Storing winter suits/jackets/slacks - suggestions?

[modmica]

Time to put away some winter clothes. After moving, I now have much less closet space. I'll be storing my heavier weight suits, sportcoats, and slacks in the garage. I'm trying to figure out the best thing to do in light of my concern about clothes moths. So far I'm thinking of two options:

1) Lay clothes in cardboard boxes. Put in some moth pellets. Seal boxes well with tape.

2) Vacuum pack clothes in those plastic bags that you can suck the air out of with a vacuum.

Neither of these approaches seems ideal, but both are better than moths. Any comments on what has or hasn't worked for you?

 

[mt_spiffy]

I put mine in a garment bag, and hang the bag in a basement storage.

 

[Dewey]

With the garage, I would anticipate some moisture and smells. How about folding and storing in an air-tight rubbermaid tub, with a few silica gel dessicant packs? I would want air- and water-tight storage if I was storing clothes in the garage.

 

[Twotone]

Target sells a great free-standing closet made of breathable cotton fabric over a plastic/metal frame. Assembled, it's about 6' tall, 5' wide and 20" deep and sells for about $30. I keep one in my basement and rotate my summer/winter wear. No clothes eating moths to worry about here in Colorado -- too dry for them.

Twotone

 

[modmica]

Originally Posted by Dewey

With the garage, I would anticipate some moisture and smells. How about folding and storing in an air-tight rubbermaid tub, with a few silica gel dessicant packs? I would want air- and water-tight storage if I was storing clothes in the garage.

I like this idea. I found this online source of silica gel packs.

I know a dry, airtight container is moth proof, but I'm a bit paranoid. Does anyone know if the silica gel packs are compatible with mothballs? I.e., will either somehow neutralize the other? My guess is using both is okay, but I suppose its possible that mothballs create humidity that will overwhelm the gel pack or something like that.

 

[modmica]

Originally Posted by Twotone

Target sells a great free-standing closet made of breathable cotton fabric over a plastic/metal frame. Assembled, it's about 6' tall, 5' wide and 20" deep and sells for about $30. I keep one in my basement and rotate my summer/winter wear. No clothes eating moths to worry about here in Colorado -- too dry for them.

Twotone

This is what I am confused by. I've read that it is better for the suits to breathe and not be in an airtight container. But I've also read that mothballs and silica gel packs only work in an enclosed space. Airtight containers are also mothproof. Is a fully enclosed fabric closet (e.g., without holes were the frame or hanger bar penetrates the fabric) moth proof - or can clothes moths wiggle through a cotton or canvas weave?

 

[academe]

^^^ I think the option you select will depend on the climate you live in or the microclimate of the storage area. The problem with plastic containers is that they don't "breathe." In drier climates, this means that moisture can accumulate in your storage boxes and foster the growth of fungi (e.g., mould), because it's more "humid" inside the plastic boxes than outside. I suppose if you had a plastic box with silica gel, this would counteract the mould problem by stripping moisture from the atmosphere of the box. You will have to keep checking on the silica gel, however, because it has a finite capacity to absorb water vapour. It'll be a process of trial and error, but you'll probably find yourself replacing the silica gel periodically. Many of the canvas storage units for clothes, etc. aren't easily penetrated by moths, because the fabric is too dense for them to crawl through. When we were living in the US, we bought a couple of these cloth "storage closets" from the Container Store, and they worked quite well. No easy way for insects to get in. The dessicant (i.e. silica gel) and moth balls aren't really going to interact; they're for 2 different purposes: (1) moisture control or (2) repelling moths. If you're really concerned about moisture and fungi, I would consider getting a small dehumidifier for your storage area. They're more effective than silica gel packs and will keep the mould, etc. away. The problem with silia gel packs is that they only work well for a small area. A dehumidifier will keep the whole room dry, which is really more desirable because fungi are microscopic and can colonize the small pores in concrete/cement of floors and walls. This means that you might have an effectively infinite source of mould that could re-colonize your clothes from the walls/floor etc. (yikes!

). We used a dehumidifier in one of the older apartments we lived in because it was so humid in parts of the apartment that there was mould growing on the walls! After buying the dehumidifier, the mould disappeared.

 

[Shraka]

Get a ceder chest or wardrobe to put them in. Ceder is a natural moth repellent.

 

[cancel.sing]

Originally Posted by Shraka

Get a ceder chest or wardrobe to put them in. Ceder is a natural mother repellent.

Funny, whenever I need my mum I always put some cedar out on the porch, sit back and wait...

 

[Gus]

I get all canvas suit bags from the Container Store. I like their natural canvas color and they breath. I just hang my seasonal jackets, suits and pants in them on good hangers. Once the weather changes I rotate everything. Of course, as soon as I do, the weather changes back for a few weeks. This is guaranteed.

 

[Shraka]

Originally Posted by cancel.sing

Funny, whenever I need my mum I always put some cedar out on the porch, sit back and wait...

HA HA HA! Oh what a silly bastard I am sometimes.

 

[Dewey]

academe, i am trying to understand your science.

let's say, on a dry day (33% humidity), i air and then pack much of my winter wardrobe into an air-tight rubber tub. i throw in a chunk of cedar for good luck and a few of those shoe-box size desiccant packs.

if i put the tub in the attic, where it is hot and dry for most of the summer, then moisture somehow accumulates in the tub and the clothes mold? or not?

but if i put the tub in the basement, where it is cool and damp for most of the summer, then the humidity within the airtight rubber tub does ... what? ... and the clothes mold? or not?

 

[academe]

Originally Posted by Dewey

academe, i am trying to understand your science.

let's say, on a dry day (33% humidity), i air and then pack much of my winter wardrobe into an air-tight rubber tub. i throw in a chunk of cedar for good luck and a few of those shoe-box size desiccant packs.

if i put the tub in the attic, where it is hot and dry for most of the summer, then moisture somehow accumulates in the tub and the clothes mold? or not?

but if i put the tub in the basement, where it is cool and damp for most of the summer, then the humidity within the airtight rubber tub does ... what? ... and the clothes mold? or not?

Hi Dewey,

Here's my 2 cents from an environmental scientist's viewpoint

.

1. If you're going to store your clothes in the attic, I would suggest canvas or breathable boxes. The background humidity and high temperatures probably means that it will be quite dry in the attic, and mould is unlikely to be a problem if the boxes can "breathe." In this situation, dessicant might be overkill. You're basically taking advantage of the natural or existing environmental conditions to do your work for you.

If you put your clothes in plastic boxes in the attic, it might be worthwhile throwing in dessicant because there is a small risk that the conditions in the plastic boxes may be more "humid" than the surrounding air, because the plastic doesn't "breathe." If it gets warm in the attic, this might accelerate fungal growth in the plastic boxes.

2 If you put your clothes in the basement, I would suggest one of 2 things:

(A)the best option would be to buy a dehumidifier and keep the basement dry. This way, you could store your clothes in "breathable" cloth or cardboard boxes. The dehumidfier would also suppress the development of fungi that might live in the walls, floor, etc. (yuk!

)

(B)the second option would be to put your clothes in plastic boxes with dessicant. The logic here is that the plastic boxes would have a drier microclimate than the surrounding room, preventing the growth of fungi on the clothes. The "unbreathable" plastic would also prevent fungal spores from getting in. Be sure to check on the boxes once or twice a month, to make sure the dessicant isn't exhausted.

Of your many options, I think the best choice would be the attic. Damp basements always worry me from a fungal standpoint...

 

[Dewey]

Thanks, academe. Your answers make sense & I appreciate them.

One more question: how can you tell when desiccant has been exhausted?

 

[academe]

Originally Posted by Dewey

Thanks, academe. Your answers make sense & I appreciate them. One more question: how can you tell when desiccant has been exhausted?
Usually the ones that are commercially available from places like the container store have a colour indicator, e.g., blue=ok, red=exhausted. Silica gel also changes colour from blue to pink I believe? You can then just bake it in your oven for a few hours to drive off the moisture.