Storing clothes and linens … Moths, mites, and other creatures … Putting away linens … Putting away clothes … Caring for your clothes … Hats … Gloves … Shoes
Clothes and linens stay fresher, safer, and cleaner in well-managed closets. Here is a summary of what good management of linen and clothes closets consists of.
In General: Storing Clothes and Linens
Closets should be cool, dry, and airy. Mildew grows in warm, humid conditions, and it can infect cottons, linens, and other materials in your closets, including the very wood the closet is made of. Beware of hot pipes running through closets. Heat can age and discolor fabrics.
Closets need to undergo a major cleaning periodically. During spring or fall cleaning or whenever the mood hits you, empty the closets and chests; dust or wash down shelves, floors, walls, and ceilings. Let closets and chests dry and air thoroughly before you replace things; and wash or clean as many of their contents as feasible, even if they have not been used. Things that are stored for a long time tend to develop a musty smell that will, if not removed, infect the other things stored with them.
To keep clothing and linens fresh-smelling, give them air. Do not over-crowd your drawers and closets. Laying things on slatted shelves that permit air circulation is beneficial. For linens particularly, but for all stored fabrics, narrow shelves are preferable to deep ones both because things are easier to find and because air circulates better. You can also leave the door to the closet ajar now and then so that the closet gets frequent changes of air. (Do this, however, only at times when the air likely to circulate is fresh and sweet.) Air all clothes and linens after laundering and ironing and before replacing them in the closet to be sure that any hint of dampness is entirely dissipated. If you put even slightly damp linens or clothes in your closet, you can produce a musty smell that is impossible to obliterate without totally emptying the closet and cleaning or washing all its contents. (You can try using silica gel, activated alumina, anhydrous calcium sulfate, and other desiccants to remove moisture from damp closets and cabinets.)
If odors afflict your closets, you might try a chemical deodorizer. Calcium carbonate and activated charcoal absorb odors; baking soda effectively neutralizes them. Home centers sell a variety of deodorizers. You put one of these substances in an open container and set it in the chest or closet or follow package directions. (Potpourris and perfumes cannot remove odors, and the attempt to mask them usually just makes things worse.) But once the contents of the closet have absorbed the odors, in my miserably experienced opinion, none of these remedies is going to remove the odors from fabrics that have absorbed them. Curing closet mustiness takes so much labor, and fresh closets provide such continual benefits, that it is worthwhile being vigilant.
Although potpourris are not much good for removing odors, many of us enjoy their pleasant scents on our clothes or linens. Potpourris are perfumes. Commercial ones are often too strong. If you have one that is too strong, take just a portion of it, wrap it in cheesecloth, and tie it with a ribbon. Store the rest in an airtight container in a cool, dark place until you want more. My grandmother always used lavender (which she grew and dried herself)—and so sparingly that you could not detect the odor unless your face was pressed against the pillow. She would sometimes put a quince apple into the chest in which she stored linens to make a good scent. (Watch out for rotten quince apple stains.) Overuse of potpourris can contribute to stale closet odors. It is best if, when you open the closet door, you smell nothing at all, or perhaps if you can just catch the faint, reassuring scent of laundered cloth, one of the best smells in the world.
Wash or dry-clean all clothes and linens before seasonal or long-term storage. Insects and pests of all sorts will be attracted to dirt left on clothes and linens, and in the process of eating the dirt will harm the fibers. It is important to store them unstarched, too, since insects like silverfish will eat the starch and the fabric with it. Soil encourages mildew as well.
Store linen (flax fiber) unironed and loosely folded, since it is brittle and may otherwise crack at creases. Or you can roll linen. When it is stored for long periods, refold it with any creases in new places so that weakness or cracks do not develop along a crease line.
Acid causes deterioration of cellulosic fibers. When doing long-term storage, and storage of antique, delicate, or heirloom linens, you should wrap the articles in acid-free paper and store them in acid—and lignin-free boxes. Acid-free storage materials are now widely available at home centers, photographic supply stores, and archival supply companies.
Do not store cotton or linen in plastic bags from the dry cleaner or in garment bags made of synthetic fibers that do not breathe. These can trap moisture inside. Dry-cleaner plastic bags contain plasticizers that can produce yellow streaks on fabrics. Besides causing yellowing and trapping moisture, these prevent the drycleaning fluids and fumes from evaporating. Muslin or canvas garment bags are a good choice. You can also wrap things in clean and well-rinsed sheets or similar articles of white or undyed cotton or linen.
Cedar chests are not recommended for long-term storage or for storage of antique, heirloom, or delicate linens and cottons. The cedar gives off fumes and acids that can yellow and damage cellulosic fibers.
Moths, Mites, and Other Creatures
Cleaning wool and silk before storing them is the most important thing you can do to keep them moth-free, for moths, like other pests, are attracted to soils. Moth larvae will attack silk, but silk is not as vulnerable as wool and other hair fibers. Carpet beetles will damage wool and other hair fibers as well. In rare instances, silverfish will attack cotton or linen; this is more likely with starched cloth. Never put away fabrics made of cellulosic fibers that have been starched unless you plan to use them within a few weeks. No synthetic fibers are vulnerable to pests; however, pests may attack fabrics made of blends containing man-made fibers. (On mothproofing and the vulnerabilities of natural fibers to pests, refer to chapter 21.)
Clothing. Dust mites can live in clothes. A wool sweater or pair of slacks that is put away without having been cleaned retains perspiration and skin scales sufficient to support armies of mites. Research has found that during a month of storage, mites and allergens greatly increase. The best solution for clothes that can take it is laundering in hot water often, and always before putting them away for any long period of time. Wool garments and others that must be dry-cleaned or laundered at temperatures too low to kill mites should be thoroughly aired and sunned before replacing them in closets or drawers; try to wash or dry-clean them frequently, especially before storing them.
Putting Away Linens
The time-honored method of stacking linens is to place the freshly laundered pieces on the bottom of the stack. The purpose of this is to make sure that one set of sheets or towels is not used again and again and worn to pieces while others are untouched; it also ensures that unused linens do not grow stale or musty-smelling. Stack sets together so that they are used together and age evenly. Fold as described in chapter 7, “Folding Clothes and Linens.”
Putting Away Clothes
Airing and brushing clothes is effective. Air thoroughly garments that you have worn and brush them to remove any superficial dirt or dust before returning them to the closet. Airing and brushing is particularly crucial for wool clothes. This removes dust and perspiration and reduces the number of times you will have to clean or launder them, which helps them last longer. Periodically take out and air wool garments that are infrequently worn.
Let wool garments rest for a day or two after wearing. Through the natural elasticity of the wool, they will regain their proper shape.
Review the contents of clothes closets yearly Garments that have hung a year without use should be washed or cleaned and then removed to long-term storage. They will begin to smell musty if left month after month or, worse, year after year, and their smell will taint the other clothes. After two years without wearing, give them away to someone who can use them.
Hang clothes with the top, middle, and bottom buttons buttoned and zippers closed. Empty pockets before hanging garments, especially those of wool garments that are easily stretched, to preserve shape and prevent sagging and bulging. Woven wool, suits, dresses, blazers, and the like should be hung on wide, shaped hangers—padded ones are good—to reduce stress on the fabric at the point of hanging and to preserve proper shape.
Do not hang clothes too close together or they will wrinkle and there will be insufficient air in the closet to keep odors at bay Clothes that shed will leave fibers on other clothes.
Traditionally, one hung only the clothes of the season in the closet, and the others were stored. This left plenty of room. But now people have far more clothes than they used to, and many city apartment dwellers have little closet space and even less storage space. As a result, closet design companies have sprung up, and they will renovate your closets, making astonishingly efficient use of their space. If you cannot afford this service, you can do much the same thing on your own by taking advantage of all the gadgetry available at the stores specializing in closet and storage widgets.
Even if you create highly efficient closets, however, seasonal storage of clothes is best. It causes a regular turnover of your closet contents that reduces the possibility of staleness (and chaos) developing. If storage is proper, it results in slower aging of your clothes. The traditional changeover times are Memorial Day and Labor Day, but it depends upon your local climate; March or April and October or November might be more sensible for you. Some people like to do this at spring and fall cleaning.
When putting away clothes in dressers and on shelves, follow the folding instructions in chapter 7.
Caring for Your Clothes
Do not wash or clean clothes more frequently than necessary. These processes visit wear and tear on garments, contributing over time to fading, pilling, fraying, holes, and the like. If you have worn a shirt for an hour and did not soil it or perspire heavily, hang it, button the neck, middle, and bottom buttons, and air it. Then put it back in your closet. If you have been wearing a garment for a short time and spill a drop of coffee or food on it, try to remove the spot without laundering or cleaning the whole garment.
But if clothes have received a real perspiration bath or heavy soil, wash them sooner rather than later, and wash them frequently. Dirt and sweat will cause fabrics to deteriorate faster than washing.
Use smocks and aprons when cooking, painting, or doing anything else liable to spot or soil your clothes. In the nineteenth century, the world was hard on people but kind to clothes. The poor clerks who, for miserly wages, drudged from early morning to nine o’clock in the evening had sleeve guards to keep their shirts and coats free of ink and other soil. Desk workers today have the same problem with sleeves after leaning all day long on penciled paper, papers from a copier, and newsprint. Although they would be laughed out of the office if they took to wearing sleeve guards, at least they get to go home after eight hours to wash their clothes.
Use scarves to protect the necks and collars of coats (especially leather ones) and other outerwear, because hair and skin oils tend to cause oil-staining and soiling in these areas. Such soil is hard to remove and is especially unsightly.
Hats
Store hats on shelves in separate hat boxes to keep off dust and prevent crushing and denting. Or wrap them in clean muslin cloth. If a hat has a crown, stuff it with tissue.
Gloves
Put away gloves flat, in a drawer or box. Keep colored gloves separate by placing a piece of cloth or tissue paper around them, for occasionally they can transfer color to other gloves.
Shoes
Shoes are safer on shelves than on the floor. Place shoe trees inside them to ensure that they stay straight, and keep them in individual shoe sacks or wrap them in tissue paper, especially if you do not wear them often.