Best Method For Storing Clothing

southernbubby

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 9:42 am

All of my kids use plastic bins for their kids clothes but not much survives that way for more that 2 or 3 years so if the next child will not use it before then, then get rid of it. Fabric deteriorates and much of that is because we don't really wash out the body odors adequately enough. There are some better detergents out there that would possibly give longer life to old clothes.

ra_mom

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 9:51 am

Plastic bins by size. Open the bins the next year to see what you can use. Give away the rest because someone may as well enjoy the clothes while they are still good.
You can buy a laundry flip folder for about $10 so that everything folds evenly and in one symmetrical stack easily without creases.

questioner

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 11:10 am

ra_mom wrote:

Do you have one that you recommend?

FranticFrummie

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 11:20 am

southernbubby wrote:

I've taken some of my own clothing out of storage. They had been in the bins a couple of seasons due to the fact that I was moving house and they got misplace for a while.

They all came out musty, stained, and yellowed. Now, I can SWEAR that all of those clothes were perfectly clean when I packed them. I'm not stupid. So many things were ruined. Only certain fabrics were able to be washed and wearable again.

Now, if your kids are close in age, then by all means do store them, but I wouldn't do it for over a year, and I'd use air tight Space Bags. Play clothes should be donated to a family who could use them, and only save Shabbos clothes.

southernbubby

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 11:25 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Some scientists studied what that ripe odor that hits the nose the minute that you walk into a thrift store consists of. That odor is mainly the odor of sweat and body odor that stays in clothes even after they are washed. The cleanest person produces it and there are ways to remove the odor but ordinary washing won't do it and eventually those body salts get into the fabric and deteriorate it.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 11:52 am

southernbubby wrote:

Good thrift stores use a professional laundry service before anything gets put on the racks. If I walk in there and it's funky, I turn around and walk right back out. Ewwww.

zaq

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 1:27 pm

“Closet stains” are caused by invisible residue in the fabric that slooooowly oxidizes with time or heat or both, exactly like the invisible ink trick in which you use lemon juice to write on a sheet of paper and reveal the writing by heating the paper over a candle or light bulb.

These may be stains that were previously bleached and over time resurfaced, or new stains that were invisible when the clothes were put away. . No, you didn’t put the clothes away dirty, but the residue is bound to the fabric and won’t come out with home laundry methods, if at all. You may or may not be able to bleach them back into invisibility.

Yeah, it’s aggravating when you expect fresh clean textiles and find...disaster. Storing clothes in a cold place slows down the chemical reaction but doesn’t halt it. Now if you had a way of storing your clothes in a sealed, nitrogen-filled space, you wouldn’t have this problem. It’s good old oxygen that’s to blame.

southernbubby

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 1:28 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Good thrift stores use a professional laundry service before anything gets put on the racks. If I walk in there and it's funky, I turn around and walk right back out. Ewwww.

I looked up and found this answer about thrift stores washing the clothes because I was of the impression that they simply don't put out dirty clothes and here is one of the answers:

Answered May 17, 2018 · Author has 83 answers and 53.7k answer views
No, they do not wash anything. There is a high chance of getting bed bugs also as the epidemic is spreading across the U.S., even if you are a clean person and keep your house clean and spray for bugs. They travel on dogs, animals, clothes, furniture, and are resistant to most common bug sprays. I love to thrift shop, but nothing comes into my house before it goes into a hot wash and dryer. I keep it in a trash bag sealed till washed, or even better- in the car in a trash bag closed- heat kills bugs including bed bugs. Bed bugs can be killed in a trash bag in a car after 48 hrs. I bleach wipe down all toys and things I bring into the house also. A friend I know got bed bugs from thrift shopping and it takes 6 months of complete torture to get rid of them, and 2–3 months before you even know they have infested your house. It’s not just a mattress issue. Take caution, but enjoy thrift shopping!

ra_mom

Tue, Oct 09 2018, 1:45 pm

questioner wrote:

Do you have one that you recommend?

There are so many available on Amazon. Take one with good reviews and good price.

This is the one we have from Amazon for toddler size clothes.

Clothes Folder - children Dress Pants Towels T-shirt Folder / Shirt... $13.99
Qty: 1
Sold By: Morden Home Store

I see it's no longet available so I'll try to measure mine for you so you can find a comparable children's one.

We also have a standard size one for tweens/adults. I think this may be it.
https://www.amazon.com/folding.....lSrch