Things You'll Need:
- Cedar balls
- Herbal sachets
- Cardboard boxes
- Cedar chest
- Padded hangers
- Infant hairbrush
- Electric sweater shaver
- Towels
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Step 1
Forgo mothballs and their toxic chemicals. Use cedar balls or look for herbal sachets designed to repel moths.
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Step 2
Hand wash all sweaters not made with animal hair such as wool or angora. Otherwise, professionally clean the sweater. If the tag states the sweater is machine washable, turn the garment inside out to prevent snags and pilling.
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Step 3
Discard plastic bags from the cleaners, as they don't allow natural fibers to breathe. A better choice to safely store your sweater is cardboard boxes or cedar chests.
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Step 4
If you must hang sweaters in your closet, use padded hangers. The padding helps the shoulder area of the sweater maintain its shape. Wire hangers can cause permanent indentations in the sweater.
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Step 5
Fluff cashmere or wool sweaters with an infant hairbrush after wearing. This removes lint and hair without crushing the pile of the sweater as a lint roller does.
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Step 6
Remove fuzz balls with an electric shaver sold specifically for sweater maintenance. For best results, reserve the electric sweater shaver for close-knit sweaters without embellishments.
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Step 7
Save sweaters that have lost their shape from extensive hanging in the closet. Block treat them by soaking in lukewarm water, rolling the sweater in towels to remove excess water, and then padding the misshapen area with towels to mold the desired shape.
