Storing Seasonal Clothing: Tips For Preventing Damage

Self storage units are a great place to store items you only use during certain times of the year, such as seasonal clothing. Unfortunately, self storage units can also be home to extreme temperatures, humidity levels, and even pests. Consequently, if you fail to take steps to protect your clothing, there is a good chance that you will return to find these items badly damaged or destroyed.

Thankfully, the tips below can help you to avoid this problem:

Tip 1: Never Pack Clothes In Cardboard Boxes Or Garbage Bags

Two of the most popular packing materials for seasonal clothing are cardboard boxes and garbage bags. However, these are also two of the worst packing materials you could choose for the job. This is because while cardboard boxes will let moisture in, garbage bags will not let moisture out. Both of these issues can result in the growth of mold and mildew on your seasonal clothing.

If you wish to avoid the issue of moisture damage, you should choose to pack all of your clothing inside air tight plastic containers. Best of all, not only will these reusable containers keep moisture off your clothes, but they will also be much easier to stack thanks to their uniform shape and size.

Tip 2: Never Pack Dirty Clothing

Even the smallest particles left behind on your clothing can result in stains that will be impossible to remove after months of sitting in a storage container. This is why it is so important to clean all of your seasonal clothing before placing them into storage. This includes items that you may not have worn for several weeks since these infrequently worn clothes will often pick up debris as they sit unused for extended periods of time.

In addition to staining, small food particles on your clothing may attract pests to your storage unit. Therefore, you should avoid storing any items that may have food stains that could not be removed in their entirety.

Tip 3: Avoid Hanging Clothes

Many people have made the mistake of believing that hanging their clothes up inside of their storage unit will help to protect them from damage. However, the truth is, hanging your clothes for extended periods of time can do irreversible damage. This is because over time, gravity will begin to pull on your clothing and the natural weight of the garment will cause the fibers to stretch until the garment loses its original shape.

If you have expensive suits or nice sweaters that you simply cannot bear to fold and put into a storage container with all your t-shirts and sweatpants, a high quality garment bag can provide you with the perfect solution. Simply choose a lined garment bag, place your clothing inside as if you were going to hang it up, and then lay the garment bag flat on an elevated surface so that air is able to flow around all sides of the bag.

To learn more, contact a company like Colfax West Self Storage with any questions you have.