How would you guys go about storing your treasured Bespoke wardrobe, if you had to do so? Pretty scary thought, isn't it.
Large ziploc bags infused with moth killing cubes? Plastic containers? Any ideas or experiences?
Cheers
Storage of a bespoke wardrobe
Dear Michael,
one of the questions is for how long the storage solution should work.
When switching between the seasons, the portion that requires cleaning goes to the cleaners and stays there for several months until I need to switch to the next season. Pieces that require repair go to the tailor who made them and the rest ends up in garment bags (the Hanger project has nice ones). Every bag is equipped with moth repellent.
If longer storage would be required, I would consider renting storage space and using the same garment bags. For the end of my days - I'm in touch with a textile museum
Cheers, David
one of the questions is for how long the storage solution should work.
When switching between the seasons, the portion that requires cleaning goes to the cleaners and stays there for several months until I need to switch to the next season. Pieces that require repair go to the tailor who made them and the rest ends up in garment bags (the Hanger project has nice ones). Every bag is equipped with moth repellent.
If longer storage would be required, I would consider renting storage space and using the same garment bags. For the end of my days - I'm in touch with a textile museum
Cheers, David
In general I agree with David, but in your question, Michael, is a crucial point.
Clothes moths, as we all know, seek and thrive on three things: darkness, humidity, and undisturbed air (apart from the animal fiber food source, of course). So if you're going to store woolens, cashmeres, mohairs, and silks for at least one spring-through-fall cycle under circumstances that don't allow you to open the container, brush out the clothes, and replenish the volatile oils in a repellant (e.g., cedar oil or the like), the only truly reliable way to prevent moth damage is to fully seal the container, and incorporate a moth-killing product.
Adult moths can crawl through crevices so tiny you wouldn't believe. No garment bag with a hanger opening will be fully mothproof, and often the end of the zipper attachment has enough space for a clothes moth to crawl through. Even widely spaced seam stitches in some bags are vulnerable.
So during the warm season I store my tailored clothing in lightweight breathable woven nylon clothes bags with zippers and hanger openings, and I slip a rectangle of heavy blotter paper saturated with essential oil of North American red cedar over the hook of the hanger (having used a hole punch to allow the hanger to pass through) so that the bag's hanger opening is largely blocked by this strong moth repellent. BUT since I know this is not fully mothproof, every couple of weeks I open a few of the bags, lightly brush out the garments to dislodge any moth eggs or tiny larvae, replenish the oil on the blotter, and close the bag up again. This way I work through the whole wardrobe two or three times a season. If the bags are hung adjacent to each other, the volatilized oil from the refreshed bags will help make the general area unattractive to moths. And the cedar aroma is quite pleasant, and dissipates quickly once the garments are back in use for the cool season.
What I do for woolen sweaters is to fold and stack three or four, separated by tissue, together, and seal them in a clean white plastic trash-can liner bag for storage in drawers. I use these small but very effective moth-killing, EPA-approved paper sachets (active ingredient is the usual paradicholorobenzene, but with a very mild cedar scent) tucked between tissue in the middle of each package. I either twist the package closed with wire ties, or seal it with clear package sealing tape. Once cool weather arrives, I remove the sweaters from the bags, unfold and air them, and then refold and store uncovered in the drawers.
The only caveat is that using a relatively impermeable package (such as plastic trash bags) will contain the moth sachet vapor well, but will also impede the movement of water vapor. So if you seal the package during very humid weather and store it for a long period in warm or highly fluctuating temperatures, you risk mold formation. I've never had a problem with my sweaters using this method, but they only stay sealed for four or five months in relatively stable temperatures (sudden changes in temperature can lead to condensation which is the usual trigger for mold/mildew).
So there's a tradeoff if you need to store your tailored woolens for longer than a season. Breathable coverings will resist dust and light damage, but cannot guarantee full protection against moths. Sealed packages (bags or plastic storage containers with perfectly sealing lids) will be mothproof (I store my unmade LL cloths this way, too) but must be stored in conditions that don't promote mold.
David mentions storage at cleaners. The reason such commercial "cold storage" for furs and off-season woolens is effective is that (if responsible) the facilities are kept well below 60 degrees F, and at humidities of 40% or below. Mold will not grow under these conditions and clothes moths (and other protein-fiber-eating insects) cannot survive long at such low humidities. So if you need to store tailored clothes for longer than a season or where you can't monitor them, this is good insurance if you have access to a facility whose storage conditions you can be confident about.
In the days of valets, the daily or weekly brushing was all that was required, and hanging in an open wardrobe was fine. Clothes moth eggs are very lightly attached and brush off with the mildest handling of the garments. It's the necessity of frequent and regular handling/brushing that is so difficult to maintain today.
Clothes moths, as we all know, seek and thrive on three things: darkness, humidity, and undisturbed air (apart from the animal fiber food source, of course). So if you're going to store woolens, cashmeres, mohairs, and silks for at least one spring-through-fall cycle under circumstances that don't allow you to open the container, brush out the clothes, and replenish the volatile oils in a repellant (e.g., cedar oil or the like), the only truly reliable way to prevent moth damage is to fully seal the container, and incorporate a moth-killing product.
Adult moths can crawl through crevices so tiny you wouldn't believe. No garment bag with a hanger opening will be fully mothproof, and often the end of the zipper attachment has enough space for a clothes moth to crawl through. Even widely spaced seam stitches in some bags are vulnerable.
So during the warm season I store my tailored clothing in lightweight breathable woven nylon clothes bags with zippers and hanger openings, and I slip a rectangle of heavy blotter paper saturated with essential oil of North American red cedar over the hook of the hanger (having used a hole punch to allow the hanger to pass through) so that the bag's hanger opening is largely blocked by this strong moth repellent. BUT since I know this is not fully mothproof, every couple of weeks I open a few of the bags, lightly brush out the garments to dislodge any moth eggs or tiny larvae, replenish the oil on the blotter, and close the bag up again. This way I work through the whole wardrobe two or three times a season. If the bags are hung adjacent to each other, the volatilized oil from the refreshed bags will help make the general area unattractive to moths. And the cedar aroma is quite pleasant, and dissipates quickly once the garments are back in use for the cool season.
What I do for woolen sweaters is to fold and stack three or four, separated by tissue, together, and seal them in a clean white plastic trash-can liner bag for storage in drawers. I use these small but very effective moth-killing, EPA-approved paper sachets (active ingredient is the usual paradicholorobenzene, but with a very mild cedar scent) tucked between tissue in the middle of each package. I either twist the package closed with wire ties, or seal it with clear package sealing tape. Once cool weather arrives, I remove the sweaters from the bags, unfold and air them, and then refold and store uncovered in the drawers.
The only caveat is that using a relatively impermeable package (such as plastic trash bags) will contain the moth sachet vapor well, but will also impede the movement of water vapor. So if you seal the package during very humid weather and store it for a long period in warm or highly fluctuating temperatures, you risk mold formation. I've never had a problem with my sweaters using this method, but they only stay sealed for four or five months in relatively stable temperatures (sudden changes in temperature can lead to condensation which is the usual trigger for mold/mildew).
So there's a tradeoff if you need to store your tailored woolens for longer than a season. Breathable coverings will resist dust and light damage, but cannot guarantee full protection against moths. Sealed packages (bags or plastic storage containers with perfectly sealing lids) will be mothproof (I store my unmade LL cloths this way, too) but must be stored in conditions that don't promote mold.
David mentions storage at cleaners. The reason such commercial "cold storage" for furs and off-season woolens is effective is that (if responsible) the facilities are kept well below 60 degrees F, and at humidities of 40% or below. Mold will not grow under these conditions and clothes moths (and other protein-fiber-eating insects) cannot survive long at such low humidities. So if you need to store tailored clothes for longer than a season or where you can't monitor them, this is good insurance if you have access to a facility whose storage conditions you can be confident about.
In the days of valets, the daily or weekly brushing was all that was required, and hanging in an open wardrobe was fine. Clothes moth eggs are very lightly attached and brush off with the mildest handling of the garments. It's the necessity of frequent and regular handling/brushing that is so difficult to maintain today.
Another tip is to put your clothes in a freezer for a week. This is meant to kill moth's eggs. I have done this with sweaters etc, but of course it is not always practical to do this with coats.
I see lavender promoted as a moth repellent. Does it work?
Here in the UK, the White Company sell cashmere storage bags for storing cashmere (or other) sweaters. I have found them effective as far as sweaters go.
Chelsea
Chelsea
Dear Scot,Scot wrote:I see lavender promoted as a moth repellent. Does it work?
lavender seems to be effective keeping moths away, and so do other natural oil, plants and scents (cedar wood, geraniol, citronella). However, these products have no effect on existing moths and larvae. Therefore, make sure your closets are moth free first. Santa Maria Novella Pot Pourri has a similar effect.
Regular vacuum cleaning (carpets!) and brushing your clothes are good prevention. In the end, there is no magic bullet, but the combination of different strategies that seems most successful to me. Here is a good guide:
http://www.marthastewart.com/264609/the ... thproofing
Cheers, David
Couch is certainly the anti-moth wizard here.
I got those sachets a few years ago at his recommendation and so far, so good. (I think).
Those bastards will ruin a wardrobe very quickly.
But I was also told that moth holes demonstrate some sort of aged, sprezzatura which is desirable in certain knowledgeable circles. I should be set.
I've done quite a few knit wear darning projects and the moth hole in the trousers of my suit is hidden by the jacket. So ...
I really don't want to know now the situation of what I will pull out of storage this Fall, but I've done the best I can within reason... no need to become overly attached to these rags...they were meant to age like all else.
I got those sachets a few years ago at his recommendation and so far, so good. (I think).
Those bastards will ruin a wardrobe very quickly.
But I was also told that moth holes demonstrate some sort of aged, sprezzatura which is desirable in certain knowledgeable circles. I should be set.
I've done quite a few knit wear darning projects and the moth hole in the trousers of my suit is hidden by the jacket. So ...
I really don't want to know now the situation of what I will pull out of storage this Fall, but I've done the best I can within reason... no need to become overly attached to these rags...they were meant to age like all else.
That's an impressive routine, couch!
My mother used to use vacuum sealed bags over the summer, but (a) I don't think the bags lasted very long, and (b) I'd be worried about unduly crushing the coat structures and materials for such a length of time. Not sure if that's a valid concern or not, though.
My mother used to use vacuum sealed bags over the summer, but (a) I don't think the bags lasted very long, and (b) I'd be worried about unduly crushing the coat structures and materials for such a length of time. Not sure if that's a valid concern or not, though.
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singlechange
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What do everyone's tailors suggest? It would seem the tailors would have their vast collective experience about storage. My local tailor shop lets in plenty of sunshine and the air is always circulating. I asked him about moths and about the chances of clients bringing in moth infested undetected clothing and the concern for all the suiting and jacketing fabric on his shelves and he said because of the sunshine and air movement his father before him also a tailor and he himself has never had a problem.
Yes , I too think that air and sunshine and regular usage is going to stop those damn moths.
The problem is with the storage. Better not to have too many clothes to worry about.
Clothes are for pleasure. Why worry then…??
But we all have too many clothes…winter and summer…an angel's portion for the moths…??
The problem is with the storage. Better not to have too many clothes to worry about.
Clothes are for pleasure. Why worry then…??
But we all have too many clothes…winter and summer…an angel's portion for the moths…??
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