With temperatures consistently in the 90’s and soon to reach triple digits in Phoenix, it’s safe to say you won’t need your winter clothes for a while. It’s a good idea to store them away for the season for several reasons.
Storing your coats and sweaters allows more space in your closet for the clothes that are in season. This makes finding what you want to wear easier and it also helps your clothes have room to breathe, making it harder for bacteria and smells to spread from one garment to the next.
When you safely and properly store your winter clothes it also protects them from pests and potential stretching as they hang unworn for too long.
On the other hand, clothes that are not properly stored have the potential to be damaged or hold onto bad smells, forcing you to purchase all new items when it comes time to use them again.
To save you some frustration, here are a few tips for storing winter clothes:
Save Only What You Love
I think we have all purchased something at the beginning of the year, thinking we would love it and have discovered it gets much less use than we thought or just doesn’t fit right. If it’s not worth keeping, don’t go through the trouble of storing it. Find somewhere to donate the item or sell it instead.
Keep it Clean
Before you store clothes it is so important to make sure they are absolutely clean and dry. The ebay way to ensure this is to trust a professional. Take all your items that are ready for storage to a trusted dry cleaner for help removing any lingering stains. There may be stains that aren’t visible at the moment but after months of storage they can be a real problem. Take care of it now and have peace of mind.
Fold or Hang
The decision to hang or fold a garment should be made on a case by case basis. Essentially you should plan to fold any fabrics that might stretch and hang any fabrics that are prone to wrinkling.
Folded clothes can be packed into vacuum-sealed bags to protect from pests and save on space. You can also store clothes in a plastic bin, but double check to make sure the lid will stay securely closed, even when the clothes are stacked tightly inside.
Anything hung should never be hung up in the plastic dry cleaning bags. These bags are designed to protect your garment on its trip back to your home but they may trap bacteria and prevent the fabric from breathing if left on too long. Invest in some garment bags for the best protection.
Zip and Button
No matter how you store your clothes you want to be careful to protect the fabric from any potential snags. Zip up any zippers, button any buttons and also use pieces of tissue paper between folds to keep colors from transferring and fabric from catching.
Try these tips for storing winter clothes and when it comes to cleaning any fabrics before storing, Legend Cleaners is here to help.
Legend Dry Cleaners has been serving the community of Ahwatukee since 1999, and has expanded into the Phoenix communities of Chandler, Maricopa, Mesa, Tempe and coming soon to Gilbert! We offer exceptional eco-friendly dry cleaning, laundry, wash/dry/fold, wedding dress & gown cleaning, and alterations in Arizona. Our East Valley locations have free pickup & delivery and 24-hour drop boxes. For more information call: (480) 460-5343
