If you’re anything like me, you’re in full winter mode right now. Scarves, woolies, and mittens (and tea, of course). What does that mean for your pieces that aren’t warm and fuzzy? They deserve a break – a closet hibernation of sorts.
I’m a firm believer in the importance of switching out your wardrobe items seasonally. Right now, that means packing up your summer clothes and storing them in a safe place until the sun shines again and you need less skin coverage, once again.
The trouble with packing away clothes is that you risk their deterioration hanging way in the back of your closet, or untouched on a shelf for months. Moths, bugs, and just plain yellowing of whites will age your precious pieces in these conditions. To start, you can prevent moths from munching on your stored sweaters with an eco-friendly moth repellent.
How to Store Your Seasonal Clothing
Tops and Sweaters:
Vacuum seal your sweaters to avoid moths and bugs (you’d be surprised how easily they get into your clothes, even in the cleanest of homes), and store delicate tops in hanging garment bags, gathered together by style or occasion.
Casual pants, shorts and skirts:
Less likely to be harmed by wrinkles, these pieces can be placed in a vacuum seal bag, and shrunk down for storage. Buy an assortment of these bags at your local home store, and use them year after year. Fold your pieces flat, vacuum them flat, and then store ‘em in a small space–like under your bed.
Formal wear:
Your dresses, blouses, and dress pants should be stored in garment bags and hung to avoid wrinkles, and maintain shape. You don’t want to have to go to the dry cleaners more often than necessary!
Shoes:
You can buy clear, plastic shoes boxes from your local home store to use over and over again (and easily clean), or you can re-use old shoe boxes. To keep tabs on their contents when outfit planning, or closet organizing, snap a photo of each pair of shoes with a Polaroid camera, and tape the photo to the front of the box. This way you can browse your collection easily–and the Polaroids add a cute decor detail to your closet!
Tip: Do you own tall boots? Store them with boot shapers slid inside to keep them upright and in shape. You can also make your own with the cardboard of paper towel rolls! Just don’t forget to dust them regularly, especially for those made of materials like suede.
Scarves, belts, and other accessories:
Utilize those thick plastic zip bags your sheets and pillow cases are brought in to store your accessories safely. Their thick walls will resist punctures, while the fact that you can see through into their contents makes them easy to organize.
Hats:
Old fashioned hat boxes were invented for a reason. Use them to store hats to avoid them bending and wrinkling into oblivion. Hat boxes are often statement decor pieces on their own, coming in beautiful colours and prints. So, you can even store them out in the open for all to see.
Found a few items you don’t need?
During the process of swapping out seasonal clothes is always a good time to do some natural purging of pieces you’re not crazy about anymore. Ask yourself, how many times did I wear this piece this past year? Not even once? That would probably be a piece that could serve someone else’s wardrobe better. Learn more about purging your wardrobe here. Posting to myWardrobe Online is a great way to earn value back on your quality items, so that you can find some new additions to your wardrobe without spending more money!
