As the air gets warmer and the sun shines brighter, it is time to ditch all your winter clothing and make room for the summer ones. But simply shoving it into boxes or the back of your closet just won’t do. If you want your clothes looking nice and fresh even seasons later, follow the few simple steps listed below –
- Wash all your clothes
First and foremost, it is very important to either machine wash or dry wash your clothes before you store them. Why? Because our skin’s oils, sweat as well as perfume and lotion that you have used can cause visible stains and yellowing upon storage. Moreover, pests such as moths are attracted to the scents and can produce unpleasant smells in your clothing.
Before you begin, here is a bit of information. Your non-delicate items are those of cotton, polyester and linen fabrics which require a simple machine wash whereas silk, cashmere, wool, rayon and such delicate items will require a dry wash.
- Check for repairs
While sorting through your winter clothing, you might notice that some of the items or accessories are in need of repair, such as a broken zipper, a tear, or maybe a missing button. This would be the best time to get those fixed so you can have them all ready as new before the next winter.
It is also a good time to get rid of the ones you would not want to wear again which could be passed on to friends or relatives or donated.
- Store appropriately
After you are done cleaning your clothes, proceed to storing them the right way. Items like jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, coats and jackets should be folded and stored in opaque plastic boxes or fabric storage bags with the heavier items placed at the bottom and the lighter ones toward the top. As for your delicates, fold them and wrap them in acid-free tissue paper and store them in cotton bags.
- Hang your furs and dresses
Your furs and dresses need to be hung on clothes hangers and then placed in cotton storage bags. You can consider getting professional storage for your furs as authentic fur requires an environment of 50˚F and 50% humidity to maintain its moisture level.
4. Don’t stuff everything
Avoid packing your clothes too tightly or using plastic vacuum bags. You alsio must notstore in the dry-cleaning plastic bags the clothes come in. This is important so as to allow air to flow and for your clothes to breathe which will deter moulds from forming. Furthermore, you may add lavender or cedar sachets even lemon peels to keep your clothes smelling fresh and keep pests away.
- Take care of your shoes and boots
Without proper care and storage, you will most likely find your boots and shoes appear creased and deformed the next time you take them out. Obviously, you would not then want to go about walking with those looking like that. Therefore, preventive measures require you to first clean and then polish them and lastly condition before storing.
Next, to maintain the shape of your boots and shoes, you could use boot trees or you may opt for packing them with newspapers or tissue papers. You could then store your boots in a closet or plastic bin either in an upright position or lay them on their sides with any sort of cotton cloth over it while you stack more shoes on top..
- Store accessories
Your scarves, shawls, gloves and caps can be stored either separately or altogether in plastic bins or fabric bags..
- Store your bins, cottonbagsand boxes
After you are done organizing your winter apparel, the last thing to do is store the containers in the right place. The perfect place is one that is clean, cool, dry and dark which could be your closet, under the bed even your suitcases. Make sure the plastic is opaque to prevent discoloration due to bright light. Higher temperatures facilitate mould and mildew formation by creating a humid environment leading to damage of clothes and bad odours.
Storing clothes properly will make them last many years, keeps pests away and prevent them from getting musty. Besides, you will also be able to make more room for your summer outfits and sandals!
