5 Proven Tips for Storing Winter Clothes

When the winter cold fades for good, it’s finally time to break out your spring and summer attire. But before you enjoy the sunshine, step one is to pack up your winter clothing and store it until next year.

As tempting as it might be to stuff your coats, knits, hoodies, and jackets into a box and toss it in the garage, this is not the best approach. In fact, it may lead to stubborn wrinkles, deep stains, mildew growth, and other imperfections ruining your winter wardrobe.

To keep your seasonal clothing in great condition and maximize your closet space, here's how to store clothes for the winter.

1. Clean and Organize Your Seasonal Clothing

You’ve likely heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder.” In this case, that means before you pack, go through your winter clothing to pull out items that you no longer need or want. It doesn’t make much sense to pack and store these items if you aren’t going to wear them again. Save yourself the time, effort, and closet space by donating, selling, or gifting these items instead.

You’ll also want to be sure your winter clothing is clean and dry prior to storage, especially if you’re packing away ski and snowboard gear, snow boots, and other outdoor winter clothing. This is because dirt, dust, and grime often leave a lasting impression on fabrics, affecting the color, feel, and look over time. Take time to run your items through the wash before storage.

2. Choose a Great Storage Location

Finding a good spot to store your winter clothing is just as important as how you pack. As you seek out the perfect location, there are two important traits to look for:

• Humidity
• Temperature

Your goal is to store your winter clothes in a dry and temperature-controlled area. This way, you prevent high humidity from causing mildew growth and extreme temperature changes from altering the fabrics. Do NOT store your seasonal wardrobe in attics, garages, and sheds. If you can manage, we recommend using a space like your closet or somewhere else indoors.

3. The Best Wardrobe Boxes for Storage

If you're like most people, you probably don't have that much extra closet space for your winter wardrobe. If this is the case, then we highly recommend investing in a wardrobe storage box (or two) for your storage needs.

Although typically used for packing clothes for moving, wardrobe boxes are also an excellent choice for clothing storage. The metal hanging bar keeps your hanging clothes wrinkle-free, and the double-walled cardboard provides strong and sturdy protection for your wardrobe. This innovative design ensures that your clothes stay in pristine condition until next winter.

Space Saver Wardrobe Box

We specifically designed the Space Saver Wardrobe Box for storing winter coats, pants, dresses, and longer garments. The box is narrow enough to fit in most standard-sized closets. This allows you to store winter clothing in your bedroom without occupying valuable hanger real estate. Use the empty space at the bottom for storing folded sweaters, footwear, and hats.

Shorty Wardrobe Box

The Shorty Wardrobe Box is perfect for winter coat storage, dress shirts, blouses, and folded pants. At just 34 inches tall, it's easily stackable. And at only 24 inches wide, it doesn’t occupy much space in your closet.

As a bonus, the Shorty Wardrobe Box is the only wardrobe box that has built-in, perforated handles to carry the box more easily through narrow bedroom and closet doorways.

Need More Clothes Storage Space? Look Under Your Bed

We highly recommend the Laydown Wardrobe Box. The unique design allows it to lay flat on the ground, so it easily slides under most beds unlike standard wardrobe storage boxes. This box is perfect for storing sweaters, knits, blankets, shoes, hats, and anything else that you wouldn’t keep on a hanger.

4. Use Packing Supplies

Wardrobe boxes are a great start, but they might not be enough. You’ll need some other packing supplies to successfully store your winter gear. As the packing experts, we’ve compiled this list of items that keep your winter and seasonal garments clean and dry over the summer.

• Packing Paper – Place a sheet of packing paper in between folded garments like sweaters and pants to shield them from dust and color transfer. Use acid- and ink-free paper, like U-Haul Packing Paper, for added care.
• Clear Shoe Boxes – You can use plastic shoe boxes to keep your winter shoes clean and dust-free, or to store your muddy snow boots and keep your clothes safe. Clear Shoe Boxes are reusable, durable, and stackable for convenient shoe storage.
• Moisture Absorber – Keeping your winter garments indoors will go a long way toward preventing mildew growth and unwanted odors. But to go the extra mile, toss a Moisture Absorber / Odor Remover into your boxes as well to keep things dry and smelling fresh.
• Packing Tape – It’s not enough to keep your clothes in a box. For added protection, seal the seams shut with box tape to keep pests from invading and ruining your seasonal wardrobe. Don’t forget to seal the hand holes by placing a strip of tape over them as well.
• Vacuum Seal Bags – If you're low on storage space, vacuum-seal bags are a must-have. Available in several sizes, vacuum bags can provide up to 4X more storage space. That makes them an ideal solution for winter clothing storage. Use this guide to see how they work.

5. To Fold or To Hang? How to Store Winter Clothes to Avoid Wrinkles

Not all clothes should be hung up. Similarly, some items shouldn't be folded, especially if you're storing them for a long time. So, which clothes should be folded, and which should be hung up? Generally, delicate fabrics, knits, and other flimsy items should be folded to prevent stretching.

On the other hand, you should hang winter coats and jackets to keep them wrinkle-free and avoid crushing in the box. Stuff some crumpled packing paper inside your shoes to help them keep their shape at the bottom of the box.

Get your winter gear prepped and packed for the offseason today! Order your Space Saver Wardrobe Box and receive same-day delivery or choose free pickup from a U-Haul store near you.