Seasons come and go, and so does your fashion. When it comes to packing up items we won’t be needing until next season, the issue of storage space is one we have to think about as our closets can only hold so much.
The arctic is an alternative, but it’s either too crammed at the moment or its current state doesn’t inspire confidence.
Before you think of where to store your fashion pieces, there is also the small matter of packing to consider. The way you pack your clothes matters, especially if you won’t be touching them for a while.
Poor packing will cause wrinkling on your valuable fashion pieces. If you’re keeping the clothes in a poorly ventilated area, there is also the chance that it will lead to a build-up of musky smells, more so if the clothes were not properly cleaned prior.
In an ideal world, the best way to store your wardrobe would be to hire a storage company.
Not only does it allow you to free up space (no one wants a cluttered home!) but a good storage facility will keep your items in optimal conditions, ensuring they remain in pristine shape until such a time that you’re ready to retrieve them. Bonus points if the facility is climate-controlled.
Below are some tips that should prove valuable when packing your wardrobe for storage.
Start clean and fresh
Residual perfumes, lotion, and essential oils work wonders for your body.
But packing and storing your clothes without cleaning them off exposes your favorite items not just to mold and mildew, but also can lead to stubborn yellow stains and horrid smells.
Before you embark on the packing, make sure all clothing earmarked for storage is thoroughly cleaned, dried, and folded neatly.
Purge extras
Packing your clothes for storage presents an excellent opportunity to do some purging. Take proper inventory of all your clothes, sort them out by fabric, age, and general use.
Pieces you haven’t worn in six months only serve to take up valuable space, so this is the part you should consider adopting the Marie Kondo approach and weed out ruthlessly. Ditto any unfitting and dead fashion items.
You can choose to donate or sell them in the secondhand market, whether it’s through a garage sale or online platforms like Craigslist or Facebook group.
Select good storage materials
Cardboard boxes and plastic bags are cost-effective and readily available, but they’re not the best choice of material for long-term storage.
The former is vulnerable to humidity, while the latter tends to trap moisture whose effect can be detrimental on your clothes.
Plastic bins make for a good choice. They shut tightly and are impermeable to water and moisture, as well as other unwanted entities like dust and humidity. Plus, it’s hard for rodents to chew through them.
While no one wants to end up with 15 large tubs filled with clothing headed for storage, avoid over-packing to allow for good airflow.
You might want to use clear bins to see what’s inside, which should be convenient when you plan to retrieve some items. Alternatively, consider using some small stickers to label your boxes with the exact pieces they hold.
Keep track with an inventory system
Easy and hassle-free packing begins with good organization. Take stock of all your items headed for storage and implement a system that works for you.
For example, you can color-code, use labels, or store according to fabric and season as you deem convenient.
A proper inventory system ensures you or anyone else in your absence knows where everything is, and it also acts as a good security measure in case of any eventualities.
