1. Donate or sell unwanted clothes

While you are in the process of preparing your clothes for storage, decide what you want to keep or get rid of. Since you are in the market to buy clothing containers, don’t purchase additional containers for items you no longer need. Have you worn these items lately? It’s understandable that seasonal clothes may not have been used recently, but be honest with yourself. If you don’t plan on using it in the next 6 months (except for that state championship jacket from high school), decide to donate or sell. Donating clothes is a great thing to do, and you can also get a tax write-off for your donations. If you want to sell your extra clothes, there is no shortage of online sites available to assist you. A good place to start is eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

2. Only pack away clean clothes

It may seem like common sense to most, but make sure your clothes have been freshly cleaned before packing them away. Soiled or unwashed clothing is a breeding ground for mold and mildew when packed away for an extended period of time. This is not to say you have to wash every item in your closet before putting it into storage. However, clothes that have been worn, may not appear to be dirty, still contain bacteria. This bacteria can come from sweat as well as perfumes and fragrances and will create odors and eventually ruin your clothes.

3. Preparing your clothes for storage

Discard any materials that can erode or breakdown over time. This will eventually ruin or destroy your valuable clothing.

When preparing clothes for long term storage, be mindful to avoid these hazards:

• Drying Cleaning plastic bags – known to slowly accumulate moisture and damage clothing
• Wire hangers – known to damage clothing over time
• Vacuum storage bags for clothes – known for creating permanent wrinkles in clothing, and is damaging to items of clothing

4. Use a labeling system for your storage containers

It is important to label your containers of clothing so that, … you guessed it… you know what is inside! You can definitely go overboard here, but I would suggest a simple, straight forward marker or label will suffice. If you labeled each box with simple to understand comments, such as “Jessi’s bathing suits”, everyone that is searching through the storage boxes will be able to understand what is contained in each box. Again, you don’t have to overthink this step. Just making sure you are organized and specific will save you lots of time in the end

5. Pick a dry, cool place for your storage containers

The reason attics is not the best place for storing your clothes is the fluctuation of temperature and humidity levels throughout the year. Attic spaces are typically very hot and humid during the summer months, cool and damp during spring and fall seasons, and cool and dry during the winter. This variation in storage conditions is damaging to clothing. In some instances, the attic is the only place available so it will have to do. However, if you have options, a dry, cool, or climate-controlled environment is best. Also, avoid storage spaces with direct sunlight. If you cannot avoid direct sunlight, select the best storage containers for clothes would be an opaque box, to minimize sunlight.