Do you ever struggle for space in your wardrobe?
A good way to free up space is to store your Winter/ Autumnal - out of season - clothing.
See below our advise on Dos and Don’ts before storing your seasonal clothes.
· Always check if the items need repairing. At Farthings we have an amazing tailor who would be very happy to repair, replace or shorten any items. Getting your clothes repaired out of season is best practice. Otherwise when its changes back to the colder seasons, your favourite piece won’t be ready to wear when you really need it.
· Very important to check thoroughly your garment. If you were to pack any garment that was still dirty, it could attract pests, unwanted odours, mould or mildew. Any perspiration left on the garment can leave the fabric to stain and yellow. Always check the care label and follow the manufactures guidelines. At Farthings we would happily clean your clothing for you. Or if you just have a question please get in touch if you need any advice.
· Do Not store any of your clothing made from a natural material, like silk, wool and cashmere in plastic/ cardboard. The reason being, it can make your clothes smell wore and potentially cause yellowing.
· Store your clothes away from anywhere damp, i.e. Basements or attics. Always opt for a cool dry place.
· Plastic container/boxes are ideal for short term seasonal storage - for items that are non-delicate. Fold and place the heaviest items like jeans and sweatshirts at the bottom of the container, then lighter items on the top, like shirts blouses t-shirts.
· Plastic vacuum bags do help to save space, but it doesn’t allow your clothes to breathe.
· For any of you finer more delicate items, it is highly advisable to store each item in tissue paper then into a cotton storage box or bag. The reason for not using plastic is your clothes cannot breathe properly causing issues when you unpack months later.
· Never compact your storage boxes or bags that have your winter items in - again your clothing must breathe if being stored over many months.
· Always hang your dresses in a cotton garment bag. We sell these specialist bags in our shops, they come in many different sizes. You can store around 3-4 items in one bag, depending on the thickness of each item. This also applies to coats, ideally you should only store 1 or 2 to be stored in the garment bag so this allows the coats to breathe in storage.
· Once you’ve packed, hung or wrapped your winter garments, the next step is very important. Choose the correct place to store them. My best advice is to find somewhere that is cool, clean, dark, and a dry environment. The damp and hot environments may cause your clothing to become mouldy, suffer with mildew or cause an odour that’s very hard to get rid of once into the fibres. Bright environments will cause your clothing to fade over time, so finding a dark place is very important.
· Lastly a great item to pop into the box or bag is a small block of cedar wood. This is a fantastic deterrent to keep moths and their larvae from eating and damaging your items whilst in storage. We sell cedar blocks at our Farthings shop in Cambridge or can buy them online from here.
Please if you have any queries about how to store your items, please do not hesitate to either pop in for a chat or gives us a call, where my colleagues or myself would be happy to help.
Emma