Packing away wool knits, silky tops and other cold-weather pieces is an annual rite of spring for many New Yorkers, who often lack the luxury of ample closet space. While making room for the season’s linen shirts and breezy dresses is a necessity, long storage of natural fibers does come with risks, including stains, odors and those dreaded moth holes. Here, a handful of wardrobe experts share their advice for avoiding those pitfalls and ensuring that, come September, you’re all set for sweater weather.
Start with a clean closet
Dust can attract moths and even stain silk so “vacuum your closet frequently,” says Julie Ann Clauss, 45, the founder of the Wardrobe, a clothing storage service used by collectors and museums. “If you have a wood floor or baseboards, get in all those little cracks and seams because moths hide their eggs there.” For similar reasons, Clauss advises against carpeting in closets. If you’re moving house, Elizabeth Giardina, 45, the creative director of the fashion label Another Tomorrow, suggests having an exterminator treat the closets before you unpack. “You don’t really know what you’re coming into,” she says.
Wash and dry clothing thoroughly
“We dribble a little ice cream on a sweater and that becomes food for the moths,” says Brian Maloney, 61, a co-founder of the New York City-based home organizing company S.O.S., adding that pheromones in sweat — even when undetectable to our noses — can attract bugs. After laundering clothing, make sure it’s completely dry before packing it away. Moisture can stain or even distort the shape of a garment and also draws moths. The stylist Alexandra Mitchell, 31, a partner in the online boutique Arbitrage, which specializes in archival designer vintage, recommends dry cleaning newly purchased vintage pieces to ensure that no small creatures are hitching a ride.
Fold and check
Wool and silk are especially prone to stretching out. So instead of hanging clothes, fold them loosely, layering in acid-free tissue paper “wherever the garment touches itself” to avoid deep creases, says Mitchell. And even if pieces are stored in pristine conditions, don’t forget about them indefinitely. “About once a month, take the items down, refold them and restack them,” says the Arbitrage founder Ian Campbell, 30, pointing out that regular repositioning is one of the most effective defenses against damage.
Choose your containers wisely
When packing away clothes for just a few months, airtight plastic can help keep moths out. Marta Bahillo, 45, the founder of the Spanish knitwear brand Babaà, seals her woolens into zip-top bags each spring before stashing them in plastic boxes from Muji. At Arbitrage, Mitchell and Campbell also use large plastic bins, while Maloney favors containers from Sort Joy and Open Spaces and recommends tossing in a few moisture-absorbing packets like Micro-Pak’s Dri Clay Kraft before closing the lid. He’ll occasionally use vacuum-storage bags to save space but cautions that compression can damage fabrics over time. For longer-term storage, it’s best to invest in sweater bags made of cotton muslin. “It’s fine if one side is plastic so you can see in, but you want to avoid an entirely plastic bag because it creates a little microclimate inside, which can impart an odor,” says Clauss.
Beware of basements
“They’re typically too humid,” says Clauss, making them breeding grounds for mold and moths, but preferable to attics, where “the temperature tends to fluctuate wildly,” causing fabrics to break down and shrink. If underground is the only option, Maloney advises installing a dehumidifier or even sending your clothes off premises. “Your dry cleaner will sometimes store items for you if you’re a longtime customer,” he says.
Toss those mothballs
They’re usually made from naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both of which are toxic to people and pets. Natural repellents like cedar and lavender sachets can offer some protection. To that end, Giardina puts EcoKiwi cedar rings on her hangers, and Bahillo uses Bio Aroma’s moth-repelling sachets along with dried lavender and bay leaves. “It’s really nice when you open the box in a few months and there’s a nice smell,” she says. Moth traps are another option, though they’re more likely to alert you to a problem than prevent one, since moths feed on fabric while in their larval stage and the traps attract and kill only the adults.
Open with care
Come fall, make sure to inspect your stored silks and woolens for damage before putting them back in rotation. “Look at seams, turn cuffs inside out, check the pockets,” says Clauss. To spot tiny holes, Mitchell holds garments up to the light. If you find moths, seek out a dry cleaner that uses Perc, a chemical that kills eggs, says Clauss. A more natural option: freeze clothing for at least a week, says Bahillo, whose office freezer is full of sweaters. If your pieces need mending, Giardina recommends Alterknit, a New York-based repair shop and, having recently battled an infestation of her own, offers some final words of advice: “Exhale, and don’t stress too much about it.”
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