How to prepare your clothes for a long term storage
The need to store your clothes may come from a bunch of reasons. Whether you’ve outgrown in, gained some weight, or you want to preserve some valuable memories, like a wedding dress, baby clothing, or basically anything you don’t have a need for at the moment, renting a storage space might be just the thing for you. In order to properly prepare your clothes for a long term storage, you will have to pay attention to few things.
Re-evaluate your possessions
Often we get attached to material things because we connect them to some dear memories. But let’s be practical. If you don’t have the intention of using it ever again, what’s the point in storing it? Make sure to go through all of the stuff that you plan to store, and ask yourself do you really need it? And of course, you don’t need to throw it away. You can always give it to charity or even sell it online.
Wash everything
This goes without saying. Before even starting to prepare your clothes for a long term storage, you need to wash them even if they were clean. Things that stay unused for a while can sometimes change the smell.
And after you’re certain they are clean and stainless, make sure they are completely dry before packing them. Storing them wet in the long run can ruin your fabric.
A few crucial tips when you prepare your clothes for long term storage
In order to maximize the use of space and be sure your clothing is safe for the years to come, you have to make sure to:
- have your clothing fully dry before packing
- avoid storing them in cardboard and wooden containers
- use protective solutions in order to prevent pests
- preserve space by packing your things as you do it when going on vacation, by rolling the clothing.
Recommendable storing ways
Some people might want to use vacuum-sealed bags for clothes packing, but that is not such a great idea for long-term storage. For temporary storage, it might be the perfect way to preserve your clothing and space by using it. However, vacuum-sealed bags are not recommendable for natural fabrics, like linen, fur, and wool, because such fabric requires air in order to stay in their original form. Storing them for longer than 6 months in such containers can cause permanent damage to your fabric.
The safest way to prepare your clothes for a long term storage is the use of plastic containers. Still, plastic containers might not be the universal solution for every type of clothing. Make sure to buy some tissue paper or cotton fabric to extra protect valuable and delicate clothing, especially if you’re storing some of the old family heirloom clothing.
Chose an adequate storage space
Dark, cold, and dry. Three magical words when it comes to choosing the right type of storage space. Therefore, if you want to preserve your stuff, you will have to go with a climate-controlled unit. The Internet can help with the search, but you should make sure to hire recommendable services, possibly nearby.
Even though your clothes are safely stored, that doesn’t mean you can forget about them. When you want to prepare your clothes for a long term storage, occasionally airing them out and repacking is necessary in order to preserve it. Going with a local storage company you can be sure your precious memories are just a couple of miles away, safely stored and accessible.