If storage in your home is in abundance, it's not difficult to find places to store your out-of-season attire. If your apartment or home is short on space, however, you might have more clothes than you have closet space. With three children, we've found ourselves in a similar situation. With drawers overflowing and closets stuffed to the brim, we started to look for unconventional storage options for those winter clothes during the summer months. When the attic, basement, or crawl space isn't an option, where should you put those extra clothes?
Car storage
Is the trunk of your car rarely utilized? Do your seats have under-seat storage that you've never even looked at? If you're really short on storage space in your apartment or home, start thinking outside of the box and look toward your car. It's not ideal, but it works!
Kitchen cabinets
For some individuals, the kitchen is more for show than for cooking. If that's the case for you, consider using some of those kitchen cabinets or the pantry for clothing storage instead of pots and pans. Now is the time to utilize those almost-out-of-reach shelves with clothes that you won't need until the winter frost melts.
Neighbor's house
Don't rule out your best friend or neighbor's house when it comes time to store attire that you know you won't need for the next six months. This is especially ideal if you don't have a garage for those winter coats or your kitchen cabinet is already filled with your mixer, blender, and panini maker. Offer up a bottle of wine in appreciation for storage-abundant friends sharing the wealth.
Garage hooks
Don't keep your front closet filled with winter coats, hats, and scarves when the weather's warm. If you have a garage, mount hooks along one wall to store winter apparel until you need it again. Use shoe racks underneath for boots, too.
Linen closet
Don't just keep your sheets and towels in the linen closet. You will often have some extra storage room in your linen closet, perfect for storing items you might need during the winter months (like jeans or long-sleeved t-shirts), but not need often.
Under the bed
Your bed is the ideal location for storing out-of-season attire. Whether you have 6 inches or 12 underneath the bed, there's room for something. Measure and invest in an under-bed storage system ideally sized for your needs. My family stores most of our sweaters and sweatshirts under our beds, just in case we need them for a chilly summer's eve.