Change Clothes

Photo by Editor B

It's that time of year again.

The left side of my closet is full of bright, summer, lightweights, while the right side of my closet is slowly filling with sweaters, jackets, and sweatshirts. Admittedly, this is my favorite time of year. But I hate one aspect of it:

Switching out my clothes.

It is nearly time for me to pack up and move out those items I won't be wearing until next year.

Here are some "switchover" ideas I've culled from readers and research:

1. Eliminate what you don't wear. (Research shows that we wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time.) If you're not wearing it now, why would you wear it a year from now? Unless you suffer severe memory loss or plan on undergoing a total personality makeover, you'll still hate it.

2. Keep only what fits. Truly, the closet is not supposed to be a scrapbook of memories. Unless you're King Tut, your closet isn't big enough to hold onto the items you can't even wear.

3. Wash your clothing before packing it up. This seems like an obvious tip, but it's such a pain that it doesn't always happen. Why add more laundry to the pile?! (I typed and re-typed an answer, but they were both unkind.) Remember to empty all pockets and mend all rips or missing buttons.

4. Give it away. Whether taking out the old or bringing in the new, consider giving out-grown items to someone who could use them. Who among us hasn't received a bag of clothing and marveled over it? (Likewise, if the items are stained, don't give them away. Rip them up and use them as cleaning rags!)

5. Only keep out what you will wear this season. As you unpack last year's boxes, keep in mind that you don't have to hold on to what you will not wear. Just because it comes out of the box doesn't mean it needs to go into the closet.

One reader passed along this helpful hint. When switching over her seasonal wardrobe, she places the boxes in a spare room and pulls out items to wear on a daily basis. Once she has worn the item, she places it in her closet. What doesn't get worn by a certain deadline, she eliminates as something she is no longer using.

Happy switchover!