Storing Summer Clothing the Right Way

With fall just around the corner, it's just about time to put all the summer clothing away for next year. But as tempting as it may be to just gather up all the clothes you won't be using for the rest of the year and stuff them in boxes or plastic bags, you may find that it is much more worth the effort to take proper steps to help ensure the longevity of your garments.

Clean out the closet. Wherever you plan on keeping the clothes, make sure the area is clean beforehand. Vacuum it out thoroughly, including any cracks or crevices, as insects enjoy feeding off of dust, lint, etc. If there is any apparent mold growing, be sure to take care of that before storing clothes nearby.

As far as storage goes, make sure the area is free of any sunlight, which can cause whites to turn yellow and other colors to fade over time.

Wash everything you plan on storing. Even if they already look clean, there may be small traces of food that are invisible to you, but may attract insects to eat holes through the fabric. Also, some stains take time to appear. It's best to just throw it all in the washer as a precaution.

Swimsuits may require extra care. Normally, swimsuits can be on the expensive side, so most of us want to make sure they last as long as possible. Wash them as you normally would, but let them air-dry afterwards. Once dry, spray them each with Febreze or another odor eliminator, as the chlorine smell can linger for quite awhile.

Pack away clothes the right way. Putting fabric in plastic bags, plastic containers, or plastic anything may cause fading and also invite mold and mildew to appear. A good solution for this is to instead fold them away nicely in cotton or linen bags or containers. These can be found in the same area as the storage tubs/ironing products at almost any retail store.

Also, make sure to pack bathing suits together and away from your other garments. Traces of chlorine can stick around no matter how many times you've washed it, and you don't want that to attach to other, non-swimming clothes.