[Hailfire]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum but need your help. This summer I had bought a lot of clothes. I love shopping and can't hold me back myself when I see a new dress displayed in the shops. They look lovely, besides I love them all.

Exactly why I am reluctant to donate it or give it to someone. I don't want it to hand it over to a second-hand clothes shop too. My mom keeps bugging me to clear my closet for the winter clothes. Well, she is right! I won't be having enough space in my closet for all the clothes that I would be buying in the winter. I thought of keeping all of them in cardboard boxes.

But last summer I had done the same, and as a result, most of the clothes were moth-eaten and had wear and tears. My mom is asking me to deposit a few of the clothes in storage units in Markham along with the other stuff we are going to keep there. We have never stored clothes in the storage facility before.

I am worried about the state of the clothes after a year. Will it even be in wearable condition? Have anyone of you guys stored clothes in storage facilities for more than a year? Are there any precautions that we should be taking before packing it? Please do leave your valuable suggestions. Thank you.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

There are so many problems with long term clothing storage. If packed too tightly the process can create undesired and hard to remove wrinkles. Of course susceptibility to incursion by things likely to nibble holes is an issue for woolens. Do you have space under your bed? If so, I’d get some plastic underbed storage bins, fold the clothing carefully, layering with tissue paper, toss in some cedar chips, camphor blocks, or other moth repellants, and hope for the best. Be sure to make a list and date it. Rediscovering stored things years later is an issue for too many of us! I tend to hang my seasonal sport coats and suits with some of those bits of cedar with the woolens and leave them in plastic cleaners bags, tied off at the bottom. Ask your cleaner for a couple of dress length bags to make it easier. As for storage units, I’ve never used one, being more of a minimalist, but I’d worry about heat. Lastly, my sweaters are stored in a camphor chest at the foot of my bed, a very handy item!

 

[Dhaller]

95% of clothing storage is storing them clean - suits, sweaters, etc. can be dry cleaned at the end of the season.

If I were storing them in an offsite facility, I'd seal them in vacuum-tight plastic bins (I forget the brand I use - pretty much bit "Tupperware" bins). You might ask the storage facility if they have anything to help. But in general, I'm to sure how "pest-free" a storage facility is (my guess would be "not very".)

For what it's worth, I have a cedar closet in a vacation house, and it does NOT work (well, anyway), so cedar blocks and things? Minimally effective.

(The basic mechanics of how this works is that bugs aren't generally "finding" your clothes when they're stored - the eggs are *already on them*. Cleaning before storage removes food (so even those few intrepid explorers who might be around won't find them) and removes eggs. We live in quite a pretty icky world just outside our notice!

DH

 

[eagle2250]

Welcome to the AAAC forum. In response to your inquiries and paraphrasing the late, great Clark Gable in that iconic movie Gone With The Wind, "frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, but If you are storing clothes for anything more that a season you have far too many clothes!" Consider thinning the hoard. Just another hoarder's opinion. Again welcome to the forum.

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

Welcome to the AAAC forum. In response to your inquiries and paraphrasing the late, great Clark Gable in that iconic movie Gone With The Wind, "frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, but If you are storing clothes for anything more that a season you have far too many clothes!" Consider thinning the hoard. Just another hoarder's opinion. Again welcome to the forum.

Agreed. If one has clothes to store beyond seasonal rotation, formal dress, or sporting needs, it is time to consider a cull. I have been doing this on eBay and have had reasonable success for the effort. I take the funds generated and donate to charity....well, not really, I buy more clothes, but this is a private issue discussed between me and my therapist!

Cheers,

BSR

 

[Troones]

Lots of good advice here, but let me add a warning about storage facilities in general due to a recent bad experience.
My wife and I currently rent a storage unit. It was required after having moved several items out of a family home we sold some time ago. We don't store clothes in there, but we have rugs, small furniture, various odds and ends, and my golf clubs.

We recently went to retrieve said golf clubs and found that half of the items in our unit were covered with what appeared to be a fine iron dust! I'm not sure what's being stored in the adjacent units to ours, but I surmise that the HVAC system has blown these particles up to the ceiling and back down into our unit. Infuriating. Now obviously you would never store clothes uncovered, but if I did happen to have any uncovered clothing in there it likely would have been ruined beyond repair.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

I’m reminded of a tip from Martha Stewart. Put things in box. Put date on box. If a year passes without opening the box to use something inside, take the unopened box to the charity of your choice. It resonated with me and was used until Marie Kondo came along and tidied up everything!

I have a one year rule on things that aren’t in boxes, too. If you haven’t used it in a year, unless it is some very special use item, like a navy flannel suit suitable for a winter funeral followed by burial, it goes. As I am now in retirement mode I foresee generous contributions to a nonprofit that helps folk of limited means dress for interviews and the workplace.

I know this is a clothing related thread, but I’ll also share that I’m a kitchenware junkie. Esoteric things like tinned fish poachers and pate en croute molds need to be used regularly or head to ebay! The other day I came across some Pillivuyt gratins and was reminded that I need to have a gratin on the menu soon! The thought of putting any of those items in storage would bother me.