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After years and years of accumulating jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, and lingerie, maybe it's time to put away a few items of clothes. Storing your clothes can, in fact, be a relatively precarious endeavor. There are a few things you should do to ensure that your packed up clothes stay in good shape and are well protected. Here are five ways to help you protect your clothes while they're nicely packed away in your garage or storage unit.

Make Sure Your Clothes Are Clean and Dry

It is absolutely imperative that you make sure that your clothes are clean and dry; especially if you are prepping the clothes for long-term storage. If the clothes are not clean, this can actually attract a number of different pests, especially if it is being stored in a dark area. Among the pests that it can attract include roaches and mice. Your clothes should also be dry. If they are not dry, you run the risk of the clothes actually becoming moldy. That's a definite no-go in the world of property storage, as mold is notoriously hard to kill and can easily spread.  

Don't Place Your Clothes in Vacuum-Sealed Storage

Although vacuum-sealing might seem like a good idea, it is generally frowned upon to place your clothes in vacuum-sealed suitcases or other forms of storage. Vacuum-sealed storage does save space; however, vacuum-sealed storage methods suck all of the air out of areas that clothes desperately need to breathe. Without air, your clothes are in a less than ideal environment to sit for a long period of time. Most fabrics actually need a very small amount of air, as well as the moisture found in the air, in order to remain strong and ensure that their structure doesn't change.

Proper Containers for Your Clothes

You will need to remember that you will most likely be storing your clothes in a dark area with little access to outside air and light. This can actually be an environment ripe for producing pests such as roaches, beetles, and mice. In order to counteract this phenomenon, it is best to store your clothes in an area where these varmints would rather avoid. You should actually store your clothes in cedar-based containers if you can. Pests of all kind generally avoid cedar.

Make Sure the Environment Is Correct

As previously mentioned, the place your store your clothes will most likely be dry and dark. Why is this the case if it attracts bugs and other pests? The answer is simple. If the area is bright, it can actually cause damage to your property. Just as sunlight can cause sun bleach damage to clothes, so can advanced exposure to artificial light. You want to keep the area dry as, if the area is moist, this moisture can soak into your clothes. This moisture can cause mold and bacteria to grow on the clothes, which is most undesirable.

Check In On Your Clothes

After placing your clothes into storage, it is best to check in on your clothes to make sure that they're doing all right. Remember, without a human touch and careful eye watching over them, clothes can become susceptible to a laundry list of maladies. Mold, insect infestation, and rodent droppings can all make your clothes casualties. By checking in on your clothes, you'll be insuring that they're safe and sound and have not succumbed to one of the evils listed above.

As long as you're taking precautions to protect them in the self storage units, you should be fine. It only takes a little knowledge and just a tiny bit of elbow grease.