How to Store Summer Clothes
Clothing needs to be safely stored when the seasons change and one type of clothing is exchanged for another. Just as winter coats and clothing has to be collected and stored in the spring, summer clothing has to be packed and stored away when the weather gets colder. Packing up and storing clothing needs to be done in a way that everything is neat and organized so that the items can be easily found when needed again. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Moth balls
- Heavy plastic garment bags
- Large plastic containers with tight fitting lids
- Masking tape
- Black Sharpie
Instructions
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1
Sort summer clothing by family member. Since any younger children you have may very well outgrow what was worn during the current summer, you may choose to combine the clothing for storing together. This will make it easier for you to access and sort through those items first when winter is over.
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2
Purchase plastic or metal tubs with tight fitting lids to store summer clothing in. You might select shallower or smaller containers for swim wear since you will probably not have a large number of these types of outer wear.
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3
Wash and dry each family member's summer clothing and swim wear before storing. This way you can better ensure that dirt, food or drink spills will be washed out and that the clothing will not end up with permanent stains.
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4
Make sure that all the clothes are completely dry before packing them away. If you pack any clothing or other types of summer wear that is even lightly damp, the items will ruined in the spring as mildew and other mold spores will grow on the damp spots and can transfer to other clothing items.
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Separate the summer clothing of older children and adults, fold the items neatly, and layer the clothing in individual tubs. Although it is your personal choice, you might consider layering the clothing by type such as shirts, wraps and light jackets, pants, skirts, and dresses. This will make it easier for you to sort through things when you unpack them again and help you decide what you might need to replace or add to.
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Put several moth balls in the tubs, both at the bottom of the tub before putting in any clothing and on top. Although moth balls have a strong and unpleasant odor, they effectively keep any moths or other types of small insects that could potentially eat holes in clothing away for good.
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Make sure that you snap the lids on the tubs tightly until they lock into place. You can, if you wish, put tape around the edges of the lids afterward.
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Place more formal summer wear or dresses and light weight summer suits into heavy garment bags. You can then either hang them high on a rack in a closet, basement or other storage area or even put them in a long tub still encased in the plastic. The garment bags will help keep the items from wrinkling as more expensive and dressier clothing often needs to be dry cleaned and cannot be ironed at home to remove any wrinkles.
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Put a piece of masking tape or large square peel and stick label on the lid of each container. Take the Sharpie and write the family members name that the clothing belongs to and what is in the container. Use a large peel and stick label if you like to itemize what is in a tub, or a strip of masking tape if you just want to write the family member's name and what season the clothes are from.
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Neatly stack the tubs on a metal book case or other shelving above the floor in your basement. The plastic tubs, heavy garment bags, and the metal book case help ensure that your clothes will be better protected from potential flooding or plumbing leaks.
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Tips & Warnings
If you store your stuff in a storage shed or closet the plastic tubs will keep mice out if you tend to have a mouse problem.
When spring comes again it will be an easy task for you to get out the tubs, sort through them to decide what still fits, what is out of style if style is important to you, what you want to keep, and what you might want to put in a garage or yard sale if you should decide to have one.
