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Creative Organizing Ideas for Winter Accessories
Find a home for mittens, scarves and coats by implementing these simple storage solutions.
Living in an area with cold winters can have some advantages. Not only is there a ton of indoor winter fun to be had, like snuggling up next to a warm fireplace or baking cookies, but there are some epic outdoor activities to engage in as well, like snowball fights, sledding, or building snow forts. Even if your family isn’t outside every day, winter still necessitates certain accessories to stay warm when you do happen to venture outdoors.
Instead of having hats, scarves and gloves scattered all over your entryway or sopping wet boots messing up your floors, consider implementing one of these organizing ideas to keep your winter gear orderly and in good shape for a long time.
Hang a Cubby for Sweaters
News flash: Hanging cubbies aren’t just for sweaters! They’re actually a really versatile organizing tool for anything from toys to towels and jeans. So how about incorporating one for winter accessories? Simply create a bit of space in your coat closet so that you can hang the cubby on the rod. Then roll scarves, stack gloves and mittens, and pile up hats in the individual cubbies. Smaller items, like earmuffs and gloves, can also be corralled into an organizing unit that has drawers. The drawers keep them contained and out of sight. Add labels if necessary.
Give Your Shoe Organizer a New Purpose
Much like the sweater cubby, you can transform an over-the-door shoe holder with pockets into a great organizing element for your winter gear. This is a very helpful addition for a closet that is already filled to the brim, with no room left on the hanging rod. Simply install the shoe organizer on the inside of the closet door and put it to work holding the household’s winter accessories. Rolled scarves can be positioned vertically, while sets of gloves can be stashed in the individual pockets. Warm headbands, earmuffs and other seasonal items can also be corralled so they aren’t lost. Try to find a shoe organizer with clear pockets so the items are easy to identify.
Add Drawers
If you’re needing a handy organizing tool that is a workhorse, consider a stackable drawer unit. These work well in several areas of the home, including the mudroom, front closet, or entryway. Think about picking a narrow style so that it conserves floor space. The metal versions on the market tend to be a bit more expensive, but are worth the added cost if it’s in your budget since they last longer than the plastic types. A good strategy is to designate a drawer for each family member to stow their winter stuff. Label the drawers so each person knows which is which. The best part? When winter is over and the warm weather starts to hit, those cold-weather items can be swapped out for warm-weather accessories, like sunglasses and visors.
Designate a Basket
Sometimes the simplest, most obvious solutions are the best ones. Along those lines, try giving every family member a basic basket to hold their winter belongings. Easy peasy, right? Even the littlest in the household can understand the concept: come in from outside; lay out wet hats and gloves to dry; when dry, put them into their basket. Neatness isn’t necessarily the most important factor here — you just want the items corralled in the basket instead of cluttering up the rest of the house. If you’d like to get fancy, have fabric bins monogrammed with the first name of each person in the household. Line the bins up on a shelf in the mudroom or entryway closet.
Install Dividers in the Closet
For large households or those with an overabundance of winter coats, it’s fair to say that keeping things orderly in the closet can be challenging. That’s where dividers in the closet are useful. Not only are they inexpensive, but they come in several different shapes to fit round closet rods as well as rectangular ones. To organize, simply sort the coats by style (think heavy down coats, dressy overcoats, play coats, etc.), or by family member. Then label the dividers and insert them so you know where each section begins.
Go With An Upright Boot Stand
Scrubbing floors after salt and snow gets dragged inside on boots becomes old really fast. To combat this, many try to position a tray for wet boots near the door — which is great — but unfortunately it can only accommodate a couple pairs of boots at the most. As an alternative, consider using an upright boot stand instead. It holds up to six pairs of boots, in addition to consolidating space and facilitating the boot drying process by hanging them upside down. Stash one of these incredibly handy organizers in the garage, mudroom, entryway, or anywhere you find a little bit of extra floor space.
