Protecting your Wardrobe through the Seasons
by Stephen Nickse
With the changing seasons comes the need to make some changes yourself, one of which involves storing the passing season's clothing to make the new season's wardrobe accessible in your closet. Whether you remove last season's clothing from your closet completely or just rearrange your closet to make this season's attire more available, taking certain precautions with your out of season wardrobe can help protect your clothing during storage and preserve its quality for making the switch again in a few months.
If you took the time to add up the value of each article of clothing in your wardrobe, you would find that your wardrobe is one of the larger investments within your home. There are a few hidden dangers that can sneak up on you when it comes to storing clothing for long periods of time. Here we examine some factors that can threaten the longevity of your clothing, and offer some simple tips for protecting your valuable wardrobe from them.
Moisture and heat are common culprits for clothing damage during their storage season. Clothing, when exposed to excessive heat and moisture, can fade and develop mildew. Many well meaning people utilize extra space in a basement or attic for clothing storage, and end up with an unpleasant and foul smelling surprise upon retrieving their prized clothes. Storing out of season clothing in a cool and dry environment is important to ensuring that the clothes you retrieve in a few months are in the same condition as the day they were first packed away. Clothes are also better stored in areas where there is ample air circulation. Additionally, make sure you are positive that clothing is completely clean and dry before storing it away.
As unpleasant as it may be, bugs also pose a threat to your stored clothing. Yes, bugs. The threat of pests such as clothing hungry moths and carpet beetles is one of the main reasons that you should be positive your clothes are extremely clean before placing them in storage. Such pests are attracted to natural fibers, which means your precious cotton, wool and silk clothing is at risk. Cleaning your clothing as well as your closet area thoroughly during the process of storing clothes for the season is an important first step for pest prevention. If you have a pest problem, you may consider a repellent such as cedar chips to prevent these formidable foes from causing costly damage to your wardrobe.
About the Author: Stephen Nickse is the founder of Closet Solutions, a leading provider of quality Boston custom closets, strategically headquartered in the nation's design capitol, Boston, Ma. For more information, please visit www.closet-solutions.com.
