The warm, lazy days of summer are over. On the bright side, it’s almost time for snuggly sweaters, fires in the fireplace, and pumpkin spice everything. The downside is that you’ll need to pack away your summer clothes if the space in your closets and drawers is limited.

When you store summer clothes, you’ll need to make special preparations for items like bathing suits and linen fabrics. If you take the time to pack your summer clothes right, they’ll be in good shape and ready to wear when the warm weather returns.

In this article, we’ll give you some helpful tips and tricks for how to store summer clothes. 

Inspect and Organize Your Summer Clothing

When the weather begins to chill, it’s time to switch out your wardrobe. Take this opportunity to go through your summer clothes and carefully inspect each piece. 

First, make sure each item is free of stains, holes, pulls, and other damage. Next, decide whether or not you want to keep it. Consider giving it away if it no longer fits well, looks good on you, or makes you happy. There’s no sense in keeping clothes you no longer love! 

Clean All Your Summer Clothes

Before packing away your summer clothes, make sure they’re completely clean and dry. You don’t want to store shirts with food stains or bathing suits covered in chlorine. Stains can set in the fabric over time, and chlorine can damage bathing suits.

Hanging Racks With Fabric Bags

If you usually hang items like summer dresses, linen pants, or summer suits, you should ideally hang them in storage. You can purchase stand-alone clothing racks or rolling racks that you can keep in your storage area.

Each hanging item should be in a clothing bag to keep dust off and protect against sunlight and moisture. We strongly recommend investing in fabric hanging bags rather than plastic bags; fabric bags allow for air circulation and don’t hold in moisture (which can invite mildew). Alternatively, you can cut holes in old pillowcases and use them to cover your hanging clothing.

Clean Clothing Containers

If you plan on storing clothes in cardboard or plastic containers, always inspect and clean them before use. Used containers may have dirt or grit in them, and new containers may have accumulated dust while on store shelves. Give them all a good wipe-down.

Use the Right Type of Cardboard Boxes

Not every cardboard box is an ideal container for storing clothes. For instance, many boxes you find at grocery stores are made using wood pulp that can stain clothes or turn them yellow. When looking for cardboard boxes to store summer clothes in, always make sure they’re acid-free.

Roll Your Clothing

Certain common summer materials like knits and cotton can wrinkle easily. If you don’t want to spend the first days of next summer ironing all your clothes, try rolling them instead of folding them when you pack them into boxes. Just make sure you don’t roll any wrinkles into the fabric.

Storing Shoes

When storing shoes long-term, the biggest risk comes from moisture, which can lead to mold and mildew. To help prevent mold from ruining your favorite summer sandals, add silica packets or cedar wood sachets to your shoe boxes. 

Keep Clothes Fresh

Add a fabric softener sheet to each box to help your clothes smell fresher when you take them out next year. It’s quick and easy, and it will make you smile when you open all your summer boxes.

Label Your Boxes

Don’t forget to label your clothing storage boxes before you put them away for the season. Even if you think you’ll remember where everything is, it’s easy to forget over time. Write down what’s in each box and to whom it belongs. Labeling everything will make it easier to find your summer clothes when the warm weather returns. 

Store Summer Clothes at Price Self Storage

If you don’t have space for clothing storage in your garage or closets, consider renting a storage unit.

Price Self Storage has storage facilities throughout California. We offer an array of storage unit sizes and provide flexible month-to-month contracts. If you want to take extra good care of your seasonal clothing, you can even rent a climate-controlled storage unit.

Find your nearest Price Self Storage today.