Having an organized closet is so important because we need to get dressed every single day. One important part of an organized wardrobe is to have a plan for how to store seasonal clothes (for kids or adults). I know a lot of times we think about the need to store kids clothing, but we shouldn’t overlook it for ourselves either.

The Most Important Rule

First, I have one important rule for clothing and closets. If you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit, it should NOT be in your closet. This applies to kids and adults alike. 

Having clothes that don’t fit mixed in with the clothes that you wear daily only creates frustration. You go to get dressed, pick out something cute only to try it on and realize that it doesn’t fit. Worse yet, you grab a pair of pants from your toddler’s dresser, put them on – only to have them falling down because they are too big! (Ask me how I know.)

Your closet should ONLY contain clothing that you like and that fits you currently.

That’s really the only hard and fast rule I have for closets. The rest is a matter of preference.

If you have clothing that you don’t like because it’s not your style or it doesn’t look quite right on you or it’s uncomfortable, get rid of it. Pass it on to a friend or donate it to Goodwill, so someone else can enjoy it. There’s no reason to hold on to a shirt that is scratchy hoping it will magically become comfortable. It will either sit in your closet unworn for years or you’ll try to wear it and be frustrated all day. 

For clothing that doesn’t fit currently, but you still like it and think it will realistically fit someday put it in storage.

Seasonal Clothing Suggestions

When it comes to seasonal clothing, one option that is a little unusual is to actually keep it in your closet year round. That’s what I’ve always done. This eliminates the need to rotate clothing seasonally, so it’s super simple. Also, in the Midwest where I live, temperatures are highly unpredictable, so I need various options most of the year. This option will work well for you if you don’t have a lot of clothes or if you have a large closet.

I don’t prefer this option for children, however. Kids need more guidelines to help them select appropriate clothing. Most toddlers I know would pick out a thick sweatshirt in the heat of summer just because they like the design on it. Then you’d have the ensuing battle to convince them to wear something else – not fun! Therefore, I recommend storing kid’s seasonal clothing outside of the normal wardrobe.

If you’d like to store your or your kid’s seasonal clothing, there are few ways to do that.

First, you could section off your closet and hang it in a separate spot, or you could dedicate one dresser drawer to off-season clothing. If you are tight on space, under bed storage boxes are a great option.

Another option that I love is using Rubbermaid type bins. This works especially well for kid’s clothing because it’s small and you can fit a lot in one tub. I sort it all and then label clearly. The bins pictured are in my son’s closet, but when we had smaller closets, I stored these bins in the garage.

I also love how my friend Hannah stored her children’s clothing that was out of season or didn’t fit. She used these small rubbermaid boxes in a closet. That way it doesn’t take up too much room and helps contain what you have. She used our clothing labels from here.

I hope this gives you some ideas for storing seasonal clothing.