Love where you live. Sign up for our newsletter

How to store your warm weather clothes.

by on Sep 26, 2007

Closet with three racks for hanging as well as shelves lined in the middle.

Now that Mother Nature has turned her attention to fall, you might be thinking about swapping your summer clothes for something a bit more toasty. But what’s the best way to store all those warm weather togs? Real Simple breaks it down like this:

1. Empty the pockets and wash and dry or dry clean everything you plan to store.

2. Of those items coming back from the dry cleaner, make sure to remove the dry-cleaner bags.

3. Store your clothes in cool, dark and dry places. So no garages, damp basements or funky attics.

4. Add cedar hangers or blocks to your storage area to repel moths.

5. Group your clothes by their fabric content, as different contents may need different attention, especially when repelling bugs.

6. Control humidity and mildew. Consider adding a de-humidifier to the storage area, or dry it out with a lamp using a low (15) watt bulb.

7. Wood, including cedar is acidic. Real Simple suggests lining wooden drawers and shelves with undyed muslin if you are storing longer than six months.

8. To prevent wrinkling, fold heavy garments, cashmere sweaters and heavily beaded items in muslin or non-acidic paper.

9. If using garment bags, use cloth NOT plastic ones, as fabric needs to breathe.

10. No wire hangers! Use shaped plastic or wooden hangers to keep shoulders intact.

For more detailed information regarding each of these suggestions, visit Real Simple.  Image from Stacks and Stacks.