Posted on Wednesday, 6th July 2022
Perhaps you are going travelling, rotating your wardrobe for the new season, or storing clothes while you relocate – whatever the reason, understanding how to properly store your clothes will ensure they stay in mint condition ready for the next time you wear them.
Learning how to store your clothing properly can help to prevent fabrics from becoming mouldy, motheaten or fading. Dont think of storing clothes as a chore, reframe it as an investment! Once organised efficiently and packed away safely, the hard work is done and you are all ready for when you need them next.
Running out of wardrobe space at home? Dont forget that we offer controlled environmnet short and long term storage unit options, so your clothes can have the space they need.
Read on for a few pointers on how to store clothes efficiently.
This is a useful starting point when packing away clothes. Have a look through and see if there any items of clothing that don’t fit you anymore or no longer suit your style. By trimming down your pile, you can reduce what you need to sort and potentially save some time down the line.
You could even donate the clothes that are still in good condition to your favourite charity and do a good deed, to boot.
As we mentioned above, improperly drying your clothes can leave them damp, a perfect growing space for mould when stored. Ensure the clothing is dry before storing to help prevent this nasty build-up. Make use of warm days to dry clothes on the washing line and run through a dryer in colder months.
Whether you are rolling or folding, there is little need to iron your clothes if storing long-term. Once packed, it is inevitable that creasing will occur, so don’t waste time ironing before storing your clothes. Once you take them out, that is the ideal time to put the iron over them.
Cardboard boxes aren’t impervious to insects or moisture and vacuum bags can crush and damage the shape of delicate fabrics. Any transparent materials can allow light in, fading the dyes in your clothes.
Instead, consider storing clothes long-term in opaque plastic boxes lined with clean cotton sheets, and throw in some moisture absorbers and wooden cedar balls as an alternative to toxic mothballs.
Physics can be a wonderful thing. Rolling clothes, rather than folding, can sometimes enable you to store more clothes in a container. There is also less pressure on items near the bottom, due to the smaller surface area of items above.
Speaking of which, it is advisable to store heavier clothing at the bottom of your boxes, and lighter items on top. It’s a similar logic to packing bread at a supermarket.
Store your clothes in the centre of the storage area, as big shifts in temperature or humidity can hamper their quality. Place them away from draughts and vents where fluctuations in temperature can occur and try to ensure a stable, low humidity. Clothes should ideally not be stored in temperature warmer than 23 degrees.
Now you’re prepped to store your clothes properly, do you want to save space at home and leave the storage part to the experts? At Space Station, we’ll make sure your precious pieces are kept in the optimum conditions possible and our staff are on-site daily to field any concerns. Better yet, we have 24-hour security, and you can access your belongings 7 days a week – find out if we can make your life easier, today.
