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By now, your beach towels are stowed away in labeled, lidded bins; your cooler is properly cleaned out until next year’s Memorial Day picnic. It’s one thing to store bikinis and tank tops that take up almost zero space. The real question is, where are you supposed to put all your winter stuff? Those bulky cable-knit sweaters and puffy ankle-length coats have to go somewhere, and the front hall closet can only hold so much.
Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, the founders and professional organizers behind The Home Edit, carve out room for their winter wardrobes without any stuffing, squeezing, or loading up of hangers involved. Lucky for us, the pair, who recently partnered with Capital One to support its Quicksilver card, gave us their top four tips for organizing cold-weather gear—and the products you need to avoid a giant pile of clothes on the floor (fun fact: cardholders get 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase). Don’t wait until the Halloween candy has been replaced by gingerbread house kits to get your wardrobe into shape. Follow these rules for rearranging the closet.
Keep Your Ducks—Er, Gloves—In a Row
Some things are better together, and pairs of mittens are one of them. Stop them from getting lost on the floor in the front hall coat closet by grouping them in designated drawers. “It always helps to keep categories separated,” says Shearer. Dedicate one per family member or divvy it up according to type (fancy leather ones get their own spot, say).
Fold Your Cashmere and Hang the Rest
Break out your softest garments and line them up in neat piles; any fabric that is super-delicate (see also: wool and angora) will stretch on a hanger. “We also like the way sweaters look folded, especially when sorted by color on a shelf with shelf dividers,” says Teplin. If your only option is to hang them, velvet hangers are your best bet to help keep their shape.
Roll Up Accessories in Baskets
A substantial collection of scarves (some for playing in the snow, some that wrap around five times, some that your grandmother made) hogs a lot of room. Instead of draping them on a hook in the entry or over a spare hanger, tuck them away in a large open bin. They won’t be soaking up valuable coat real estate and you can grab and go with ease.
KonMari Your Tights
File folding (the process of rolling up your clothes so tight they can stand upright in a row) isn’t just for type As anymore. This method, made famous by Marie Kondo, can work wonders for an underwear drawer, which, according to The Home Edit, is exactly where your tights and thicker leggings should be. “The key is to add drawer dividers to keep the items contained in their category,” says Shearer. Before you make your first crease, scrap any hosiery with holes or runs from last season.
It might be chilly outside, but that doesn’t mean you need to leave your closet out in the cold.
See more stories like this: Here’s Where Pro Organizers Stash Their Summer Items There Are Lots of Under-$25 Storage Pieces Hiding in Urban Outfitters’s Sale Section Marie Kondo Fans, Take Note: Another Book Is in the Works