Seasons change, and so should your closet. Ten ways to help your clothes last from this year to the next.
Empty the pockets of all the clothes you're going to be putting away until next spring, then launder or dry-clean everything. Yes, even if you've only worn it once. You'll avoid stains that set before you next wear your clothes, including invisible ones from perspiration, perfume, and beverages (like white wine). "Stains become a food source for carpet beetles and moths," says Jonathan Scheer, president of J. Scheer & Co., a New York textile preservationist. "These bugs will eat through the fabric to get to the food." That's also why you should avoid starching clothes before putting them away: The starch not only feeds bugs, it can also weaken the fabric, leading to brittleness, and, in a humid environment, it can lead to permanent stains.
Always remove dry-cleaner bags as soon as you get home, since plastic doesn't allow clothes to breathe. "Whatever residual moisture is in the fiber can help mold or mildew grow," Scheer says. "And any gases emitted from the decomposing plastics can be absorbed by the fabric, accelerating the aging process. That's what causes cloth to yellow."
Don't store your clothes just anywhere. "If you remember nothing else, keep in mind that storage must be cool, dark, and dry," Scheer says. "Fabric is delicate and changes with temperature and humidity." Garages, attics, and unfinished basements are off-limits. If you have an underutilized closet or chest of drawers somewhere, or a spare room where you can keep a rolling rack, great. Otherwise, buy storage containers that fit under beds or in the top of closets. You can also pay a cleaner about $20 to $30 to hold a season's worth of clothes.
Invest in moth repellent, ideally made of cedar. "The scent repels moths and discourages them from laying eggs," Scheer says. "But I would not recommend mothballs, which are toxic and malodorous, with a smell that's almost impossible to get rid of in a timely way." Cedar, which comes in hangers, boxes, blocks, and drawer liners, should be sanded with fine-grade sandpaper after each season because otherwise the surface oxidizes, eliminating the moth-repelling scent. A self-contained area keeps the odor from dissipating.
Group clothes by fabric. Protein fibers— silks, wool, fur, suede, and leather— require the most attention because they are food for bugs in themselves. That's why they should be kept apart from plant fibers, such as cotton, linen, rayon, and ramie, which don't require as much vigilance.
Humidity and mildew can be controlled with products made for that purpose, or by using the heat of a low-power bulb, about 15 watts, to dry the air.
Acidity speeds the deterioration of fabrics. Wood is acidic. If you're storing clothes in wooden shelves or chests, even cedar, for longer than six months, Scheer advises lining them with unbleached, undyed, and washed muslin, easily found at fabric stores.
Heavy garments, as well as cashmere sweaters and beaded or sequined gowns, should be folded, with muslin or acid-neutral tissue paper to prevent creases. Canvas or muslin boxes are ideal, though pricey, because they allow air to circulate. Clear plastic containers also are an option for short-term storage--up to six months. The longer things are going to be stored, the more finicky you want to be.
Cloth garment bags are preferable to plastic for long-term storage and are essential for leathers and furs, which may crack or break off if kept in plastic. "Fabric needs to breathe," says Wayne Edelman, owner of New York's Meurice Garment Care. "If you don't have cloth bags, hang sheets over garments." Edelman stores his own sweaters in a temperature-controlled vault in acid-free boxes generally used by library and museum preservationists (about $20 each from University Products,).
Avoid wire hangers: they do hideous things to shoulders. Use wide, shaped plastic or wood ones instead. (See The Right Hangers for the best choices for organizing and protecting your clothes.)
季節(jié)變化了,你的衣柜也應隨之而變化。 幫助你的衣服從今年保管到明年的10 種方法。
清空所有放置到明年春天的衣服口袋, 然后洗熨或干洗這些衣服。 確實, 即使你只穿了一次, 你也很難保證在你下次穿之前衣服上沒有污漬,包括來自汗,香水和飲料(如白葡萄酒)等那些看不見的污漬。 "污漬將成為地毯蠹甲蟲和蛾的食物源", J.希爾公司的總裁,紐約紡織保護主義者,喬納森·希爾說。"這些蟲子將在衣服的纖維中獲得食物"。 那也是在除去它們之前,你應該避免給衣服上漿的原因: 淀粉不僅是蟲子的食物來源, 而且還能降低纖維強度,最終導致衣物破損,并且,在潮濕的環(huán)境里,它能成為永久的污漬。
由于塑料妨礙了衣服呼吸,所以回到家,立刻將衣服從干洗店的塑料袋中拿出來。 "任何殘留在纖維中的水分都能幫助霉菌及霉的滋長",希爾說。 "并且從塑料制品中分解而發(fā)出的氣體,被纖維吸收后,加速其老化過程。這就是衣服變黃的原因"。
請不要將衣服隨便保管在任何地方。 "如果你記不了那么多,就請記住一定要在涼爽,黑暗和干燥的地方保管衣物",希爾說。 "紡織品比較敏感并隨溫度和濕度而變化"。 千萬不要保管在汽車庫,頂樓和未完成的地下室等處。如果你有一個未充分利用的衣櫥或者五斗柜,或者有一間空客房,你可以放置一個大型的移動衣架。 否則,買適合床下或柜頂?shù)谋9芟洹?你也可以花約20 美元-30 美元的費用在干洗店里保管季節(jié)性衣服。
采用驅(qū)蟲劑,最好選用雪松。 "雪松的氣味不僅能驅(qū)逐蛾還能阻止它們產(chǎn)卵",希爾說。 "但是我不推薦衛(wèi)生球,它不僅有毒還有幾乎不可能及時排除的惡臭"。 在每季節(jié)之后,應該用上等沙紙打磨這些衣架,箱子,木板和抽屜上的雪松,否則由于表面氧化,減弱了驅(qū)蟲和除臭的效果。
按照衣料對衣服進行分類。 蛋白質(zhì)纖維--絲綢衣服,羊毛,毛皮,小山羊皮和皮革等要多加注意,因為這些衣料本身就是蟲子的食物。 這也是將它們同不需警惕保管的植物纖維如棉花,亞麻布,人造絲和檸麻等衣物分開保管的理由。
潮濕和霉菌可以利于專門制品進行控制, 或使用一只大約15 瓦的低功率燈泡,干燥空氣。
酸度加快紡織品的惡化。 木頭是酸性的, 你將衣服保管在木制架子或者柜子里,即使是雪松制的,最長也只能是6 個月, 希爾建議給他們襯以原色天然的洗滌干凈的平紋細布,這種布在紡織品商店里很容易找到。
厚料衣服,如開士米毛線衫和帶珠子或者飾有閃光金屬小圓片的長袍,應該用帶有細布或者不鮮艷酸的棉紙折疊,以防折縫。 帆布或者細布箱子最理想,雖然昂貴,但它們透氣。 干凈的塑料箱也可用于不到6 個月的短期保管。 想保管更長時間,就是苛求了。
布服裝袋比塑料服裝袋更適合用于長期保管,并且是皮革和毛皮衣物的必須品,皮革和毛皮衣物如果放在塑料服裝袋里,可能發(fā)生開裂和破裂的現(xiàn)象。 "紡織品需要呼吸",紐約的Meurice 服裝保養(yǎng)公司的負責人韋恩·埃德爾曼說,。"如果你沒有布袋,在服裝上掛床單"。 埃德爾曼在溫控的地下室里使用無酸箱子保管他自己毛衣,這種箱子多被圖書館和博物館的保存者所采用(大約20 美元/個,大學產(chǎn)品