How to pack clothes for storage to prevent creases, stop build up of mildew and odours, and keep your cost to a reasonable level? The solution to use to store your clothes depends mainly on the environment you are storing your clothes in and if they will be stored for the short or long term.
Long term storage requires finer solutions to the storage issue, as you want to find your clothes in the same condition they first went into storage.
In the short term, we only need a solution that is good enough to keep the clothes reasonably protected until they are shortly moved to their final destination.
How to Pack Clothes for Storage (Folded)
Clothes should be folded and laid down on top of each other without squeezing or forcing them, in an attempt to fit more clothing items inside a small space. Attempting to do so can degrade the quality of the clothes long term as it doesn’t allow for good airflow and can promote deep creases.
Between the clothing items, you can give them extra protection and cushioning from each other by using packing materials such as paper stuffing. This can prevent clothes from getting caught on one another and causing damage by pulling threads, rubbing of soft materials etc.
Clothes Organizer Storage Bags
Clothes organizer bags allow you to place your folded clothes in a large protected area that shields your clothing from many outside elements. Protection comes from the polypropylene non-woven fabric material, keeping clothes fresh, away from moisture and dirt.
These bags are fully foldable, great for space saving when not in use. They make use of zips to seal shut giving added and secure protection. They also feature a see-through window allowing you to identify all the contents without opening.
Their dimensions are fairly generous and can accommodate most clothes of all sizes and types fairly easily.
You can often find them heavily discounted however they’ll never be as cost effective as a corrugated Kraft moving box. Regardless they can be kept long term for use in your closet for ongoing extra storage room.
It is breathable, moisture proof and dust proof allowing the clothes to be stored for extended periods with no long term degradation of their quality.
Top Benefits
The top benefits of using clothes organizer storage bags include:
- Zippers keeps items enclosed and protected
- Clear window always give you sight of what is stored inside, saving you time and effort when looking for items to unpack
- Keeps clothes fresh due to breathable material, provides some dust and moisture proof protection
- Fairly lightweight and folds down to save space
Folded in Kraft Moving Boxes
Corrugated Kraft moving boxes are the go-to moving and storage solution for the majority of home movers. They are reliable, easy to put together, low cost, and can be very protective dependant upon the wall thickness.
Increasing boxes wall thickness and number of walls will better protect your clothing. These stronger walled boxes will prevent your box from being crushed, from tearing, and from bending or deforming. It also allows you to stack boxes up on each other safely without fear of the sidewalls failing.
They’re best used in dry indoor spaces as Kraft material provides little to no protection against moisture. They’re protection levels are good as long as you properly seal them with a good quality strong tape.
Top Benefits
The top benefits of using Kraft moving boxes include:
- Easy to come by, sold at most hardware stores and widely available online
- Lowest cost storage solution for clothes
- Lightweight but capable of carrying several times their weight
They’re appealing for several reasons, the main one being their relatively low cost. If you want to save money, there are several ways to get free moving boxes if you’ve already exhausted your maximum budget.
It is recommended to use moving boxes that feature cut out handles. Not only will this make it easier to carry and transport them around, it also provides extra ventilation for the clothing stored inside.
Be conservative with how many clothes you pack inside each box. Don’t overstuff with clothing items as this limits the amount of ventilation they receive, potentially leading to odour and mildew build up.
| ECT Rating | Maximum Weight Capacity | Number of Corrugated Walls |
|---|---|---|
| ECT-32 | 65lbs | Single |
| ECT-44 | 95lbs | Single |
| ECT-48 | 100lbs | Double |
| ECT-51 | 120lbs | Double |
| ECT-90 | 280lbs | Triple |
| ECT-155 | 300lbs | Triple |
Wardrobe Boxes for Delicates
For improved long term storage of clothing using Kraft corrugated boxes, there is no better solution than dedicated wardrobe boxes. Wardrobe boxes uses a 1.5 to 2ft long bar that rests in the slots in the sidewalls. This bar allows you to hang your clothes by their hanger inside a fully enclosed box.
This gives you the opportunity to keep clothing unfolded with good airflow and spacing, allowing for long term storage without fear of odours and mildew build ups.
For extra protection including waterproofing, use a garment bag constructed from plastic as a cover for extra protection from elements.
Top Benefits
The top benefits of using wardrobe moving boxes include:
- Extremely airy and allows you to space clothes out as much as you wish
- Height dimensions allow you to hang long items such as coats, dresses, and jumpsuits without creasing them during long term storage
- Saves time by allowing you to transfer your clothing items straight from your closet into the wardrobe box without the need to fold
A dedicated Kraft corrugated wardrobe box costs more than regular moving boxes but has many additional benefits as listed above. You have the choice of purchasing a moving box with extra durable double walls for increased protection.
Luggage Bags for Packing Clothes in Storage
Luggage bags are universally used during travel. While long term storage using this form of package is not ideal, they can be used for emergency situations.
They’re ideally used when only small numbers of clothing items need to be stored away. Most of us have a luggage bag already and can make use of them without have to spend unnecessarily on other types of clothes storage solutions.
However, your wardrobe may be so large that not everything can be fit inside the luggage box, in that case, purchase of other clothes storage solutions is necessary.
Luggage boxes should really only be used as a last resort solution. Plan ahead if you want to keep your clothes in storage long term as purpose built solutions will keep them in better condition. This will save your favourite clothes from deep creasing, mildew and smell build-up.
Top Benefits
The top benefits of using wardrobe moving boxes include:
- Removes the need to purchase dedicated clothes storage solution by making a more economic choice of using items you already own
- Gives good protection against outside elements, the level of protection depending on the type of luggage bag you own
- Good for short term storage in emergency situations
Conclusion – How to Pack Clothes for Storage
Make us of paper stuffing packing material to separate your clothing items when folding them stored in small places. This helps prevent the clothing rubbing against each other, potentially causing damage.
There are several solutions available to you for storage of clothing in storage, both short and long term, mainly:
- Clothes organizer storage bags
- Kraft corrugated moving boxes
- Wardrobe Boxes
- Luggage Bags
Each having their own benefits dependant upon what your budget is. How long you plan to keep the clothes stored. And lastly how delicate the items of clothing you are storing are.
Wardrobe boxes are the best solution if your priority is keeping the clothing in pristine condition long term as they provided an airy and well spaced environment for your clothes to hang non creased.
Kraft corrugated moving boxes allow for a low cost storage solution. Useful in the cases where you need to store a high number of clothing items.
Clothes organizer storage bags provide better protection, against moisture, dust, and other outside elements than regular Kraft moving boxes due to their superior plastic materials.
Luggage bags make use of an item you already likely have. A good short term storage solution if you don’t wish to or have the need for any additional items.
Here’s Something Else You May Like:
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