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Fall came late this year. Up until last week, fall has felt more like summer. Even on Thanksgiving we wore shorts and tees while I worked up a huge sweat in the kitchen. Last year this time we were already freezing.
This morning the temperature was 33 degrees and I am pretty sure I won’t be wearing this dress until at next May.
Although I started my winter preparation several weeks ago – this included cleaning my gutters, putting away patio furniture and hoses, replacing vent filters, etc. – I held off on storing away my summer clothes simply because temperatures were all over the place.
A few days ago I decided it was time to make the switch and create space for my winter gear. I want to show you how I did it. 
For those of you with small closets like mine and who are living in places with four seasons, you might want to think about switching out clothes as well. 
The first thing I do is pull out all my summer clothes and divide them into piles. I usually make DONATION, TOSS, and KEEP piles. I really don’t toss much unless it’s beyond repair. Even old stained shirts get cut into small rags and are used for cleaning. Once everything is sorted I make sure the clothes I store are clean – free of stains and fragrance.
Until recently, I used to store my clothes in bins and cardboard boxes in the garage. I don’t like this method for several reasons. We have a one car garage and adding more bins and boxes doesn’t help the small size. On rainy-windy days, water gets in from underneath the garage door as do bugs and tiny lizards. The clothes end up smelling musty and yucky and washing everything is time-consuming and wasteful.
This year I tried a different approach. Ziploc® Space Bags®. My college girls have been raving about them – dorms and college apartments are notorious for lacking space – and many of their roommates found them to be the perfect solution since they can be stored under beds. 
When I was at Lowe’s getting tomato cages for my DIY Christmas Tree Topiary, I picked up two boxes of Ziploc® Space Bags® . They come in a variety of sizes and provide 3x the storage as compared to uncompressed storage volume. They are also very easy to use.
Basically, you go from 
THIS to THIS.
The bag fits nicely under my bed.
These bags are also great for storing bedding. Since my linen closet is small, I store beach towels, summer duvets and sheets. Anything with a tropical print gets put away in the winter.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Ziploc® Space Bags® are easy to use. All you need is a vacuum cleaner with a hose.
Fill the bag. To ensure proper seal, do not fill past the “do not fill line”.
Seal the bag.
Vacuum.
You’ll end up with a tight, flat package. 
All my summer clothes, linens and towels fit into three bags which will be stored under my bed.
Did I mention Ziploc® Space Bags® are
- Airtight
- Waterproof
- Water tight
- Reusable and
- Protect against: Bugs, Moths, Dirt, Mildew, Odors
Honestly, I can’t believe I never used the Ziploc® Space Bags® before. We could have used them for our move to Nashville, storing clothes, and for my daughters’ college dorms. Instead we wrestled with large bins which didn’t fit under their beds. Not to mention the extra car space we could have had on college move-in day.
Warning: Keep bags out of reach of children. These bags are not toys. To avoid danger of suffocation, keep plastic bags away from babies and children. Product not for use with food.
Do you store your seasonal clothes? If so, what method do you have? Please share with us.
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