How to properly store your off-season clothes

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. 

Do clean and repair items before you store them

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.   

Read more in CBC.