Favorite Container #4: Clear Boxes for the Closet

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It’s that time of year in New England when a beautiful, sunny 65 degree day is then followed by a cold, raw and rainy day. While the weather is unpredictable, warmer temps are on the horizon—and by this point I am feeling done with Winter gear no matter what! 

While getting our closets and the mudroom ready for the change of seasons, I realized how much I rely on clear boxes and canvas bins. So this month for My Favorite Container Series I’ll share how I use clear, plastic boxes for a simple, easy system.

No surprise here: I like clear, plastic boxes because they make what is inside visible, and they are durable. (I’ve written before about how The Container Store clear boxes are my favorite.) 

But the boxes also are integral to how I maintain my closet, and help my daughter with hers. 

  • My husband and I store our off-season clothes in fairly large clear, plastic bins. When it’s time to get the summer things out, I can bring down the bins from the attic. Take the warm weather clothes out, and load in the winter things. The bins are Sterilite (115 quart size) and are bigger than I’d like, but it is very easy to just have one bin to look for and deal with!
  • In our closets we also store our winter (wool, cashmere) sweaters in clear sweater boxes. When sweater season is over I add some new cedar blocks and snap the lid shut.
  • I also use a clear box without a lid to hold my handbags on the top shelf of my closet.
  • All my work and dressy shoes are stored in clear boxes.
  • My daughteris growing so fast, so I keep a clear bin on the top shelf of her closet. This is a typical old closet with one fairly high shelf at the top—it’s the perfect place for the “Clothes to Grow Into” bin.

The clear bins make it easy to 1) change out my clothes at the change of the seasons; 2) organize  and see my sweaters, shoes, and handbags; and 3) contain my daughter’s clothes that she’ll grow into.

Important Bonus Tip:  If you are doing a seasonal change of clothes in your closet, now is the time to do a quick purge of items you 1) didn’t wear at all in the last 6 months and 2) really don’t love anymore.

And if you need help with setting up a closet system that works for you, please let me know!