Winter coats, wool sweaters, and heavy boots are the bulkiest, most expensive things in your closet — and for half the year you don't touch them. Pack them away carelessly and you'll unpack mildew smell, moth holes, or set-in stains next fall. Do it right and they come back like the day you put them away. Here's the whole process.
1. Clean everything before you store it
This is the step people skip, and it's the most important one. Invisible body oils, food residue, and perfume are exactly what moths and carpet beetles are drawn to — and over months in storage, small stains oxidize and become permanent.
- Wash or dry-clean every item before it goes away, even pieces that look clean.
- Skip the starch and fabric finish on items you're storing — pests are attracted to it.
- Make sure everything is completely dry. Even slight dampness invites mildew in a sealed box.
2. Skip the plastic bags and bins (mostly)
Sealing clothes in airtight plastic traps any residual moisture and stops natural fibers from breathing, which can cause yellowing and that musty smell. Cardboard boxes and breathable cotton garment bags are better for most clothing.
- Use a sturdy cardboard box lined with acid-free tissue for folded items.
- For coats and structured jackets, a breathable garment bag beats a plastic dry-cleaning sleeve — throw those thin plastic sleeves away.
- Tuck a few cedar blocks in with wool. Avoid mothballs unless you love the smell — it's hard to get out.
3. Fold knits, hang structured pieces
How you pack a garment depends on what it's made of and how it's built.
- Fold sweaters and anything knit. Hanging stretches them out of shape over months.
- Hang structured wool coats and blazers so the shoulders keep their form.
- Stuff boots with acid-free tissue or rolled paper so they hold their shape, and never store them crushed under heavier boxes.
4. Control the climate — this is where most storage fails
The enemy of stored clothing is temperature swings and humidity. A hot attic bakes fibers and a damp basement breeds mildew; a garage lets in pests and dust. Natural fibers like wool, down, silk, and leather are the most sensitive.
The ideal environment is cool, dark, dry, and climate-controlled — stable temperature and controlled humidity year-round. If you don't have a closet that fits that description (most of us don't), storing your off-season wardrobe somewhere that's actually built for it is the single biggest thing you can do to protect it.
Don't have the right space at home?
That's exactly what we do. Ship your winter clothes to us between seasons, we keep them in a secure, climate-controlled facility, and one click ships them back to your door when the weather turns. Plans start at $14.99/mo and you can cancel anytime.
See Seasonal Storage →5. Label so future-you isn't guessing
Six months is long enough to forget what went where. Label each box by category ("wool sweaters," "winter boots") so you can find a specific item without opening everything. If you store with us, every box gets a photo inventory in your dashboard — so you can see what's inside from your phone instead of relying on a marker scrawl.
6. Recall it before you actually need it
The first cold snap always arrives sooner than you expect. Plan to get your winter wardrobe back a couple of weeks before you'll need it, so you're not caught in a 40-degree morning with every coat still in a box. If you store by mail, just request the return from your dashboard and it ships to your door.
Quick checklist
- ✓ Clean and fully dry every item before packing
- ✓ Breathable boxes and garment bags, not sealed plastic
- ✓ Fold knits, hang structured coats, stuff boots
- ✓ Cool, dark, dry, climate-controlled space
- ✓ Label by category (or use a photo inventory)
- ✓ Recall a couple of weeks before the cold hits
Do these six things and your winter clothes will outlast a lot of the people who own them. The hard part is just having somewhere proper to keep them — and that part, we can handle.