Why Should You Wash Clothes Before Putting Them in Storage?

Washing dirty clothes before putting them in self storage may be a no-brainer, but you may also want to think about washing or dry cleaning any clothes you'll store, even if they're clean and unworn.

Prepare for the Future

If you put clean clothes in storage, you get clean clothes when you take them out. This is especially useful if you're storing seasonal wardrobes, as your clothes will be clean and ready to wear immediately once you've unpacked them. It's also much easier to get stains out of clothes when they are recent. If you put stained clothing in storage for a few months, it may be much harder to remove the stains later.

Storage washing tips:

• If you can hang your clothes in your unit, it may also be worth giving them an iron after you wash them. This may not be worth doing if you're packing clothes in boxes or vacuum packing them in bags, as they may crease during their storage time anyway.
• It's just as important to dry clothes before storage as it is to wash them. Don't put wet or even slightly damp clothes in a unit. They may smell really bad when you take them out or get mouldy.
• Try using a scented laundry softener when you wash clothes before storing them. Clothes can sometimes smell a little musty after months in storage; this may make them smell fresher and reduce the chances that you'll have to wash them again before you can wear them. Putting a wardrobe air freshener sachet near your clothes may also help with storage smells.

Prepare for Pests

It's important to make sure that pests don't get in your storage space; washing your clothes first may help with this. For example, even a small food stain may smell enough to encourage mice to investigate your unit or moths to be attracted to your clothes. Pay particular attention to pockets – a stray mint or even just a few crumbs may be a tasty snack for some pests.

Sometimes, people have problems with moths in self storage because they store clothes that are already carrying moth eggs from home. If you wash all your clothes before storing them, this shouldn't be an issue, as the wash will kill the eggs. If you accidentally take eggs into storage, they may well hatch into moths that could cause quite a lot of damage.

Tip: You can use mothballs in your storage unit to repel moths that may find a way in. Bear in mind that mothballs may make clothes smell, so they may need washing again when you take them out of storage. If you prefer a more natural smell, you can use cedar wood products.

For more information and self storage tips, talk with a local storage company, such as Allsafe Self Storage Complex.