How to organise your wardrobe for autumn
Whether you’re still in denial about the end of summer or you’re already lining up for your pumpkin spiced latte, there’s no denying that autumn is upon us and it’s time to prepare our wardrobes for the colder climate. That means your summer clothes can be put away to make room for the jumpers, woollies and jeans you’re going to need in the upcoming months.
Your woolly scarves, warm clothes and chunky boots may have been in hibernation, but with our top tips, your autumn essentials will be ready to wear in no time at all.
5 tips for an autumn-ready wardrobe
Freshen them up!
Ever taken your clothes out of winter storage and noticed they have a musty smell? When you store clothes away for long periods, you trap all the microscopic moulds and mildews that linger on your clothes into an air-tight space, meaning the gases they produce have nowhere to go.
To tackle the smell, pre-soak the items in a one part white vinegar and four parts water solution for up to 30 minutes, then rinse and wash clothes at their highest recommended temperature. This should kill off any mould spores and tackle the musty smell. You could alternatively use a product designed specifically to remove odours, such as Dr Beckmann Odour Remover.
You shouldn’t do this for knitwear, though – see the following section for how to freshen that up.
Make sure to unload your laundry from the washing machine as soon as the cycle has finished. Otherwise, bacteria is given the chance to multiply, which creates unwanted smells and you’re right back to square one.
Drying your clothes quickly and thoroughly is also essential if you want to keep musty smells at bay. The longer an item takes to dry, the more chance bacteria has to develop.
Anything you hang up should be spread out across the line, rather than bunched up, and hung over more than one line if there’s space to better ventilate the item. Open a window if you’re drying indoors to speed up the process and vent residual moisture from the room. To dry your clothes quickly, you could always invest in one of the best heated airers.
Only use the tumble dryer if the care label advises you to do so, following the heat setting recommendations. Once the cycle has finished, shake out the items to remove static and leave to cool before assessing how dry they are. Items may need hanging up for a short time to fully dry if they’re not quite there. Don’t throw them back into the machine unless they’re obviously damp.
GHI Tip: To prevent this odour in the future, wash and completely air-dry your clothes before storing them in vacuum pack bags.
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Pamper your jumpers
High temperatures and harsh chemicals will damage wool fibres, so hand-wash knitwear in tepid water with a detergent designed for delicates, such as Ecover Delicate Laundry Liquid. Only use the washing machine on the delicates cycle if the care label allows, and use a mesh laundry bag for protection. We recommend washing by hand if you want your knitwear to last, though. Fine knits such as cashmere should really always be hand-washed and never tumble-dried. Make sure to dry your knitwear flat, to avoid stretching your favourite jumper into a dress!
Older knitwear can suffer from bobbling after storage. These tight, fuzzy balls form when friction causes the fibres on the surface of a garment to rub together. Use a single-blade razor to gently shave away pills, using your free hand to keep the garment flat. Use the least amount of pressure possible, so you don’t damage the structure of the fabric. Collect up the fluff you shave away using adhesive tape.
If you want to make the task a little easier, you could alternatively invest in one of the best fabric shavers. The GHI has tested both manual and electric options to make bobbles a thing of the past.
Don’t forget coats
For wool, tweed and cashmere, you should brush the coat with a very soft bristled brush, or a lint brush, to remove any surface dirt.
Then, hang on a sturdy broad hanger, such as the John Lewis & Partners Jacket Hangers, and fasten buttons between uses. You should store your coats in an area with good airflow and avoid keeping them next to dirty items, as wool absorbs other dirt and odours.
Keep your coats out of direct sunlight or the colours could fade. If you spill anything down them, blot immediately but don’t rub! This could push the stain deeper into the pile and cause abrasion on the surface.
To spruce up a leather jacket, apply a leather conditioner in a circular motion. This will prevent the leather drying out and cracking. You should always hang it up after wearing to keep its shape.
If there are water stains on your jacket, dampen a white cloth and dab the stain, working in a circular motion. When you first purchase a leather jacket, you should always apply a waterproof spray, such as Liquiproof, to protect against water damage – try it out on a hidden area first to ensure it doesn’t affect the colour or surface.
Remember hats, gloves and scarves
Knitted accessories often get overlooked when you’re doing the laundry, but they need washing, too.
Hand-wash or launder them separately on a delicates cycle and either air-dry them or tumble-dry on a low heat setting. For expensive accessories, such as luxe scarves, it’s best to take a trip to the dry-cleaners.
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Beware of clothes moths
We’ve all been there – you pull on a favourite winter jumper, only to find some ominous small holes. Your wardrobe has been infiltrated by clothes moths!
Moths love the dark, usually hiding at the back of wardrobes and drawers, and in undisturbed places. If you find evidence of these jumper-nibblers, you should empty, vacuum and wash out wardrobes and drawers, before killing the larvae by washing everything at the highest recommended temperature.
For clothes you can’t machine-wash, like delicates, pop garments into a plastic bag and freeze for at least 24 hours before carefully defrosting.
GHI Tip: Prevention is better than cure, so when you’re putting your winter clothes away next year, make sure you freshly wash them before storing and use vacuum pack bags. Keep dark areas uncluttered and clean and apply a specialist treatment, such as Acana Carpet & Fabrics Moth Killer Spray, to the bottom of the wardrobe for good measure.
How to store clothes if you lack space
Storing your summer clothes is never easy if you’re tight for space. Just follow these tips to make the most of your wardrobe.
Use vacuum storage bags – if you don’t intend to wear the items again until the next season, use a vacuum storage bag to reduce the amount of space they take up. You just vacuum out the residual air to compress them down – and it protects from damp and pests, too. Use a specialist storage bag for any knitwear, though, such as this knitwear and T-shirt storage bag. Knitwear needs to breathe while being protected from any moths.
Make use of your suitcases – any suitcases reserved for your holidays are just empty spaces you can fill with items.
Declutter – as you’re rotating your wardrobe, take the chance to declutter anything you no longer wear or use. Sort into piles that you want to keep, donate, throw away and sell. This will reduce the amount you need to store.
Use your bed – make sure you’re making best use of the space under your bed. Clothes shouldn’t be bundled here loose. Instead, use stackable storage containers with compartments, so you can keep things categorised.
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