Spring is here!

Here in Northeast Wisconsin, the snow is gone, the sun is out, birds are chirping, and rhubarb is popping up from the earth.

S P R I N G has arrived!

Winter coats, snow pants, hats, and gloves are being cleaned and stored for safekeeping until December.

(Hahaha!)

Did you catch that little joke I just made?

If we are lucky, the cold weather will stay away until after trick or treating. But unfortunately, for some years, that has been wishful thinking!

Because I am sure you're just as excited as I am for spring, I wanted to share some tips for getting your winter gear packed away for the warmer months ahead.

Step 1: Gather up ALL your winter outdoor gear.

Remember to check closets, hangers, hooks, shelves... everywhere!

Step 2: Clean ALL your winter outdoor gear.

Be sure to read labels to see if items can be thrown in the wash and dried at home or if they need professional dry cleaning. Either way, get those jackets, snowpants, hats, and gloves all nice and clean for storage so they are ready to wear when the colder weather returns.

Step 3: Sort and decide.

Sort through all your newly cleaned items to determine if they should be kept, tossed, donated, or sold.

• Keep items that are in good, wearable condition that you know you'll wear again in the future.

• Toss any items that have holes or are damaged beyond repair... this includes items that NEED to be repaired and you don't actually plan to repair!

• Donate items that no longer fit or are no longer your style. Consider donating to a homeless or domestic abuse shelter in your area.

• Want to make a little money back on your purchase? Sell items that are relatively newer and in great condition. If items don't sell after a month or two, consider donating instead.

Step 4: Store the remaining items in your "keep" pile.

Some storage options may be to:

• Hang items in a vacant closet, like a guest bedroom or basement storage closet. Below are a couple of product suggestions for hanging in closet spaces!

- Hangers

- Garment bags

• Store items in a large plastic tote like this one here or here. I am listing a 110 qt and 66 qt size; the size you need depends on how much you have to store.

  • If you are storing a larger number of items, consider using a vacuum storage bag to help condense items into fewer totes as needed.

• If you don't have much to store, use that available storage space under your bed! I'd suggest using vacuum storage bags like this one here and store in a narrow plastic storage tote. If you are new to using the storage space under your bed, remember it's there; otherwise, you might forget about it!!

That's all for winter gear storage! Let me know what other areas you'd like some tips for.