When the weather turns, the coats and heavy knits that carried you through winter need somewhere to spend the summer — and how you pack them away decides what state they are in come autumn. Store them badly and you open the boxes to moth holes, musty smells and misshapen jumpers. These are the top 6 ways to store winter clothes so that everything comes out next season exactly as it went in.
None of this is expensive or complicated. It is mostly about three things fabric hates — pests, damp and being crushed out of shape — and a handful of simple habits that keep all three at bay. The advice here reflects standard textile-care guidance from wool bodies and museum conservators.
Before you begin: what actually ruins stored clothes
Two culprits do most of the damage. The first is insects — clothes moths and carpet beetles, whose larvae, not the adults, eat wool, cashmere, silk and other natural fibres, and which are drawn not to clean cloth but to the sweat, skin and food traces left on it. It is worth knowing that the flying moth you occasionally spot is not the one doing the chewing; by the time you see it, the damage has usually been done at the larval stage in a dark, undisturbed corner. The second culprit is moisture, which breeds mildew, encourages those same pests and can yellow whites over a long, sealed summer. Almost every rule below is aimed at removing one of those two, plus a little care to stop good clothes losing their shape while they wait for the cold to come back.
1. Clean everything before you store it
This is the non-negotiable one. Launder or dry-clean every item before it goes away, even the pieces that look and smell perfectly clean, because it is the invisible traces of body oil, perspiration and food — the very things you cannot see — that attract clothes moths and give their larvae something to feed on. A jumper put away dirty is an open invitation; the same jumper put away freshly cleaned is far safer, and a single moth-eaten hole in a good coat costs far more than the wash ever would.
Why it matters: pests feed on the soiling, not the wool, so clean clothes are dramatically less likely to be eaten.
2. Fold knitwear, hang only structured coats
Match the method to the garment. Heavy jumpers, cardigans and anything knitted should be folded and stored flat, because hanging lets their own weight stretch the body and drag the shoulders out of shape over months. Tailored coats and jackets, by contrast, keep their line best on a sturdy, shaped hanger with a little room around them.
Why it matters: hang what has structure and fold what would sag, and everything holds its shape.
3. Choose breathable storage over plastic
Resist the temptation to seal clothes in airtight plastic bins or the thin bags that come back from the dry-cleaner. Plastic traps any humidity against the fibres, which can lead to mildew and, over a long summer, yellow white fabrics. Breathable cotton garment bags, canvas storage boxes or even an old cotton sheet keep dust off while letting the clothes air.
Why it matters: fabric needs to breathe, and sealed plastic turns ordinary humidity into a mildew and discolouration problem.
4. Deter moths with cedar or lavender
Give the moths a reason to stay away. Cedar blocks and rings, or sachets of dried lavender, are pleasant and effective deterrents, and both are easily refreshed — a light sanding revives cedar, a few drops of oil revive lavender. They are a far nicer companion for your clothes, and your nose, than traditional mothballs.
Why it matters: a natural repellent protects the clothes without filling your cupboards with toxic, acrid fumes.
5. Keep it cool, dark and dry
Location matters more than people expect. Heat, damp and sunlight are all hard on stored textiles: warmth and humidity encourage mildew and pests, while light fades colours and weakens fibres over time. A cool, dark interior cupboard beats a hot loft, a damp basement or a garage every time.
Why it matters: the right environment does half the preservation work on its own, quietly, all summer.
6. Protect delicates and check in periodically
For the special pieces — silk, beading, anything you would hate to crease — interleave the folds with acid-free tissue, which cushions them and prevents hard creases and contact marks without the acidity of ordinary paper, which can itself stain fabric over time. And open the boxes once mid-season to air the contents and have a proper look, so that any early sign of moths, damp or musty smells is caught while it is still a small problem rather than a ruined coat.
Why it matters: a few minutes of tissue and a single mid-summer check are cheap insurance against ruined favourites.
The Sixated take
Storing winter clothes well is neither fussy nor expensive, and it comes down to one sentence: put them away clean, put them away dry, and let them breathe. Clean first, fold your knits and hang only your structured coats, skip the sealed plastic in favour of breathable cotton or canvas, add cedar or lavender rather than mothballs, keep it all somewhere cool and dark, and look in once before autumn. Do that and you will reopen the boxes to the wardrobe you packed away, not a musty, moth-eaten disappointment that costs a fortune to replace. It is the same instinct behind washing your knitwear properly in the first place — see our rules for washing cashmere — and part of caring for the capsule-wardrobe basics worth keeping for years.