First it seems like it’s here. Then it seems it’s not. The Great British summer!

Later this month, we’ll be blogging about spring cleaning. But it needs some preparation so we thought that giving you some tips on preparing winter clothes for storage would give you a head start.

1. Create a Work Space

Create yourself an area to sort things out. Make sure that it’s clean and won’t be used for a few days while you get organised. If it’s in the way, you’ll end up doing the same job over and again, so try not to use the sofa.

2. Gather Winter Textiles

Gather into your workspace: heavy sweaters; winter hats, gloves, mufflers, scarves; heavy winter coats; seasonal tablecloths and linen; ski gear; and winter party dresses and suits. Basically gather everything that you are unlikely to use until next winter.

Check through pockets. Sadly, experience shows that you are more likely to find used tissues and sweet wrappers than winning lottery tickets, but you never know your luck!

Don’t forget to leave a few sweatshirts and heavier jumpers and cardigans out for use. This is, after all, the British summer, and nothing is guaranteed except that the weather cannot be guaranteed!  

3. Be Honest with Yourself

If there are things here that you haven’t worn this year, do you really need to keep them?

Are there things here that you’ve fallen out of love with?

Storing things may take your time, and your money, and the space could be used for other things that bring you joy. Save yourself time and money for now and for the future.

Friends, charity shops, recycling banks may benefit from them, and you’ll be giving them a new life by passing them on. We recently wrote some tips on honest decluttering.

(Remember to check charity shop rules before taking things in to them. They have been hugely affected by COVID rules and may have changed since the last time you donated.)

4. Dry Cleaning

If you don’t clean clothes before you store them, stains can set in or worsen, and smells will spread into other clothes as well as the original item. And you want to be able to take it out and wear it straight away when you open them back up.

If things are dry clean only, take them along soonest to a dry cleaner as one of the first things you do. It will mean you have things lying around for less time as you will often have to wait to get your dry-cleaned clothes back. (If you’re anything like me, you may want to do this towards the end of the month so that you can unmortgage them at the start of the month. Dry cleaning in my area is exorbitantly expensive, but they often have offers on for taking in a number of things at the same time.)

When the clothes come back, throw away the dry-cleaning bags and don’t be tempted to store in them. They trap and let in moisture, which is the ruin of all good storage.

5. Leather goods and winter shoes

Before you store leather goods, make sure they’re cleaned in line with manufacturers’ instructions, using specialist cleaners if required and treat with leather cleaner where appropriate.

Make sure that anything leather is also hung up or laid out (with air underneath or turned over regularly) and aired. Put away damp and it will go brittle and mouldy, and may affect other things around it.

If your boots or shoes need repairs, now’s the time to do it. Come early winter, everyone will be taking their boots and shoes for rescue before wearing and the cobbler will take longer. You get ahead of yourself AND safely store by getting them dealt with well before packing. (My local repairer also sends back my shoes sparkly clean, so it’s a double win, but some, sadly, don’t.)

Wooden shoe trees will help shoes keep their shape in storage. Be sure to use the correct size to avoid stretching the shoe. Let shoes air for at least a day after use to dry out before using trees or packing. Dampness in the shoe can lead to deterioration. (Packs of silica gel can help avoid this.)

Clean ski boots and let them dry thoroughly. Removable inners should be taken out of the hard outer to air for a couple of days. (Some are washable).  Your objective is to get the inners out, clean, fresh smelling and thoroughly dry before putting them back, smooth and unwrinkled, ready to reuse next year.

6. Turn the Washing Machine On

Following manufacturer/maker instructions carefully, set your washing machine to work.

Remember that some fabrics just need wiping, and some are hand wash. Our objective here isn’t to wear your washing machine out but to get the clothes cleaned safely.

As things are done, make sure they are THOROUGHLY dry before even thinking about packing them away. You don’t want everything you put away to smell of damp, or worse still, go mouldy.

And then…

You are now ready to pack and store. Keep an eye on this blog for hints and tips on how to pack different goods.

If you need extra storage space, you can have a free, no-obligation quote for your area here:

You can, of course, also book on that link if you want to, and there’s a guide there as to how much space you’ll need.  (Best of all, the easyStorage teams come to you to collect, return your goods wen needed, and can even pack if you need.)

Of course, you may already have storage space. Either way, we now also offer a range of good quality  packaging materials to help. https://easystorageboxes.com/

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