1. Rewash & Dry Your Sweaters
Always take the time to rewash and fully dry your sweaters before you store them away for the season. This limits the potential for moth larvae, dirt/dust, food stains, and mold/mildew, which can lead to sweaters developing unwanted holes, unremovable stains, and unpleasant odors if left untreated during the time you have them in storage. Mold and mildew spores can slowly rot/degenerate your sweaters. Moth larvae and mold spores can also spread to other sweaters and clothing items you have in the same storage area, leading to a full-on infestation. Eliminate this possibility by simply taking the time to wash and dry your sweater collection before putting them in storage.
When washing and drying sweaters, first refer to the care tag instructions or the cleaning guidance for a particular type of fabric.
When in doubt, always handwash sweaters with cold or lukewarm water and a mild bleach-free detergent. This is super important as hot water can cause sweaters to shrink and bleach can fade colors or even deteriorate some sweater fabrics like wool.
To prevent stretching, lay sweaters to dry on a flat surface out of direct sunlight. Allow them to completely dry. This could take a few days, but it's well worth it!
If you know your sweater is washer-safe, consider placing it in a mesh washer bag – even when using a delicate setting. Using a washer bag helps protect your sweaters from catching or tearing in the washer.
We recommend using one washer bag per sweater for maximum protection.
2. Establish a Cool, Dark, & Dry Storage Space
Like all clothing, sweaters benefit from being stored in a cool, dry, and dark environment. Too much heat or moisture/humidity can lead to mold/mildew growth (even if sweaters are in sealed storage containers). Similarly, pests like moths thrive in warm spaces, so cooler room temperatures can dissuade them from laying eggs in your storage space. Direct sun exposure can also cause fabrics to fade or deteriorate over time due to the heat, so limiting or completely blocking out sunlight is key.
Store sweaters in temperature-controlled basements, closets, or beneath beds in sealed containers.
Try to keep sweaters elevated off the ground to prevent exposure to water leaks, mice, or other pests.
Tip!
Consider placing a dehumidifier in the room if you're worried about potential humidity or mold issues.
3. Fold Like a Pro
Get ready to become an expert in the art of sweater folding! Below, we review how to fold sweaters to minimize unwanted wrinkles or creases, and also go over how to stack folded sweaters based on the storage type you have.
1. Start by laying the sweater on a flat surface with the front side of the sweater facing the table surface. You should be looking at the back of your sweater. Make sure each of the sweater sleeves are extended outwards. This is your starting fold position.
2. One by one, take each of the sweater's sleeves and fold it straight across the back of the sweater. Essentially you're lifting the sweater sleeve and folding it across to touch the seams where the other sweater sleeve joins to the sweater.
3. Once completed, the sweater's sleeves should be laying flat on top of one another and should be perfectly lined up just below the shoulder/collar portion of the sweater.
4. Taking both hands, fold the sweater in half lengthwise, stopping your fold in the center of the back. Repeat this on the other side. The result should be a long, narrow-looking fold with two adjoining sides.
5. Lift up the bottom of the sweater and fold it upwards to meet the shoulder/collar portion. You may need to repeat this one more time depending on the length of the sweater.
6. Carefully flip the sweater over and store away!
For Drawers
Have a dresser or a drawer system you want to use to store sweaters? Consider the vertical fold method – it's a great way to organize sweaters in drawers so that you can see all of your options without having to search through a stack (and risk wrinkling, stretching, or creasing sweaters in the process). First fold your sweaters as directed above, and then get to work. When you stack sweaters on top of each other in a drawer, you can't see all of your choices. You want to flip the stack on its side so the folded part of each sweater is visible. You may need to fold your sweaters one more time depending on the depth of your drawers. You can also use clothing drawer organizers to help organize your sweaters.
For Shelves
Follow the same fold method listed above for storing sweaters on shelves. Put the heaviest/thickest sweaters at the bottom of each stack. This minimizes the amount of weight pressing down on thin or delicate sweater fabrics. We recommend placing cardboard between each sweater to prevent unwanted friction and to keep sweaters from pressing into one another (creating creases or stretching fabric). This also makes it super easy to retrieve a sweater without worrying about ruining the stack, as sweaters won't rub against one another. Planning to have multiple stacks of sweaters next to one another? Consider adding shelf dividers between each stack to also minimize friction between fabrics. Shelf dividers will also ensure that each sweater stack stays upright and doesn't fall over or wrinkle.
Storage Bins or Boxes
For storage bins or boxes, start by folding sweaters using the same method listed in the beginning of this section. Just like shelf stacking, we recommend putting heavy sweaters at the bottom of the stack and placing a piece of cardboard between each sweater to help prevent friction or misshaping. It might be tempting to fill up the entire storage container to the brim with sweaters, but it's actually better if you allow a bit of space between the lid and the top layer of sweaters. This is because sweaters actually need some air circulation to maintain their shape and quality. This is also why we suggest that you refrain from using vacuum-sealed containers for sweaters, as this can cause damage to sweater fibers and stretch fabric or cause misshaping.
4. Get Savvy With Hangers
When in doubt, folding is the best way to prevent your sweaters from stretching. But there are still a variety of sweater closet storage methods that make use of hangers. You just have to make sure you have the right types of hangers and sweater-hanging techniques to prevent unwanted stretching, lumps/bumps, or tears. Look for large, thick hangers with edges that curve downwards. This is super important whether you have light, thin sweaters or heavy, bulky sweaters, because the thickness of the hanger minimizes the amount of pressure the sweater is exposed to. Similarly, the downward curving sides of the hanger keeps the hanger from creating unwanted lumps in the shoulder part of the sweater. You may also want to look for hangers designed with rods for pants or skirts, as this feature creates another hanging method that minimizes stretching for heavy or delicate sweaters like cashmere.
5. Take Preemptive Measures for Pests
There are several ways you can prevent pests like moths, carpet beetles, cockroaches, and mice from getting to your sweaters. Mothballs are a classic closet symbol, but the unpleasant smell can settle and stay on your sweaters long after you take them out of storage. Here are some clever and "good-smelling" alternatives to dissuade pests from nesting, laying eggs, or feeding on your sweaters in storage:
As mentioned in the first section, rewash sweaters to remove any potential moth larvae before putting them in storage.
Put sweaters in sealable containers that pests can't chew or squeeze through.
Check on your sweaters periodically to catch potential pest problems early.
Forgo mothballs and opt for cedar-scented items instead. A few cedar oil sachets, cedar balls, or cedar blocks/chips in each container can do the trick while giving your sweaters a delightful woodsy scent.
Able to hang certain sweaters? Consider using cedar wood hangers or hangers with moisture/insect-repellent properties to keep pests away.