If you are working from home and have not needed to wear your work clothes; what is the best way to store them until you need to wear them again?
First and foremost, before you store any garment, make sure it has been cleaned. If you have worn it, even for just a few hours, and it looks clean, you must dry clean or wash your garment before storing it.
As a professional dry cleaner for over 35 years, and Managing Director of Jeeves New York, (https://www NULL.jeevesofbelgravia NULL.com/newyork) I have seen my share of horror garments that were put away looking “clean” and after being in a closet for 6 months, stains suddenly appear.
One cause of stains appearing after time is oxidation. Spills and stains that dry and cannot be seen, may over time, yellow from oxidation. Oxidation is the same process that causes a half eaten apple to turn brown when left on the counter. Oxidized stains can be difficult to remove, the reason for the advice to clean before storing.
Moths and moth holes are another issue with storage. The flying moths are not the culprits, it is the eggs they lay on your wool and cashmere garments. When the larvae hatch they are hungry and gravitate to leftover food bits, perspiration, and fragrance left on your garment. The larvae will eat (causing moth holes) the wool/cashmere fibers along with stain left on the garment. This article is a good read about moth damage.
My advice for storing your clothes is:
- Wash or dry clean any garment that you are storing. If you are washing at home, iron the garment to remove the wrinkles.
- Store your garment properly. Invest in good hangers with proper support, do not use wire hangers.
- Fold clean knit garments and store in a drawer or closet shelf.
- Store your garments in fabric garment bags for extra protection and to keep your garments from getting dusty.
- Use cedar wood blocks or sachets in your closet and drawers to help repel moths. Moth balls should not be used as they are a dangerous chemical and have an awful odor.
Storing your garment on a proper hanger is important.
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