4 Tips For Storing Clothes Long Term

Is your wardrobe overflowing with clothes? Are you finding that you don’t have enough space to put everything? No judgement here. We’ve all been there and at one point or another and have been guilty of owning too many clothes, or not having enough storage space in our home to fit it all. 

One clever way to solve this dilemma, especially when there is a lack of storage options in your home, is to pack away winter clothes during the summer months and vice versa. It’s a simple fix, easily solved with the help of a vacuum bag.

Storing clothes: What are your options?

There are lots of different storage facilities across the country, which offer a cost-effective way to store your clothes, all year round. 

• Boxes/ containers
• Built-in wardrobe or standalone
• Clothing rack
• Vacuum bags
• Hooks
• Furniture that doubles up as storage

But, before you start packing your clothes into boxes and/ or placing them in a storage unit, here are some top tips on how you can store your clothes for the long term.

How can you properly store clothes for the long term?

• Wash, dry and iron your clothes first

Before packing, make sure to properly wash, dry and iron your clothes. This will save you a lot of heartache (and bad smells or stains!) in the future. 

If clothing items need to be dry cleaned, now is the time to do it. 

Any stains or marks that are left will have even less of a chance of coming out after several months in storage. This also goes for deodorant marks or any perfume spray residue on your clothes, make sure these are removed to prevent them from becoming permanent stains over time.

• Have a sort through your entire wardrobe

Now is the perfect time to take a look at all the clothes you own and have a bit of a sort through them all. We’re all guilty of hanging onto clothes we really should consider throwing, or giving, away. The general rule is that if you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in over a year, then the likelihood is, you’re not going to. Time to say goodbye, either by rehoming or throwing it away.

• Buy some storage containers or crates

After sorting through your wardrobe and deciding what to keep and what to throw away, you’ll then need to decide what type of container you place your clothes inside. 

This could be a vacuum bag – often the best option for storing clothing and textiles. However, vacuum bags are not ideal for long term storage use, in this case, it is better to use clear plastic crates instead. 

With plastic crates, you can store one on top of the other, and at a glance, you can see what is stored inside. 

• Store in the right place

When storing clothes, consider the temperature of your chosen storage location. It should be no warmer than 23°C with a relative humidity of 55%. But, as long as the place you store your clothes is dry, cool, clean and dark, then the clothes will look as fresh as the day they went into long-term storage.

If space is an issue in your home, or you’re a little wary of putting clothes in the loft, then why not pop your clothes into storage boxes and place them in the care of a storage company?

We hope you found these tips useful for storing clothes long-term.

Contact Arden Self Storage

From our base in the West Midlands, we provide a complete range of storage units available for hire. If you’re interested in hiring a storage unit, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team by calling 01675 442 827. Alternatively, you can fill out our online enquiry form, and we’ll be in touch.