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You are about to put away your summer clothes and get out your winter ones.
Learn how to effectively prepare your home and wardrobe for the cold season with expert tips on decluttering and organizing.
Key Takeaways
- Be radically honest with yourself when deciding what to keep for the next season.
- Declutter items that do not bring joy or are unlikely to be used next spring.
- Organize seasonal items thoughtfully to save time and reduce stress in the future.
- Separate children’s clothing by size to streamline seasonal wardrobe transitions.
- Adapt kitchen and storage spaces to seasonal needs for better functionality.
What the video covers
- Michal Pliner, a professional organizer, shares a step-by-step guide on seasonal decluttering and organization.
- Focus on honest evaluation of clothing and items to keep only what will bring joy next spring.
- Special tips for handling shoes, including cleaning and repairing before storage.
- Advice on sorting children’s clothing by size and condition to avoid unnecessary clutter.
- Guidance on adapting kitchen storage and tools for winter cooking habits.
- Encouragement to review and declutter rarely used blankets, pillows, and linens in storage spaces.
- Emphasis on avoiding the 'I'll sort it out later' mindset to prevent accumulation of clutter.
- Michal promotes radical honesty and no compromises when deciding what to keep.
- She offers a course called 'Order Scenario' for creating a long-lasting smart storage system.
- Practical tips include completing small tasks immediately to maintain organization momentum.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Seasonal Clothing Transition
- 00:58Radical Honesty in Decluttering
- 02:32Decluttering Shoes and Immediate Actions
- 02:53Managing Children's Clothing for Seasonal Changes
- 03:53Preparing the Kitchen for Winter
- 05:23Reviewing Storage Spaces and Bedding
- 06:32Avoiding Clutter Accumulation and Course Promotion
- 08:20Final Tips and Encouragement for Seasonal Decluttering
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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And you will almost certainly do it wrong, because when changing seasons, we rarely ask ourselves if we actually need these things. Most of the time, we just pack them away, thinking, "We'll see next season, if we make it that far."
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My name is Michal. I am a professional organizer and the founder of the Simply Set home organization agency and school. For over 5 years, my team and I have been helping clients all around the world declutter their
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closets and improve their quality of life. Subscribe to this channel, like this video, and don't forget to hit the notification bell. That is actually very important. And let's get started.
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The main question of seasonal purging: what kind of person do you plan to be when you meet next spring? And I'm not talking about a hypothetical life or even about you today. The version of you that will exist in 6 to 9 months.
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Will that person still like all the same things? Will they enjoy wearing that same dress for the eleventh year in a row, the one that's a bit worn out but still seems okay? Or this top that was super trendy this season, but is
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made of synthetic fabric? Perhaps you have a maternity leave, a move, or a new job coming up. And when you keep this in mind, you're not just storing things for the next season; you are keeping only what will truly be
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relevant to your next spring. It might seem harder to do today, but believe me, your future self will definitely thank you for it. You might reasonably object, "I don't know what will happen by next spring." Have you seen what's
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going on in the world lately? You don't actually need to plan everything in minute detail. The point isn't planning; it's being honest with yourself. The main rule of thoughtful decluttering.
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We do not make compromises. We lean into radical honesty with ourselves. With every item, it is super important to ask yourself one single question: will I be happy to see this item next spring? Not "It will probably fit me."
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Not "Well, I can still wear it a bit longer." And certainly not the argument, "Well, what if I don't find anything to replace it?" Just answer the question: will you be happy to see it or not? An item that gives you mixed
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feelings now will likely not bring you any joy in six months either. It will take up space on a shelf or in your closet, and every time you see it, you'll have those same mixed feelings, and you'll likely never buy a perfectly
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suitable replacement because, well, this one is "kind of okay." And come spring, you'll be standing in front of a full closet again with that same thought: "I have nothing to wear." The main rule of decluttering: if it's not
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a definite yes, it means no. The same logic applies to shoes, but with a technical part added. First off, it's a good idea to wipe them down before putting them into long-term storage.
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And while you’re wiping them, examine them closely. Are there any worn-out pairs, scuffed straps, or damaged toes?
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You most likely won't want to wear those in the spring, but they will still take up space in your closet.
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Make a decision for each pair right away. If something needs to be taken to a cobbler, do it in the next few days.
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If you’ve decided to get rid of something, then do it. And as for what you’re keeping, pack it neatly and put it away until next season. We never store summer and winter shoes mixed together, and we definitely don’t
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follow the "I'll sort it out later" principle. "Later" rarely ever comes, but it drains your attention the whole time. The next item for seasonal prep is kids' clothing. With children, it's sometimes impossible to predict what size they will be in the spring. And
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there is definitely an ironclad rule that works. If it fits tightly now and is already a bit worn, it will surely be the first thing to go by spring.
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Sometimes it happens that something seems to have extra room now, but by spring it’s already just too small.
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But there is a cool life hack. Items that fit well now go into long-term storage, but separate from those that are a little big. It makes sense to immediately put items that are currently size-to-size or already a bit
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small into a separate category to pass on to the next owner. And then in the spring, you open the box with the items that might be just about right. And if after trying on the first couple of things you realize everything is
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hopelessly small, you generally don't have to continue trying them on. This means you won't have to go through the entire children's wardrobe all over again. For this, I recommend investing your time right now. By the way, clients very often thank me and say
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that this takes much less time than they initially thought. Next, we will prepare the kitchen for the new season.
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One might wonder what it has to do with the change of seasons. We keep eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner there just the same. But the kitchen often functions differently in winter. Those who cook regularly say they cook, bake,
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and host people at home much more in the winter. In summer, you were constantly making smoothies, ice cream, and eating salads. In winter, it's more about soups and hot baked goods, so different kitchenware is used as well.
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And the kitchen adapts to this scenario. The blender you might have used all summer for smoothies probably won't be needed once in winter. That means you can put it up higher and further away.
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But the waffle iron that you plan to use regularly should be moved lower and within easy reach. It probably makes sense to move your baking pans to a more convenient spot as well. That way, when you feel like baking your
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signature apple cake, you won't have to muster up the energy or go searching for the pan on the top shelf. Items within reach are used much more often, and this works for absolutely every category, not just baking. The same
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thing applies to our spices. It might be worth checking them and moving all the winter flavors closer to the front.
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You can also do an audit of your dishware at the same time, if there are any pans you haven't used in a long time. Dishes without a matching set or containers without lids. I recommend reviewing everything you have and
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letting go of what you don't need. Believe me, you're guaranteed to feel a sense of seasonal renewal. Our next item is the top shelves, closets, space under the bed, and other secret rooms in your home. Of course, we are
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swapping light blankets for warm ones. And at this moment, it's useful not just to shove everything in as is, but to review every item in these dark corners. Do you actually use all the blankets lying in there? Are they even
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in good condition? Have you taken them out at least once in the last couple of years? And most importantly, does the number of these blankets, pillows, and so on actually match the number of your family members? Do you really need all
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10 of them? Often these dark corners contain incomplete sets of bed linen missing pillowcases, or old, long-forgotten blankets and snagged throws that you feel sorry to throw away, but absolutely don't want to use.
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Let's establish this. Our goal here isn't to figure out where all these things came from or how we ended up like this. Often items end up on top shelves or in storage areas simply because we didn't want to make a
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decision at the time. So now your task is to look through absolutely everything and honestly decide what you don't plan on using or taking out again. Don't turn your long-term storage spaces into a dumping ground for family
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baggage. By the way, there's often a pile of pillows there too. They are kept for hypothetical guests or just in case. Let's honestly count how many guests have actually spent the night at your place this last year and how many
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guest pillows you used. Or maybe you're not really in the mood to have anyone stay over at all. In that case, the lack of extra pillows will be a good excuse not to invite anyone. Believe me, a cleared-out top shelf will g
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a sense of freedom throughout your entire apartment. Do you know why seasonal decluttering is such a pain point? When you do it on your own, the process is often put off until it becomes urgent, it gets cold, and you
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simply can't reach those things. And then you objectively have to do everything in a rush. Summer clothes are shoved to the top, winter ones are dragged down in a hurry, and in the end , nothing is filtered or reviewed. And
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then, six months later, the whole thing repeats itself. So, by regularly failing to filter things between seasons, you accumulate up to 30-40%of unnecessary, irrelevant items. It is much more pleasant to do all this in the company of like-minded people. That
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is why in my private club, called " Space," we conduct this very seasonal audit together. We filter out the excess and, as a bonus, put together a very aesthetic and practical wardrobe with a stylist. We don't just work on
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our homes there, but also on our own personal mental space as well. Join us in the club; the link is in the description of this video. But if you want to not just change seasons once according to Simple Rules, but build a
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smart storage system that will work for you for years in every room of your apartment, then come to my course called "Order Scenario." There, together with you, we will think through the storage structure step by step so that it works for you and your
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loved ones. The link to the course is in the description of this video or right here via the QR code. Now, for what saves the most time, yet only a few people actually do it. While you are doing that audit, various tasks
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will pop into your head. Keep your phone handy and record them immediately . What you need to buy, what to take to the dry cleaners, what to send for repairs, what to hem, and exactly who to give things to. And most importantly
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, you don't just put this list away for "I'll deal with it later." You gradually complete the tasks and check them off, especially those that take less than a minute to finish. There is no need to put them off for later. If
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you want to give a bag of clothes to an acquaintance, write to her right away.
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Ask her when she can pick them up and if she even needs them at all.
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Otherwise, the bag threatens to stay in the hallway until March and remind you of itself every day. Five minutes for a message and you have five fewer pending tasks. So, ladies, write in the comments how your seasonal decluttering
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is going: who will start with the mezzanine, who with the storage room, and who with what else. And do share your life hacks on how you prepare for winter or for a new season in general.
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Like this video and subscribe to my channel. Don't forget to hit the bell; it turns out that's very important. See you in the next videos. Bye-bye!
Topics:seasonal declutteringhome organizationwardrobe managementwinter preparationprofessional organizerkitchen organizationchildren's clothing storageseasonal storage tipsdecluttering adviceMichal Pliner
