Why does winter always seem to take us by surprise? I don’t know about you, but come fall I seem to turn into this person who likes to pretend that the seasons don’t change. You know, that we could be stuck in an autumn holding pattern until spring arrives yet again.
And then the snow falls, and there I am. Just a mom, shivering in a tank top, wondering where all the winter gloves and hats have gone.
Anyways, there I used to be. Because after that happened a few times, I wised up. With 3 kids to care for, and seasons changing whether I liked it or not, I knew I had to get it together. So I asked my mom, who is an organizational pro—with limited closet space—how she turns her house over for the colder months (and vice versa come spring). She gave me some stellar tips which I’m pretty happy to pass along to you. I’m generous that way.
1. Do a closet purge. Be merciless. If you didn’t wear it this season and you’re not going to wear it next year when the temps are right again, don’t waste your time packing it away. Culling your closet now will make storage a lot easier. And when you unpack it,
2. Check your stuff. Take a good look at the things you are keeping. Does anything need repair or cleaning? Make a pile of everything that needs to be washed, and do a separate load just for the items that will be packed away. Personally, I don’t worry if I just have a garments to be washed since my High-Efficiency Whirlpool Top Load washing machine has an Adaptive Wash System which senses the need and size of my load and adjusts the water level accordingly. The active spray technology sprays the load with a mixture of detergent and water in a cone shaped pattern, ensuring better and even cleaning performance. You’ll thank yourself when you turn your closet over and unpack ready-to-wear clean clothes. And, things move a lot quicker when the intuitive touch controls remember my settings from the last time I washed.
3. Sleep tight. If you haven’t already thought of this, get winter and summer weight duvets. You’ll sleep a lot better with the right covers. Before packing up your off-season bedding, throw it in for a good wash to make sure it will be fresh when you’re ready for it. The Whirlpool top load washer’s large capacity of 6.1 cu. ft. can handle even a king sized duvet, or a whopping amount of sheets!
4. Pack tight. I have lots of storage space, so I use labelled large bins for our off-season clothes. I store off-season bedding in the same zippered bags they came in. But my mom, well she’s a pro and uses compression bags. She can fit 2 people’s wardrobes in those under the bed storage bins. Enviable skill!
5. Start early. Surprisingly, I take full ownership of this one. For a disorganized person, I had quite a system for winter and summer accessories, obviously borne out of the necessity that comes from caring for 3 growing children. I have a little set of plastic drawers that houses all the various hats, gloves and mittens. Each person has their own drawer, and I clean it out at the end of every season, chucking anything that is too worn or too dirty and checking to see if there’s room to grow or they’ll need new next year. I wash all of the winter coats, fleeces, gloves and hats in one huge load (one more reason to love my Whirlpool Top Load) at the end of winter before I store them away. Then, I do an inventory just before the season changes (so for winter, in September) and then head to a discount store to stock up on whatever is missing.
Do you change your closets and bedding over for the season? What tips do you have to share? Want to wash like a boss like I do?
To find the perfect top load pair that meets your needs, check out findmy.whirlpool.ca