Fall into Winter: Seasonal Coat Switch

How to Declutter your Coat Closet

It seems like sweater weather has finally arrived here in northeast Ohio.  My family and I spent some time this weekend switching out our hats, gloves, and coats.  Here are some tips to declutter your own coat closet.

Set a timer, declutter in chunks

If it feels overwhelming, set a timer.  Commit to 15 minutes, and see how you feel.  If you are done for today, stop and do 15 more minutes tomorrow.  

Try on what you have, donate what doesn’t work

Have each person assess and try on their own coats, hats and gloves.  Put anything that doesn’t fit into a garbage bag and take it right out to your car. Goodwill, Savers, and the Salvation Army all make it very easy to donate items.  They typically have a separate door where you can pull up and unload your car, or they will help unload it.  They accept your items no questions asked and then offer you a receipt for your taxes.

Don’t let your donations pile become clutter by waiting to find the “perfect” donation location, any local non-profit is a great choice! Give yourself permission to go with the easiest and most convenient place.

Put away summer items

This is also the time to gather up summer items: swimwear, flip-flops, crocs, summer hats etc.  Place them into a labeled bin or box for seasonal storage.

Create homes for everything

If space is tight, delineate specific space for each person’s items and limit the amount of clothes, boots and shoes that remain in that area.  You may only have space for each person to have 2 coats and 2 pairs of shoes out at a time.  The rest should be stored in their closet or room.

Each person should have their own space

As an example, we do not have a mud room.  At my house the coat closet holds school bookbags, lunch boxes and each person has their own bin for their hat and gloves.  Near our front door, each person has 2 hooks to hang their coats on and 1 shelf of a shoe rack, which fits 3 pairs of shoes each.  Clarifying each persons’ s space limits those who like to collect and allows those who are more minimal to have space around their items so everyone can live in harmony.

I hope these tips help you create a calm and organized entryway into your home so you have more time for what matters.