Where to Store Off-Season Clothing

My family has had problems in the past with having a place to store our off-season clothes. So I’ve come up with a few  ideas of where to store them. It turns out that there are several spots in our home that make great storage areas for off-season clothing.

You would think you could put off-season clothes in the attic or basement, but basements and attics aren’t ideal for clothing storage. Attics and basements are sometimes hot or damp. I’ve come up with a list of places throughout the home where off-season clothes can be stored.

Where to Store Off-Season Clothing

1. Under the bed. (Low-lying plastic bins are perfect for under-the-bed storage.)
2. On a high shelf above the clothing rod in your closet.
3. In an extra closet, such as a linen or coat closet.
4. In a shelving unit or bookcase in storage bins.

In my home, we have a full wall of bookshelves in the hallway that leads to our bedrooms. Recently, I’ve made room in those bookshelves for bins of our off-season clothing.

Tips for Storing Off-Season Clothing

1 – Properly clean clothing before storing. There is nothing worse than finding set-in stains caused by storing away clothing before cleaning them correctly — a little bit of extra work is worth it in the end. 

2 – Cover clothing so dust won’t accumulate on clothes. It’s helpful to cover your off-season clothing so dust won’t settle on it. One way to do that is by putting your clothing in a closed bin – a a plastic container with a lid will work. I have my off-season clothing stored in cloth bins on shelving in my home’s upstairs hallway. I keep a layer of tissue paper on top of each bin so the clothing underneath is protected.

3 – Use the space underneath beds. If your bed is high enough, you can slip a container of clothes (or off-season shoes) underneath the bed. (Just make sure the container has a lid to keep your off-season clothing dust free.) 

4 – Mark or label containers so you can readily know what’s stored in your container. Marking your bins or containers will make it much easier to find your off-season clothing when you need it again.

5 – Take photos or notes to have a visual/written list of what’s in the containers. I’ve found that keeping a list of what you have stored where, or snapping pictures of what’s stored in your containers, is a lot of help. With a list or a photo guide to what’s in each container, you can cut down on a lot of searching when you’re searching for a particular item.