25 Closet Storage Ideas To Pack Away Those Winter Coats | Swift Wellness (2024)

Depending on where you live, packing and unpacking your clothes might be a seasonal chore. As a Midwesterner, there’s a point in spring, summer, and fall when the weather reaches a tipping point; and at that point, it’s time to swap my clothing. Some pieces stay in the closet or my dresser year-round, but others need to be stored away for a variety of reasons: saving space, refreshing capsule wardrobes, and rising or lowering temperatures. If seasonal clothing storage is part of your year or if you’re looking for ways to save space, keep reading to find out our storage tricks.

Why Pack Seasonal Clothing?

There are plenty of reasons to store seasonal clothing. The most obvious is that many items won’t be worn during the offseason, like scarves and gloves during the warm summer months or bathing suits in the winter. If you live somewhere with drastic or defined seasonal differences, storing your clothing will make your life easier and your closet cleaner.

However, there are reasons other than the weather to pack a portion of your clothes away. You may need to save space or share a closet, so having some clothes stored helps you stay tidy. Many people use capsule wardrobes, so any item that doesn’t make the clothing rack can be put in storage. Plus, unpacking any clothes you put out of sight is almost like shopping; you’d be surprised how often you forget what you own! Sometimes removing clothing items from your closet makes getting rid of things easier because you see what you can live without.

How to Store Winter Items and Seasonal Clothes

Clean before you pack items away

Though it’d be quickest to toss your clothing and accessories into a bin and call it a day, there’s actually a method to seasonal packing. Before you pack items away, make sure to wash and fold them; try using the Marie Kondo method or your go-to folding style to keep clothes organized.

You’ll likely need to wash or air fluff clothing in a few months when you unpack anyway, but folding means that you can make the most of the storage solutions you have. Many people also like to pack clothing with moth balls, fabric softener sheets, or storage deodorizer bags to keep clothing smelling fresh and free of pests.

Pack clothing in storage bins

One of the simplest ways to pack winter clothing—or summer clothing in the winter—is by using storage bins. There are a variety of styles like under-bed storage, large plastic bins, collapsible cubes, flexible zippered containers, vacuum bags, and packing cubes. All of these storage options protect clothing while not in use and also keeps items from gathering dust. The bins and containers also keep clothing compact and clear containers make it easy to locate items.

You can also combine storage methods, such as packing bulky sweaters and winter coats into vacuum-sealed bags before placing them into storage containers to really save on space. Off-season footwear can be put in fabric containers underneath your bed for quick access in case of a mid-spring snow day or vacation.

Storage solutions can be useful for more than just your clothing, too. You can use them to store bedding, blankets, books, toys, towels, pet supplies, photo albums and practically everything else. So, if you only need storage bins for part of the year, don’t worry that they’ll sit empty when not filled with your clothes.

Pack clothing in an unused suitcase

Another seasonal clothes storage idea is to use your unused luggage as storage containers. (If you have a vacation or trip planned, consider what you place in your suitcase so you don’t end up creating more work for yourself, however.) Otherwise, reimagine your luggage as storage bins and load it up with winter clothes or summer clothes that you can pack out of sight, especially accessories or bulky items.

Again, you can make use of vacuum storage bags, packing cubes, or smaller clothing storage items within the suitcases to prevent items from tumbling around in a disorganized chaos.

Splurge Worthy

Budget-Friendly

Utilize Closet Organization Tools

Not everyone needs to pack clothing away, but having closet organization systems can help you stay organized and keep your go-to items within reach. Even if you have a large enough closet to house all your clothing year-round, wouldn’t it be nice to prioritize the pieces you wear regularly? Organizing your closet can make getting dressed easier, reduce decision fatigue, and show you what you already have.

Custom closet systems

Consider a closet system that optimizes your space and gives you a place for everything—whether it be heels, sneakers, a shacket, scarf, or sweats. The combination of clothing rack, pull-out drawers, and several kinds of shelving allows you to customize your space to serve you best.

If you don’t have room for a custom closet system, use smaller clothing storage like baskets, bins, and boxes. You can also use them within a custom closet setup, so they’re valuable regardless of your closet size and style. Plus, you likely already have some containers on hand around your home for similar purposes.

Need ideas? Consider an open-top canvas bin for accessories like hats, belts, or scarves. Use hard-shell bins for smaller items like hair accessories, jewelry, or sunglasses. We love long baskets for plush items like sweats and sweaters (but be careful to find materials that won’t snag, unravel, or rip your clothing!). Wire baskets are also great for stacking items and seeing what you have, so use them for items like beanies and mittens in the winter and bikinis and beach towels in the summer.

Hanging closet organization

Our last piece of closet storage advice is hanging storage. Even if folding some clothes is best and makes the most sense for the fabric—I’m talking about cashmere sweaters here—you can find ways to store items vertically without sacrificing half of your closet. A simple 5-shelf hanging organizer is great for sectioning your items or for visually planning your outfit for the whole week. You can also use the shelves to store off-season items in one corner of your closet, which frees up the rest of the space.