Whether it’s a change in the season, you’re moving or you just have some items you don’t need very often, it’s important to know how to store clothes to keep them in the best shape possible.

If you haven’t done a great job in storing things, my post on how to refresh clothes without washing them might be helpful.

Before You Store

Before we get to how to store clothes, let’s talk about how to get clothes ready to store. The examples in these photos are a bunch of graduation robes I inherited as part of my duties helping out with costumes for the local Gridiron show.

The main thing is that you want to make sure clothes are clean and dry before you store them. You don’t want to leave deodorant, perfume or makeup on them, or any other stain that will be harder to treat later. I don’t think these robes had ever been washed, so that was an essential step here.

Clothes moths can be attracted to hair and skin cells on stored clothing (as well as animal fibers in the garments themselves) so storing wool sweaters and the like when they are clean is especially important.

While you are washing things is also a good time to evaluate if there’s any mending that needs to be done before you store items, or if there’s a problem with a garment that would make you not want to keep it such as holes, tears or stains. I found a couple with tears and holes that got tossed, and one that needed a little zipper help.

How to Store Clothes

There’s some debate as to whether it’s best to store clothes in cardboard or plastic. Proponents of cardboard say it’s breathable so it’s better for fabric. But cardboard boxes can let moisture and pests inside more easily than plastic boxes, and they aren’t as durable.

But plastic, being non-porous, can trap moisture, which can lead to mold and mildew. The chemicals in plastics can also be harmful to delicate clothing, and as a knitter I’ve long heard people advise against storing natural fibers in plastic, whether that’s the yarn or the sweaters made from it.

Dry cleaners will tell you not to store clothes in the plastic bags they come home from the cleaners in because they don’t let the clothing breathe and as the chemicals in the plastic break down they can cause yellowing on the fabric.

I think it depends on where you are going to store the clothes what solution is best. Clothes stored in the top of your closet would probably be fine in a cardboard box, fabric or canvas box, or even a cotton garment bag. Things that go in the attic, basement or anywhere else without good climate control would probably do better in plastic to ward off mildew.

You can get the best of both worlds a little bit by storing clothes in cotton bags inside a plastic container, or using acid-free tissue paper between items stacked in a plastic box. This is a great use for that collection of cotton tote bags you never use, old sheets or pillowcases, that kind of thing.

Clothes that aren’t prone to wrinkling can be folded, but things that will wrinkle should be rolled gently or stored hung up in a garment bag. Make sure you close any zippers so they don’t snag on things in storage.

Where to Store Clothes

There’s a lot of “if you do this, do that” when it comes to how to store clothes because there are so many options available in a household. Storing clothes in a box in your closet during the off-season is a lot different than storing things you only need every few years in the attic or garage, or storing baby clothes for a hypothetical future grandchild.

But you need to consider the where to know how many layers of protection your clothes might need.

The sweaters kept in your closet through the year could just be stacked on a shelf (that’s what I do) or put into fabric, canvas or acid-free paper boxes. If they won’t get hit by natural light, plastic would probably be OK, too, if you’re taking them out every year. (Sunlight will degrade the plastic faster.) This tub of late ’90s clothes has been on the top shelf of my closet for years, and everything seems fine.

For deeper storage that’s still climate controlled, I think cardboard boxes are OK, but you do need to check seasonally to make sure it hasn’t gotten wet or attracted the attention of animals.

When going into places that aren’t as well controlled like the attic, basement, garage, or non-climate-controlled storage outside of the home, you really want to protect the clothes as well as you can.

Here’s where I would go with fabric bags for individual garments if possible, or layer in plain cotton fabric or acid free tissue paper. Then I’d use a plastic box or bag, making sure not to stuff it so full that there isn’t some room for air to circulate.

And if the garments are precious, do everything you can to store them well is a safe place and check on them regularly to make sure they’re still in good shape.

Here I stacked a couple of folded robes together between layers of part of an old fitted sheet, then put that all in a plastic box so they’ll be safe in my attic. If they were staying in the house I’d probably keep them in cardboard, but you never know what conditions they might find in the attic (or how long it will be until we need them again) so I feel better using plastic here.

What About Vacuum Bags?

I mentioned plastic bags up there, so you might be wondering about storing clothes in vacuum bags. Most experts don’t recommend them because, again, a little air circulation is good for the garments.

What’s more, when you suck out all the air the clothes are going to wrinkle just like they are in the bag. If you have things with zippers in there, they could be snagging other garments and you wouldn’t know it. And of course if there’s any moisture in the bag when you close it, it will still be in there, potentially causing mold and mildew.

I will admit to having used vacuum bags for yarn storage, but generally for acrylics and cottons, not animal fibers. And I try not to keep them that way for very long.

If you’re sealing stuff up because you’re moving and you need it to take up less space, I think it’s fine to use vacuum bags. I would be less hesitant for things like blankets, pillows, puffy coats and summery clothes like T-shirts and shorts that it’s easy to wash if they get wrinkled in the bag.

Using vacuum bags for wool and other animal fiber sweaters or other garments, handmade blankets or other items that need to breathe, wrinkle easily or are hard to wash would give me more pause.

How to Make Long-Term Storage a Little Nicer

In addition to rolling things instead of folding them and using cotton bags or sheets layered between items, you can keep your garments fresher in storage (and maybe also protect against bugs) by adding some sachets.

There are lots of options, from a bag of cedar balls to help repel moths, to silica gel packets like you might find in shoe boxes to reduce moisture. I keep these cedar balls on my yarn shelf, but they’d be great for storing yarn or clothes in a box as well.

You can also make a DIY version with rice in a bag. Add a few drops of essential oil to make it smell nice and possibly help repel bugs. Cedar, lemongrass, tea tree oil and lavender are all options that may be helpful to repel pests. Learn more about using essential oils in the home.

Probably the keys to how to store clothes are to be as gentle as possible and store them for as short a time as possible if conditions aren’t ideal. And try to check in on your stored items once a year if you’re not rotating seasonally just to make sure no damage has occurred.

Do you have any tips for how to store clothes? Or stories we can learn from? Please share!

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