Has it been cold by you? Well, the weather here in Chicago has been cool to cold to warm, and then back to cool! We leave the house with jackets and sweatshirts, and we come back in our shirts and pants. I know that things are going to take a turn for the freezing soon, so we are trying to soak up as much outside time as we possibly can. And all this change in the weather can only mean one thing…winter is approaching. And with winter coming, I need to start pulling out our winter gear.
I will be doing a two-part series on getting organized for winter. If you live in any area that gets snow/cold weather, this series is for you! Today, I am sharing tips for getting the inside of your house ready for winter, like pull out winter gear, switching out your closets, and creating a winter emergency kit. And next Monday, I will be sharing how to get the outside of your house and car ready for winter by giving you a checklist of things you can do to clean up and organize before the snow falls.
Last year I created a fall cleaning checklist, which included a list of things to do inside and outside the house. This year, I am breaking up the two areas so we can go more in-depth about each space. Print off the free fall cleaning checklist printable and start getting the house clean. But if you need some focus to help you get things organized, here’s some of my tips for getting ready for winter.
Winter Gear:
A while ago, I shared how I got our mud room organized by using bins and labels to store extra items above each family member’s cubbie. So as I prep for winter, I will be pulling out our hats, gloves, snow pants, jackets, boots, etc. to see if things fit, or if I need to go searching for new winter gear.
We try to buy some winter stuff at the end of the previous winter season because things are basically free. But when I buy things at the end of the season, I only buy what I know we will use. For example, I will buy the next size up in jackets, snow pants, gloves, and hats. I will never buy boots because I have no idea what size the kiddos will be in.
So take some time to go through your kids winter gear to see what fits and what they need as the long winter months are quickly approaching.
Closets and Drawers:
We only have one master closet, so I try to only keep seasonally appropriate clothes, while I store the off-season clothes under our bed. I try to go through all the clothes as I switch them out, looking for things I don’t wear any more, might have a hole, look worn, or just doesn’t fit. Then I store all the off-season clothes in a storage container that fits under our bed. I like to keep some Bounce sheets in the container, as well, so my clothes smell fresh when I get to swap them out in the spring!
If you have a bigger closet and can hang all your clothes without having to store the off-season clothes, I recommend that you still rotate your closet, by placing all the winter apparel towards the front of your closet, and the summer gear towards the back.
I shared some of my favorite closet and drawer organizing tips that you might want to check out if you are in need of closet organization.
Winter Emergency Kit:
I know I get pretty nuts when it comes to being ready for things. But I really think it’s important to make sure you have some back-up, just in case. For us, that is making a winter emergency kit for the house (and I make one for car that I will be sharing next Monday). I created my kit by putting some items together in a bin so I can find them easily for when of an emergency. I also know where I have extra blankets, sheets, and other supplies that are not necessarily placed in the emergency kit, but I make sure I have them on-hand during the winter months.
In my kit, I keep a few water bottles, some snacks, a couple of flashlights, extra batteries, and know where all my blankets are. I keep my emergency kit in the basement, in my storage closet. I also make sure that I have flashlights on every floor of the house. We have one in our master bedroom, one in the living room, one in the garage, and a few in the basement.
Finally, I make sure we have some semi-perishable foods in the house at all times. I like to be overly ready, if we can’t run to the store before a big storm. I always try to have extra items on hand, but by planning now, I know I will have some things just in case!
Now that I broke down some of the tasks from my checklist I created last year, start getting to work on organizing your home for winter. Remember to check all the kids (and your) snow gear to make sure everything fits. Coats, hats, gloves, snow boots, snow pants, and plenty of sweatshirts and sweatpants are on my checklist for winter gear. Switch out clothes in your closets to make sure you can find the warmest clothes easily. And make a winter emergency kit to store somewhere in your home, along with making sure you have enough blankets, semi-perishable foods, and flashlights!
Hi there,
I don’t know where to start…I’m so excited I came across your website. I’m loving all your tips and tricks you’ve shared with us who are looking for some simple order to life. Thank you for helping. Question you mentioned your in the process of becoming a professional organizer, I’m intregued how does one come about doing do???? School/degree or change in profession? Thanks in advance