How To Rotate Seasonal Clothes Effectively

It's that time of year people. I don't know whether you do this too, but it's reached that time where I start looking to swap my shorts, bikinis and sandals with my jumpers, coats and boots.


I started storing clothes I don't wear in a particular season last year, with the first rotation being from Summer to Autumn/Winter. Then I made the rotation with Autumn/Winter to Spring/Summer. Now I'm about to...well, you get the idea.

How To Rotate Seasonal Clothes Effectively

Storing clothes seasonally is something I wish I had started earlier. I'm so glad I can have less of a crammed wardrobe each season rather than fighting with the coathanger rail for space and making horrific noises when screeching the hangers on the rail. Yeah, not a nice sound.


This task may sound like a ballache and tiresome, but it's a job well worth it and worth doing right. Now I'm onto my third transition and I've definitely learnt things from the first two I have already completed beforehand. Here are some of the lessons I've learnt in how to rotate seasonal clothes effectively:


1) STORE  THE  CLOTHES  PROPERLY
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Yes, storing your clothes properly is key. I store mine in some storage clothes bags which I bought from Amazon and they're HUGE. You can most definitely fit so much in them, even your biggest and thickest of coats. After I've filled the bags, I store them somewhere cool and dry, either in my wardrobe or in the spare bedroom. I wouldn't store them outside in the garage/shed etc, purely for weather and insect reasons.

How To Rotate Seasonal Clothes Effectively


2) HAVE  A  SYSTEM  BEFORE  HANGING  UP
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When I grab the storage bags, I evaluate, analyse, reason, debate and agonise which clothes I keep and which ones I give to charity or some I just recycle cause they have holes in or the quality has gone out of it. A while ago, I read a post by Victoria from InTheFrow about tips and tricks for refreshing your wardrobe and she wrote about a system she uses when decluttering and sorting out clothes. It's a three-tiered system of items to keep, give a second chance to and clear out. Since following this method, it has become so much easier rotating my clothes and my wardrobe looks so much tidier and less crammed. Sometimes you have to be ruthless, but it's for your own good!


3) WASH  CLOTHES  BEFORE  SWAPPING
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Even though I store my clothes properly, I get conscious that they'll smell a little, well, dusty or musty when they've been stored away for a long few months. Before making the big seasonal rotation, I take the sniff test and anything I feel needs a rinse in the machine, will get a rinse. Nothing worse than wearing clothes that smell like the equivalent of mothballs!

How To Rotate Seasonal Clothes Effectively

4) DON'T  FORGET  THE  SHOES!
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I honestly don't own a billion pairs of shoes; I never store them away as they don't take up too much space. But every season, I'll have a clearout (however big or small) of them and again, follow the system above. I forgot to do that before the Summer started, so a shoe clearout is well overdue!


5) MAKE  A  LIST  OF  WHAT  YOU'LL  KEEP  ALL  YEAR  ROUND
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Items such as tee's, jackets, trainers and leggings are items that can be worn all year round. Whether that be for layering etc, all it takes is a little versatility and creativity to make different outfits out of those types of clothing items in particular. Write a list when you rotate your clothes to see which items stay in the wardrobe all year round. 

How To Rotate Seasonal Clothes Effectively

Rotating clothes is one of those chores which we love to hate! It's one of those tasks where it gets worse before it gets better, but when it's finally complete, it's bloody worth it!


I'd love to know if you do the same for every new season - do you rotate your clothes? Do you store them away every season? Let me know!
52 comments
  1. This is such a helpful blog post to how you can keep your wardrobe organised and suitable for the seasons. Thank you for sharing these helpful tips!

    Lauren

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  2. My wardrobe got the stage of screeching hangers a while back and I had a mahoosive clearout! Rotating my clothes is such a good idea, I think I'll start doing that now, thank you, Lucy! x

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    1. Oh I hate the screeching hanger noise, it goes through me! I hope you make a start of rotating your clothes Lisa! x

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  3. i've finally gotten a bit better at doing this over the last year! i'm sad to pack my summer things away, but at the same time, i'm super ready for all the chunky knits to have their day again x

    brineandbooks.com

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    1. Yeah I feel the same about packing away my Summer wardrobe, but I'm also just as happy to add the Autumn items to my wardrobe! x

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  4. Great tips. I currently don't do this but I think I do need to rotate my seasonal clothes just to make things a bit more organised.

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    1. It does help your wardrobe look tidier and organised Lauren x

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  5. I've rotated my wardobe like this for year's now, mainly due to the lack of wardrobe hanging space I have. When the seasons begin to transition I sort through my clothes and pack them away in the loft, until the next season rolls around. It's such a great storage saving method x

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    1. It's a good idea to rotate clothes, especially when you have small wardrobe space! x

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  6. I’m currently in the process of swapping my summer clothes to my A/W clothing so I’ll defiantly be keeping this in mind. I always try to put my clothes in some kind of order when changing over. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely Xo

    Elle - ellegracedeveson.com

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    1. That's good that you put them in an order when changing over! x

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  7. I'm so so bad at this haha! Have no process whatsoever so these have been some really useful tips especially as we move into A/W!xx

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    1. I'm glad these tips have been helpful for you Hannah! xx

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  8. These are great tips. I rotate my clothes seasonally too. I used to end up washing a lot of it before I wore it but I now pop a tumble dryer sheet or two in the bag and it keeps it all smelling fresh.

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    1. Oh I'll remember to use a tumble dryer sheet for next time, that's a really good tip!

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  9. This is something I definitely need to do as most of my clothes stay out throughout the whole year - great post and reminder xx

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  10. This is such a great post! I always look forward to my wardrobe switcharound every Spring and Autumn :)

    Katy | www.katystephenson.com | www.thegrownupsclub.com

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    1. Thank you Katy! I love making the switch around too! x

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  11. Excellent post. I am all for going second hand and making do with looks I had in the past. I have a hanging schedule too!
    Rosie

    https://www.loverosiee.co.uk

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    1. I'm all for outfit repeating Rosie, I don't believe in buying loads of outfits for the sake of it!

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  12. I had a big ol' organise of my wardrobe, in the first lockdown! Left is the colder months, and right is more dresses etc. It's all in rainbow order so that I can find them easily. Those storage bags sound useful if you don't have any more room in the wardrobe x

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    1. OMG I love your wardrobe organisation Caroline! Like you, I have my clothes in colour order as it helps me find certain items a lot easier x

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  13. These are all such fantastic tips... and I really love your idea of using clothing storage bags! That's brilliant!

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    1. Thank you Heidi, clothes storage bags are so useful to have!

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  14. These are all amazing tips! I have been rotating seasonally clothes since I young as my mom used to do it, but when I moved to the UK I stopped because I thought I didn't have as much to put away and years later I totally regret it!

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    1. Thank you Cristina! I hope you restart the rotation of your clothes again lovely, it sounds like you need to!

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  15. Hi Lucy,

    We do the same sort of thing. Last year OH bought some of those bags that you can attach a vaccuum cleaner to and such out all of the air - its amazing how much less space they take-up then! Give it a try.

    And, yes, as you say, a great time to sort stuff out for charity shops.

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    1. I've always been wary of buying those vacuum clothes bags as I'm scared they'll ruin my clothes!

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  16. The three-tier system for decluttering sounds fantastic!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  17. I rotate my clothes twice a year. I really need to do that thing though of putting the clothes in on hangers the wrong way around & then at the end of the season see what I've not turned around to wear and then decide to bin/donate to charity from there. Now we've moved I definitely need to have more of a sort out.
    Claire.X

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    1. Oh that's such a brilliant idea Claire, the hanger trick sounds like something I need to do! x

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  18. Oh this post is so helpful for me right now. Thanks for sharing. I will keep these tips in mind!

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    1. I hope you keep these tips in mind for the future Charity!

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  19. I am so happy to get back into my knitwear!

    Danielle | thereluctantblogger.co.uk

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  20. I love to rotate my wardrobe, but going into autumn is always my favourite time to do it. Being able to get the jumpers back out is such a good feeling. These are great tips, I like the idea of the list of what I'll need all year round.

    Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk

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    1. Like you, I love going into my Autumn wardrobe and making that transition from Summer! x

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  21. I always rotate my clothes, I've been moving clothes around a lot lately too, especially because of the weather lately!

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    1. The weather has been annoying lately, I don't know what to wear in the morning's at the moment!

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  22. Great post, Lucy! I have been trying to buy more all year round clothing so I don't need to really rotate my clothes! I of course have no choice with jackets though. Excellent tips! xx

    Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

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    1. I like that you're buying all year round clothing Lynn, that's such a good idea! xx

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  23. Great tips. I need to get into the habit of rotating clothes at least twice a year - summer and winter - and I definitely need to take notes of this.

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    1. It's such a good idea, it definitely stops your wardrobes from looking less crammed!

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  24. This is such a good idea! I often forget what I have because everything in my wardrobe is crowded. Focusing on the season and what I will actually wear is such a good idea xx

    Violethollow.com

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    1. It got to a point with me where my wardrobe was crowded and I forgot what items I had! Swapping clothes around every season really helps! xx

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  25. Yes I love to do this every season 👏🏻 One of my favourite things to do is have a major sort out. But now I sell things I don’t wear anymore on Vinted and Depop and the remaining go to charity. You’ve reminded me I need to do a shoe sort out as well!

    Isobel x

    www.fashionistachic.co.uk

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  26. I struggle with my clothes, so these are very helpful tips! Thanks for sharing <3

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  27. These are such great tips! I recently went through my closet and donated a bunch of clothes. In the process, I started storing my clothes properly so they’re ready to go when I need them. The extra bit of effort makes things so much easier when swapping. Thank you for sharing your tips!

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  28. These are such great tips! I recently went through my closet and donated a bunch of clothes. In the process, I started storing my clothes properly so they’re ready to go when I need them. The extra bit of effort makes things so much easier when swapping. Thank you for sharing your tips!

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