Fall Closet Changeover Checklist

22 items · Lifestyle · Easy difficulty · 3 hours

Swap summer clothes for winter in one afternoon: check coats, boots and kids' snow gear for fit and wear, then store summer clothes clean and labeled.

• Bring out the winter storage bins and the coats from the back of the closet
• Check stored wool for small holes or webbing as it comes out

  Both are signs of clothes moths. Wash or dry-clean the affected pieces and vacuum the closet before anything goes back in.

• Try on every winter coat
• Try on boots, with the socks that will be worn in them

  Thick winter socks can make last year's boots too tight.

• Check the kids' snow pants, waterproof mittens and snow boots

  The first snow gives no notice, and kids who play outside at school or daycare need the gear that morning.

• Pair up gloves and mittens, and match hats and scarves
• Check zippers, buttons and seams, and set aside anything to mend
• Reproof waterproof jackets and boots

  Spray and wax proofing wears off with use. If a boot let water in last winter, it will again.

• Write a list of what needs replacing or buying
• Donate outgrown coats and boots that are still in good shape

  Coat drives usually collect in the fall, just before people need the coats.

• Air out sweaters and coats that smell of storage
• Move winter clothes into the drawers and rail you reach every day
• Set up a spot by the door for coats, boots, hats and gloves

  A boot tray catches meltwater and road salt before it reaches the floor.

• Leave a few light layers out until the cold settles in

  Early fall can swing from warm to frosty within a week.

• Sort summer clothes into keep, donate and mend
• Wash or dry-clean everything you keep before storing it
• Empty every pocket
• Clean and dry sandals and summer shoes
• Pack summer clothes into lidded bins or breathable fabric boxes

  Take off the dry cleaner's plastic bags first. They trap moisture against the fabric.

• Label each bin with what is in it and the sizes

  Sizes on kids' bins tell you next spring what a younger child can wear.

• Store the bins somewhere dry, not a damp basement or a garage floor

  Damp storage brings mildew.

• Add a reminder for the spring changeover

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