How to properly store your off

Whether you're putting your off-season items away for a few months or packing up garments for a longer period, it's important to plan ahead when it comes to storing clothes. There's nothing worse than taking a sweater or handbag out of storage and realizing it's become musty, discoloured or otherwise too damaged to be worn again.

To help you avoid the most common issues that arise with improper storage of garments and accessories, we reached out to two fashion experts with experience storing and even archiving clothes: Zeina Esmail, a Canadian fashion stylist and founder of designer consignment shop the Fashion Edit, and Danielle Morrin, senior wardrobe account manager at Garde Robe by Uovo, a U.S.-based fashion storage and preservation service. Here are their recommendations and the precautions they always take at home to protect their own wardrobes.

Morrin recommends washing or dry cleaning every item before you store it. "Even if you can't necessarily see a stain, sometimes the oils from your body might remain on the piece, and over time … it could become a bigger issue," she said. "You just never know."

In particular, with light-coloured dress shirts that are not laundered before storage, deodorant or sweat residue can cause discolouration. "Especially with white shirts for men, it's good to get them cleaned right immediately after [wearing them] and cover them with a plastic because they yellow over time," said Esmail.

Morrin notes that this is also a good time to check if any items require repairs, because it would be easier to address those issues now rather than next season when you might want to wear something right away. This is also an opportunity to edit your wardrobe — there's little point in storing garments that no longer fit or are in poor condition.

Esmail rarely uses tissue paper for packing up out-of-season clothes (unless it's an extremely delicate garment or one that has a specific shape or structure) but she does use it for her bags. "I always make sure they're all stuffed, because over time, if you don't stuff your designer bags, they'll start … [to] lose their shape," she said. You don't want your bags to develop creases or collapse structurally.

With bags that have heavy hardware, rearrange the chain so it mostly sits inside the bag if you can, or cover the chain with a cloth or piece of tissue. "Oftentimes what happens is that if you leave your hardware out, and then the bag is leather and it's sitting on the hardware, it starts denting and … that never comes out," said Esmail.

For a similar reason, Esmail recommends storing shoes or boots stuffed with the tissue that often comes balled up inside them in their original shoebox. "Keep your shoes stuffed because they start to relax over time," she said. "The leather just starts to give and then you end up with … creases [that] never come out." Place them in a dust bag or other cloth bag if you've tossed the box, and avoid folding tall, slouchy boots in half because it can create a crease.

Garde Robe recommends that clients avoid storing clothing in dry cleaner bags. "Typically, they're just a really cheap plastic," said Morrin. "So, not only are they not breathable — which means that they might potentially keep in any moisture, which could unfortunately contribute to mould or mildew growth potentially — but it also breaks down really quickly and could potentially cause harm to the garment."

Ideally, you want to use breathable garment bags. That could be one made with undyed cotton muslin, or there are also needle-punched polypropylene or polyethylene options. "Those are considered to be, like, more archival type plastics because they're more inert," said Morrin. "They just don't break down as quickly, and when they do, it's just not as potentially harmful for whatever is next to that in the space."

Make sure you use hangers that are appropriate for each article of clothing. A too-big hanger could distort the shoulder or sleeve of a garment, while one that's too small isn't going to be supportive enough, said Morrin. Her top picks are those covered in an undyed muslin cotton fabric or made of polypropylene or polyethylene.

Morrin suggests folding or boxing knit items, because a hanger could distort the shoulders over time. "Even if it's a really thin T-shirt or something, it's just so easy for it to fall out of shape … because it's been hanging up, and that gravity has been pulling on it," she said.

Heavier clothes like gowns and garments that are highly embellished shouldn't be hung up either. "You want to pay attention to that weight and not putting too much pressure on a particular shoulder point," said Morrin. She suggests storing items of sentimental value, like a wedding gown, in a box made with acid- and lignin-free cardboard. "Blue board," which is a light-blue corrugated board for archival storage, is a good option.

Esmail recommends big, clear bins for storage. "If there was … a leak or anything like that, it doesn't affect it," she said. "And also, you can see what's inside." Even if you don't have time to label the bins, you should be able to quickly get an idea of their contents without opening each container. For the same reason, she often stores apparel in clear plastic garment bags.

For items that are stored flat, Morrin recommends a plastic tub or box that's made with polypropylene or polyethylene, and within that using some acid-free tissue that's relatively inert and chemically stable. Then, every six months, open the box to air it out and release any off-gases that might have naturally built up.

If you're storing your clothes in a room or closet that has a window, be sure to keep everything covered — direct sunlight will cause fading, said Esmail. At her consignment shop, she has seen "people ruin such expensive things with improper storage."

Instead of an attic or basement, Morrin recommends storing your clothes in a guest bedroom, hall closet or a part of your home that stays within a steady temperature range. "You want to look for [a] really consistent temperature as much as possible. You want to avoid huge fluctuations," she said, noting that fur and feather pieces typically should be stored in a cold storage facility because they prefer a slightly lower relative humidity level.

If you're unsure about the suitability of a particular location, Morrin suggests buying an inexpensive hygrometer that can help you monitor the temperature and humidity level. "You just don't want to invite the opportunity for mould growth," she said.

Another concern is pests. The three main "protein eaters" you might have to worry about are clothes moths, carpet beetles and silverfish. "So, what someone maybe could do in their home to monitor is just put up, like, a little trap in the area where you're storing things and … keep an eye on it," said Morrin. "Make sure you're not seeing anything suspicious in the area and that everything looks free of potential pests." Clean the space at least every six months, and vacuum the nooks and crannies to remove debris that might attract pests.

Truc Nguyen is a Toronto-based writer, editor and stylist. Follow her at @trucnguyen.

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