It's Winter: Tips for Caring for Your Winter Essentials

Top tips for caring for your winter essentials

Break open your winter wardrobe, pull out those winter woollens and put on that cosy coat. Winter is in the air, but as comfy as all those warm winter clothes are, they can be oh-so-bulky and hard to care for. Here, we explore some clever ways of storing, organising, and caring for your clothes.

Organising Your Winter Wardrobe

Make way for the mohair and welcome back the wool. Your wardrobe is about to get cosy, but with these simple ideas, you can easily create space for those winter essentials.

• Store away off-season clothes like lightweight tops and dresses, summer-print items (be gone, Hawaiian print playsuit), shorts or sandals.

• Section up your wardrobe into clothes types, for example, jerseys, jeans, trousers, blouses, jackets, etc.

• Fold knitwear, don’t hang it, as it may stretch and lose its shape. If space is an issue, fold in half over a hanger.

• Store long boots upright and stuff with newspaper to keep their shape. You can lay them flat if you don’t have space.

• Use the right hangers. Thicker hangers will be sturdier and able to hold the weight of your heavier winter clothes without misshaping them. Top tip: A great space saver is to roll up your lighter-knit tops and jumpers.

Find a Home For Your Bulky Winter Essentials

Warm coats and jackets will be part of your winter wardrobe staple for a good few months, but it can be hard to know where to store them when your wardrobe won’t allow. Here, we take a look at some alternative storage places outside the closet.

• Invest in a coat rack. If you have room in your hall or bedroom, this is a great space saver for those bulky coats.

• Hooks are a simple solution to space-saving and can be put on the backs of doors and walls. Avoid hanging extremely heavy coats, and always use the hanging loop.

• Use a clothes rack (or hanging rail). This is a great way to boost your wardrobe space, and as they are moveable, you can decide where to put it.

• Use baskets for hats, gloves, and scarves. Fold them up, sort them into sets, and put in a basket for easy access. If you have space by your front door, you can simply grab them on your way out.

Caring For Your Winter Clothes

Your warm clothes for winter will need special care to keep them soft, in shape and long-wearing. Follow these top tips to make sure your winter wardrobe essentials last beyond this cold season.

• Winter woollens can be machine washed at warm temperatures on a delicate cycle. Alternatively, hand wash gently in lukewarm water with a small amount of wool detergent. Rinse a couple of times, removing excess water by rolling item in a towel and pressing lightly. Air dry flat or on a rack.

• Leather boots can be kept clean with a brush and leather cleaner, applying polish or leather conditioner to keep supple. A leather protector can also be applied to prevent staining.

• Winter coats can generally be machine washed if they are puffer jackets or nylon (wool coats should be dry cleaned). Make sure the zips and pockets are closed and wash separately on a cold wash with liquid detergent.