Preparing and Decluttering for Summer

Efficiently Storing Winter Items with Self-Storage

Summer is right around the corner. That means you can officially start looking forward to sipping ice-cold margaritas on the beach and BBQ parties with family and friends. If you want to make sure that you’re ready to embrace the hot summer weather, then it’s wise to start your decluttering journey, right now. It’s time to pack up your knitted throws, comfy hoodies and rain boots, so you can make room for the changing season.

Sort through your Winter Clothes

Before you pack anything away in self-storage, it’s wise for you to go through all of your winter items and decide if there is anything you’d like to donate or recycle. After all, you’ve probably been wearing the same items day in, and day out, so now’s a good time for you to figure out if it’s time for you to part with some clothing items. Sorting through your clothes at the end of the season is a fantastic way for you to make the most out of your self-storage space.

Launder and Mend

The next step is for you to launder some of the items you have chosen to keep. Even if you don’t see any stains or odour, you should give everything a good wash. Unseen spots can become permanent if you don’t deal with them right now. Odours can also attract pests and moths, which is the last thing you want to be dealing with. Sort your clothes into three piles, which include dry cleaning, hand washing and finally, machine washing. Getting a de-pilling tool is also a good idea if you want to remove any build-up from your winter hoodies.

Fold or Hang?

As a general rule, you’ll want to fold clothing that could lose its shape, or stretch out when placed on a hanger. Try hanging items that could end up getting creased. In terms of winter items, this means folding your sweaters and hanging your wool coats or business attire. If you have some vintage items that you want to keep in good condition, place an acid-free layer of tissue paper inside the sleeves and between each folded layer. This adds structure while stopping colour transfer.

Choosing Storage Containers

You shouldn’t use plastic storage containers over the long term, but they are good for seasonal storage. Unlike cardboard boxes, which are vulnerable to pests, they also stop your clothing from developing stains if you store them for too long. If you are putting your winter throws and rugs into storage then make sure that you give them all room to breathe, because if you don’t then your items might not last as long.

Don’t Vacuum-Seal

When putting your winter items into self-storage, you might be tempted to vacuum-seal. You should avoid this if possible. Clothing doesn’t benefit from being stored in a vacuum-seal bag, at all. Down jackets, leather items and anything cashmere should not be put in a bag like this at all. Natural fibres have to breathe and if you suck all of the air out of the bag, you may end up dealing with permanent compression. Sometimes, items can bounce back from this, but other times they won’t. If you want to be safe, just don’t risk it.

Keep Things Fresh

Nobody likes to pull a foisty woollen blanket over themselves. If you have high tog duvets and bedding items that you pull out for winter, then you’ll want to keep them fresh. No matter how clean your bedding is when it goes away, you may find that it ends up smelling musty when you pull it out of storage. One of the easiest ways for you to stop odour would be for you to put a few dryer sheets into the garment bag. Dried lavender works well here. If you are worried about moisture, then adding some desiccant packets would be a good idea. With that in mind, most self-storage units tend to be temperature and humidity-controlled. This means you can feel confident knowing that all of your items are going to be stored properly until you’re ready to use them again.

So, if you have a ton of cosy items lying around the home, now’s the time to purge and put them all into storage. It’s almost time to break out your sunglasses and beach shorts, so you can welcome the warm weather with open arms. By decluttering now, you can make the most out of it, from day one.