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Your Seasonal Wardrobe Sort-Out

Clothes hanging on a rail
The sun’s out! Yes! It’s time to put all those thick jumpers and big coats away and give shorts, t-shirts, skirts and dresses their chance to get out into the big wide world. Here are our tips for a swift, low-hassle summer wardrobe sort-out.

 

A great excuse for a declutter

First step is to go through clothes, shoes and accessories for the entire household to see if there’s anything that can be given to charity, sold, swapped or recycled if it’s no good. There’s no point in packing away things that nobody’s ever going to wear again.

 

Clean and dry

Make sure that all your clothes are clean and completely dry before packing them away. If you pack away items with any moisture then this might turn into mildew and mould and ruin all your clothes before you get to wear them again. Don’t just clean your clothes, now is a great time to give your wardrobes and drawers a good vacuum clean too as you’ll be emptying them out anyway.

 

Boxes and bags

Find some boxes and bags that will keep your items clean and dust-free over the season. Plastic boxes and bags are best for clothes but try to avoid using cardboard for any long-term storage as it can let moisture in. There are a whole host of plastic boxes available that will fit at the bottom of wardrobes or underneath a bed. If you’re short on space then pick up some of those airtight bags that you put clothes in and then suck all the air out with the vacuum cleaner. For a low-budget solution use suitcases, rucksacks and supermarket ‘bags for life’.

 

Space to store

Decide where you’re going to store your seasonal items as this will dictate the kinds of boxes and bags you need to find. If you’re thinking of stashing your clothes in your loft then it’s probably best to opt for some of the vac-pack bags to keep any cold and moisture off. You might also want to consider how likely it is that you’ll need to get at the items again. We all know how fickle the British weather is so there might be the odd day where you need something a bit cosier.

 

Label, label, label

Pack away your things in an organised way and you’ll thank yourself when it comes to changing your seasonal wardrobe back. If you clearly label your boxes and bags then should you need to find something mid-season you won’t end up with clothes everywhere and having to go through the whole packing process again.

What are your tips for a quick and easy wardrobe refresh?

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Lemons! The Easiest Way To Clean Your Microwave

Lemons cut in half
Cleaning the microwave is a job that usually gets left way too long. Nobody likes doing it. The inside of your microwave probably harbours the history of many meals passed. But there’s a quick and easy way to get it clean and smelling fresh and it’s as simple as heating up some soup!

All you need is that wonderful fruit that is friend to cleaners everywhere. The glorious lemon!

I promise that this method is much easier and cheaper than using any kitchen spray and has the added bonus of being a non-toxic way of cleaning a food prep area.

So here’s what you’ll need:

  • A lemon
  • A microwaveable bowl or jug half-filled with water (the wider the opening the better – so that the water doesn’t boil over the top)
  • Oven gloves for removing the bowl from the microwave
  • Kitchen towel or cleaning cloths

Take the lemon and cut it in half, squeeze the juice into the bowl of water and then drop the halves in there as well.

Microwave the bowl of water and lemons for 3 minutes on full power so that the water starts to boil. When it’s finished, leave the bowl in the microwave for an additional 2 minutes. Don’t open the door until the 2 minutes are over – you want to let the heat and steam do its work on any particularly bad parts.

Carefully remove the bowl of water. Wipe around the inside of the microwave with the kitchen towel or cloths. You might get through quite a few depending on how greasy things are in there! All the grime should come away easily but if there are some particularly stubborn bits you can always microwave the bowl for another minute to create some more steam.

Your microwave should now be looking as good as new and smelling beautiful.