Your Own Personal Wear-House: Storing Season Clothes In The Basement

It’s a rite of passage every summer and winter: shuttling seasonal clothes from your closet to the basement or attic where they sit idle until the weather changes again in their favor. Interior climate control is key to this eternal fashion rotation. Cold, damp air can invite mold, while intense heat and sun can break down the integrity of fabrics and fade colors over time. Here are three key tips for keeping seasonal clothes runway ready, even when they’re banished to the basement in the off-season.

Dehumidifier

If the basement serves as your off-season fashion house, get a good dehumidifier. Period. You won’t believe how much water these units pull from the air. We’re talking gallons. When you’re emptying that bucket of water, just think what that could have done to your prized wardrobe. Yellowed whites and moldy everything is never, ever in style. Up your defense against mold and mildew even more with cedar and lavender.

Play It Cool

Even your clothes need to breathe, so store them in rolling wardrobes, garment bags, suitcases, or plastic storage tubs surrounded by plenty of ventilation. If your wardrobe is headed to the attic, consider a window air conditioner with variable fan speeds to keep the oxygen flowing and the stuffy heat in check. In the basement, consider a portable air conditioner with a heat option to regulate the temp. Avoiding extreme heat and cold helps to preserve your clothes for the long haul.

Dust Your Ducts

If you have a ducted central air system, be sure to have it cleaned and serviced every spring and fall. Not only will this help your system operate more efficiently, but it’ll also prevent built-up dust from blowing onto your clothes, particularly when they’re banished to the back of your storage closet.

Your clothes will be in such great condition, they’ll still look fresh when a trend comes around a second time.