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Don’t you love the warm weather? No jackets, no long sleeves and no hats or scarves. There’s something freeing about being able to walk around in shorts and sandals all the time. Now that your summer clothes are front and center in your closets and drawers, what will you do with the winter clothes?
Unless your drawers and closets are big enough to store clothing of seasons past and present, you’re dealing with storage issues. In addition, you want your clothes to remain in the same good condition when you remove them from storage. When you store clothes for the winter, they should look and smell clean and fresh. Before you begin, make sure your clothes have been laundered. Never pack away dirty garments unless you want the damage to set in permanently. Besides, you don’t want to entice insects with clothes that have food or other attractive odors.
Next, decide where the clothes will be stored. Attic? Basement? Closet in a different location of the house? These are all important factors. For instance, if you will be storing your clothes away in a musty area, a plastic storage bin with a cover that fits tight might be your answer, though you want to make sure the fabrics can breathe. Ideally, you’d like to hang them in a closet.
Make sure your storage area is cool and dark. Don’t use a plastic trash bag or other plastic bag to store your clothes since they will need to breathe. If you must hang them covered, use a breathable garment storage bag, but don’t cram clothing together. Use only a few pieces per bag. Make use of all support hooks on hangers, straps and loops on clothing since the garments should hang as securely as possible. Hang pants upside down from the cuff to prevent the kind of creases and wrinkling that can come with folding over a hanger or in a box. Never use wire hangers; not only can they rust, but they’ll cause wrinkles and creases in the clothing.
If you must store your clothing in a basement or attic, make sure the area isn’t damp or musty. If need be, invest in a dehumidifier and be sure to keep clothing away from heating units, vents and anywhere else they’ll be exposed to heat and changing temperatures. Don’t store clothes in a garage unless cars are never parked inside. Gas fumes and other car smells will permeate the fabric and leave you with a stinky wardrobe. An ideal location is one that is cool, dark and dry with no obvious odors.
You might want to reconsider using mothballs to repel insects and keep your clothes from picking up a musty scent. Cedar is a safer, non-toxic alternative. Mothballs are dangerous, especially to children or pets.
It’s a good idea to fold sweaters and other knit items and put them in storage containers since many of these fabrics will stretch and become shapeless when hung for prolonged periods of time. Also, fabrics such as satin fade in the sun. If delicate garments are being hung in the same spot for a prolonged period, it’s best to hang or store them in an area where they won’t be exposed to the sun. Folding delicates and storing them in a pillowcase will guard against fading. Old suitcases are also perfect for storing folded clothes.
As you can see, it’s not enough to hang items in a closet or toss them into a box for storage. As long as the garments are clean and stored in a cool, dark place, they’ll be fine. You want to take care and store them in a manner incurring the least amount of damage and not encouraging insects. This may take a little more time but when it’s time to unpack the clothes for the winter, you’ll be happy you took the extra precautions.
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