Are you looking for the best ways to store your clothes in a self-storage Dubai unit?
Clothes are a part of our everyday life. From tailored suits to old concert T-shirts and seasonal wardrobes, they hold a sentimental value to us.
Whether you’re storing yours for a move, a vacation, or for the long term, it’s essential to know how to keep them properly in a unit. It may seem easy as folding them and packing them into a labeled box, but there’s a bit more to how to store your clothes in self-storage.
In this post, we’ll go over some essential tips on ways to properly store your clothes in a self-storage unit.
- Start Fresh – Giving your clothes a fresh, clean wash is an essential first step to neatly store them away in a self-storage Dubai unit. Stubborn stains like grease, deodorant, crayon, and chocolate should be carefully spot cleaned before packing.
When left uncleaned, these stains can set in your clothes, causing fiber damage that would be impossible to reverse after months in storage. Also, ensure that your clothing is entirely free from food stains before loading them into storage. Even a little bit of organic stuff can attract pests that ruin your clothes. And it would be unpleasant if that happened. - Keep Your Clothing Dry – Drying your clothes before storage is another crucial step to ensuring it stays in top condition after months in a self-storage unit.
When stored damp, mold and mildew may occur, quickly damaging your valuable garment while it’s sitting in storage. Ensuring your clothes are completely dry, on the other hand, eliminates any chance of mold or mildew growing. This also helps to keep bugs away while eliminating that stale, musty odor that comes with moisture when taking your clothes back out.
To keep moisture out, you can simply air-dry your clothes before storage or have them professionally dry cleaned. Use silica gel desiccants to deal with any residual moisture inside your storage containers as an extra protective measure. - Use an appropriate packing method – Keeping clothes in a self-storage unit is a task that requires various packing solutions. Many people often use plastic bags and cardboard boxes as they are more affordable when compared to other moving and packing solutions.
However, while these options may seem appealing, they can ruin your clothing in the long run. Storing clothes in plastic bags can lead to mold and mildew while using cardboard boxes can be harmful as they are vulnerable to water damage.
A great alternative to cardboard boxes and plastic bags is plastic bins. These clear, stackable storage containers are perfect for holding all kinds of clothing while keeping them safe from humidity, water damage, pests, and dust.
You can neatly place your clothes inside a bin with the same color or fabric type. One important tip is to ensure the plastic bins are airtight and not overstuffed to ensure proper closure. You can also get printable labels and place them on the front of each bin. Something like “my sweat pants,” for example. This way, you can quickly locate the container with the clothing you are looking for whenever you need it. - Never Vacuum Pack – Vacuum packing is a popular way to store items over short periods of time. But when it comes to keeping your clothes in a self-storage unit, it can sometimes do more harm than good.
Clothes need air to stay in top condition, and vacuum packing can compress the fibers so that your valuable garments become almost unrecognizable when packed too tightly. To prevent suffocation, we recommend using simple plastic bins to lightly pack your clothes for long-term storage. This way, your clothes will breathe while remaining neat and wrinkle-free without any moisture. - Use Cedar Chips – Keeping bugs away is a top priority when storing your clothes in a self-storage unit. After all the effort you’ve put into packing your valuable garments, it would be a shame to have pests ruin them while in storage. Cedar chips are a natural solution for keeping bugs away. They are just as effective as mothballs but are safe without insecticides that can ruin your fabric. To be safe, toss some in with your clothes to repel them. At xx, we practice preventative pest control to ensure that your clothing remains in top condition at our self-storage Dubai units.
Extra Tip: Know when to Hang, Fold or Roll
Is it best to roll, hang or fold your clothes before placing them in a self-storage unit? You might not have given it much thought, but how you store your clothes can have a huge impact on whether they remain in great condition after long periods of storage.
While folding clothes can be a valuable way to organize your closet at home, some hold up better in storage if you hang or roll them.
Formal clothing like tailored suits and blouses should be hung, as folding may create hard lines and permanent creases. In the case of easily wrinkled fabrics, such as linen or silk, it’s best to hang them before storage. However, there may be storage directions on the tag that came with your purchase.
Here are other items you most likely should hang in a self-storage Dubai unit:
- Dresses
- Skirts
- Blazers
- Blouses
- Dress pants
Here are a few you most likely want to roll or fold:
- T-shirts
- Jeans
- Pants
- Baby clothes
- Workout clothes etc.
Wrapping Up
Storing clothes in a self-storage unit is pretty straightforward. However, it’s easy to make common storage mistakes that can cost you a lot in the long run.
Before you store your valuable garments, make sure to launder or dry clean them. Use suitable storage materials, don’t vacuum-pack, and ensure the plastic bin you select has a tight lid. Work out which clothes to fold, hang or roll. You can throw in some cedar chips to keep unwanted visitors away.
Now that you are an expert on storing clothes in a self-storage unit, the next step is to find the best storage companies in Dubai for your storage needs. At xx, we provide secure, clean, and convenient self-storage for people wanting cheap self-storage solutions in Dubai.
Stop into our office for a run-through on our warehouse storage Dubai solutions.
