Clothing Storage Recommendations?

This post sort of piggybacks off of Ornella's recent post, about purging clothing and storing. Although I have ample room in my closets to hang everything, I'm finding the visual clutter of cooler-weather clothes is overwhelming to my eye, and it's driving me nuts to dig through heavy stuff to get to the summer wear. So I've decided that to store sweaters, heavier skirts and jackets, etc.

I recently read somewhere that you shouldn't store certain textiles in plastic bags, that it's better just to staple long sheets of paper over them, so that the fabric can still breathe, even as you keep out moths. (I wish I could remember where I read that!)

My question is, how do you store your clothes? Any recommendations for storage containers, bags, etc? Do you dry-clean particular items before storing, even if they are already clean, or is it better to wait until you get your things back out? What do you do for leather coats and jackets?

12 years ago

General

3 replies

Latest reply was from Diana

ironkurtin

Veteran

For me:

I never store anything that isn't clean. I wash it or dry clean it if it's been worn at all. Sweat and other things are what attract bugs, and nothing is less yummy than pulling something out of storage that smells stale. If it's materials a moth would like, I spin it through the drier on high for half an hour to kill everything, just in case.

Knits (cotton, cashmere, wool, etc.) I fold or roll and place in tight-sealing plastic boxes (file boxes are a nice size and easy to manage). There should be some room for air between the layers of clothing, so don't pack them down; you'll end up with very pesky creases. I have a lot of cedar and lavender sachets, and I put one or two in each box between the layers. Then make sure the top is securely fastened. Bugs and damp should not be able to get in and everything will smell nice when you pull it out.

Ditto for jeans. I fold them flat (no crease). Then I place them into the storage box like I would put books into a bookshelf. This makes it easier to pull a pair out if I need one.

Suits and dresses I prefer to hang. I have suit covers that are clear plastic in front and canvas in back. I put sachets in these also.

12 years ago

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm in the re-arrange-my-closet group instead of the store-it-elsewhere group, except for winter coats, boots, scarves, and such which are stored in a downstairs closet during the summer and brought up to the hall closet in the fall. Other than that, I just hang heavier items to the sides during the summer months and then reverse the order in the fall.

One of my sons and his wife live in a tiny, 100-year-old city house, though, and they do store their non-seasonal clothes in much the same way as IK. Their basement can be a bit damp on occasion, so all their clothes are stored Rubbermaid containers placed on shelves. Recently, my son discovered those plastic bags which can be vacuum sealed; he now swears by that system because it completely protects the items from any dampness or bugs, makes it easier to store more items in each container, and, so he claims, reduces creasing. One caution--don't put sachets in the bags; he did that the first time and the sachet left an oily stain where it rested on the sleeve of a sweater.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

First off, I agree with IK about never storing anything unless it is clean. I dry clean my coats at the end of the season and keep them hanging in the plastic dry cleaning bags. I try to wash all my sweaters as well at the end of the winter, but I admit I don't always keep the best track of that.

I don't pack away and store winter clothes in general. My opinion is that it's better to keep them out in the open. Moths seem to like clothes that are in dark places without much air circulation. If you are sure there are no eggs in the clothes vacuum sealing would keep them out. But otherwise you can't really keep them out.

Anyway, I store my sweaters and other woolens either hanging (coats, trousers, etc) or folded up on shelves in the wardrobe. There is always air circulation when I open the wardrobe. It's probably a good idea to shake the garments out once in a while too.

12 years ago

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