Clothing Storage Tips

A lot of our disposable income is spent on clothing, and many people keep clothing in their storage units. Here are some great tips for properly storing your clothes.

Am I Ever Going to Wear This Again?

First, do you even want to keep the item? Does it fit? Will it ever fit? Is it in style, or will it ever be again? Before you go through the hassle of washing, folding, boxing, loading, storing, etc, determine if you really need to keep the item. Maybe you’re better off selling it on eBay, at your annual yard sale, or donating it to a worthy cause.

Don’t Store Dirty

It should go without saying, but it is important that any clothing you want to store be clean and dry. You don’t want some new strain of mold, fungus, or mildew living and reproducing for months in your absence, and you don’t want to pull your clothes out of storage and spend the rest of the day washing everything.

Hang and Fold Appropriately

Now that you’ve determined which clothes are worth keeping, and you’ve got them clean, it’s time to figure out the best way to store them. Many items, such as dresses, coats, and suit jackets are best stored hanging, preferably on wide-shoulder hangers. Metal hangers should be avoided, as they will cause your garments to stretch, and will leave unsightly hanger marks. You can purchase wardrobe boxes made specifically for this purpose, and we probably even have some in stock for you in our offices.

Most other items do well with being carefully folded and stored in a box or plastic tote or container. You can find several guides online for how to properly fold your clothing, and if you take the time to carefully fold everything, you will not only be much happier when you take them out of storage, but they’ll also take up much less space.  

Skip the Free Boxes from the Recycling Bin

It may seem like an easy money-saver to use free cardboard boxes for clothes storage, but this is short-sighted. Yeah, they’ll work for moving, but old cardboard is not good for the long term. Many used boxes, even if they seem clean, can harbor unseen pests and insect eggs. Cockroaches are particularly fond of laying eggs that remain unseen in old cardboard boxes. Do yourself a favor, and where possible, use plastic storage containers.

You’ve already determined these clothes are worth storing, so be sure to store them correctly. Especially if you’re storing seasonal clothes, plastic totes that can regularly go between home and your storage unit will make the process easier for you and are just plain better overall.  

Take Inventory

Many people make the mistake of storing and forgetting. As you're packing your items away, make a list of everything you’re storing, and be sure you’re labeling your containers appropriately. Store each type of clothing, or person’s clothing together, so that when you need to retrieve those sweaters in the fall, you’re not hunting through a bunch of nondescript boxes in your storage unit.

Now that you’re ready to store those great clothes, find the perfect storage unit near you at Lockaway Storage.