clothing in a more accessible location. Consider building shelves in a laundry or utility room, or even in your garage. Because children grow constantly, it is helpful to have easy access to various sizes and seasons of clothing in the event of a growth spurt.

With your clothing stored and organized, you just may wear a wider variety of what you own. Perhaps your room, or your child's room, will look cleaner -- or even larger -- than it did before. No matter what, you will have a simple system for keeping your clothing organized and a sense of accomplishment for a job well done."

Answer: Amy Ames

Ugh! This task  is tedious enough when I have to do it for myself, let alone for my three boys. I’m actually the Mom in this forum who is looking for tips in this department!   

Every change of season the clothing switchover seems to get worse and worse.  It takes a several days at least and I only have three kids of the same gender.  I feel like it should be a snap, that there's something I'm not getting. Do I have a good "bin" system?  Should I even bother separating the clothes according to size or should I just put all shorts in one bin, all shirts in another and call it a day? 

It may mostly have to do with the fact that we have way too many clothes.  I am a hand-me-downs fan on account of my upbringing in a family of seven children.  It seems I’ll take anything any friend cares to cast off and my friends know it.  I am greeted four times a year with a nice bag of someone’s leftovers.  Sometimes I don’t even know who they are from.  I dig through the bag, sorting out sizes and finding new treasures to keep and some to...well...pass on.  

Or is it that in new England you can't fully commit to a season until it's completely underway. One warm day and we break out the shorts only to be caught later at a baseball game freezing our butts off.  There are way too many risky days to not pack the drawers with some long and short pants. Which, by the way, just prolongs the switchover altogether!

So, tell us ladies, what tips do you have for me?  I'm sure there's an organized guru among us! 

Answer: Kristen Materne

I do have a trick for this, but I will be honest, I don’t usually get around to putting my trick into action.

My kids are still small – Brian is 7 and Beatrice is just about to turn 6 – so there usually aren’t that many things I expect they’ll be able to wear the following winter. 

When the seasons change, I realize it when the kids are clamoring for short sleeves and all they have is sweaters.  This is usually about the same time I look into my own closet and long for a blowtorch.  So, I weed out the winter things and get rid of them, and replace them with spring things.  It is time consuming but it is what I do.  In the process, sometimes I put things in the cedar closet if I think they may not be done yet.  But other things I donate, consign, or just plain trash.

I do have a theoretical strategy that has worked (a little bit) in the past (once).  I will share this trick: Set an appointment at the consignment store at the beginning of the new season. 

The theory is that having that appointment looming, you will be motivated to weed thoroughly through the winter things to make room for the new spring wardrobe.  Doing this at the beginning of the season, you will be so far ahead of the game that you will have the transition done and the clothes weeded out and have time to sit back and read that novel you’ve been waiting to get to. 

That worked for me once.  I brought in three big bags and got rid of stuff and got money for it too.  (Not that I read that novel.  I can’t remember, but I think maybe I took a nap).  Of course, life being what it is, I usually head to that appointment with one pathetically small bag, and about two weeks later do the real weeding – thinking all the time how I will do it right next time.

Answer: Tricia Kelly

 My sister-in-law is a labeler, and I mean that in the best way possible. Open up any closet or pantry in her house and you’ll know exactly where to find and/or put away their stuff.  Hand towels, first aid supplies, condiments all live neatly behind Helvetica font nametags, never to migrate across borders.  Come to my house, open up a closet, and good luck to ya. If you think you might need a bandaid, you best bring your own.

And so, really, I am not one to dispense advice on any organizational system, especially concerning clothes.  Getting five of us out the door on any given morning with clean undies, matching socks, and shoes that fit is a minor miracle. Throw in a wrinkle (oh, don’t let me start on ironing) like changing weather or sudden growth spurts and we’re doomed.

The few tricks I have learned from my dear sistah and my perennial pledge to do it better include:

Store clothes in clear bins only.  Master Labelers know that you gotta see the stuff to keep it organized.  Me, I’m still learning this one. I have exactly two Container Store bins that are labeled (size 8-10 and size 12-14)  But I also have the Big Purple Bin, where there are boys/girls  sizes 4T –16 tossed in together.  I go through the bin every once in a while, usually just in time to pull out something that would have been perfect last winter.

Say yes to the hand-me-downs, but sort through them right away. No use keeping that Abercrombie & Fitch sweater if it’s hot pink and she’s sworn off the color for life. Pay it forward.  And then put the clothes you will keep into those labeled clear bins.

Get the kids involved, from early on. I can barely keep my own clothes off the floor, so there is no way I can be (or want to be) their personal assistant.  They are each responsible for putting dirty clothes in the laundry (sorted, colors or whites, and right-side-out) and they need to put away their own pile of folded clothes that dad or I will leave in the hall.  Need new jeans?  Shoes getting snug? Speak up, child, and off to Target (French pronunciation please) we will go. 

Do it in a day.  I try to pick a gray or rainy day to get a sense of what the kids may need for changing seasons.  I go through their drawers with them, and decide what they’ll still use and what to give away.  Of course, the minute we transition to T-shirts and shorts in the spring is the day it won’t break 50 degrees, so we try not to be too hasty in the give-away department.

But, really you should ignore everything I say and call my sister-in-law. Or go to Sowams School next Tuesday night, where my friend Lisa Griffin is giving a talk called Organizing Tips for Families on-the-go. 

Look for me there – I’ll be toting a big purple bin to give away, because this year I swear I’m buying a labeler.