Protect Your Winter Gear This Summer
The weather is heating up in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, and for many people, that means it’s finally time to store heavy winter coats and sweaters until next winter. At Mulberrys, our dry cleaning services are available for any delicate fabrics you’re pulling out for the summer – but now is also a great time to send us your winter coats and sweaters.
Improper Storage Harms Fabrics
If you don’t take a little bit of time to properly store your winter clothing, heavy coats, and even your heavier quilts and curtains, you may find that when you open your closet next year, your items are not as nice as you remember. Why? While your fabric items are stored for several months, any leftover oils from your skin while you were folding them up, as well as any stains or dirt that weren’t entirely removed before winter ended, will settle into the fabric. This, along with dust from the environment, can cause the fabric to weaken, lose color, or become permanently stained.
Start with Dry Cleaning
The proper technique for storing fabric always starts with a good dry cleaning. This will remove any debris, including oils from skin, so that your fabric is in the best condition before it goes into storage. Even if you only wore it once, or you’ve hardly touched a specific piece of linen décor, it’s still a good idea to get the piece dry cleaned. The environment can leave behind dust and other debris that are just as harmful.
Additionally, some items would be difficult to wash on your own. Heavy parkas, especially those filled with insulation, or woolen pea coats that need careful washing, would be best protected by a professional dry cleaning service like we offer at Mulberrys. You won’t have to worry about your fabric items, because at Mulberrys, we have years of experience with dry cleaning these delicate items.
Storage Methods
There are many methods for storing off-season gear once it has been dry cleaned. Many people like vacuum sealing, because it saves space and ensures that dust does not get near your clothing. However, vacuum sealing can put undue pressure on special features, like embroidered designs, causing them to look less attractive when they are removed later in the year. Clear plastic totes with lids that seal tightly are a great solution; clothing is easy to identify and they tend to stack together for easy storage.
One thing that many people ask of dry cleaners is what, if anything, they should add to their stored items, to keep away pests and keep them smelling great. Mothballs have been shown to be less desirable than they once were, so two other choices include cedar and lavender. As long as your clothes have been dry cleaned before storage, and are stored in an air-tight container, you may not even need to add anything; pests need air to breathe like any other organism, and dry cleaning will remove anything that has attached itself to your clothing, including larvae and eggs.
Be Ready for Next Winter
By the time winter rolls around, most people in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas are ready for the heat to leave. It’s always a joy to pull out your favorite cozy sweater, and find it perfectly dry cleaned and ready to wear when the cooler weather comes around again. And by dry cleaning your winter coat, you’ll ensure that it lasts for many more years to come. There are many methods for storing winter clothes and off-season gear once it has been dry cleaned. Mulberrys can help you keep your winter gear in great condition with proper dry cleaning techniques whenever you’re ready to tackle the job.
Sources:
http://www.championcleaners.com/Dry-Cleaning-Blog/bid/57033/Should-You-Dry-Clean-Your-Clothes-Before-Storing-Them
https://unclutterer.com/2008/04/23/storing-out-of-season-clothing/