Keep your clothes fresh and wrinkle free by following our special storage tips.

Just a couple of hours thinking about storage will help you find the exact dress or blouse in seconds and keep them wrinkle free and fresh.

• Clothes to be stored need to be kept well aired, dust free and covered away from sunlight.
• Clothes not in use should be covered with an old sheet, duvet cover or muslin - hung away clean - moths eat dirt and that is what attracts them. A duvet cover fastens around the necks of the coat hangers and then lavender bags can be hung around the necks.
• Jumpers tops and t-shirts can be folded and put into a pillowcase with a lavender bag.
• Don't leave garments in plastic for more than 3 months because the change in temperature e.g. Central heating going on and off - causing condensation in the bags, which dries on the garments and can cause mildew or yellowing on light colours.
• A muslin cover can be made very simply using big tacking stitches or safety pins.
• Nothing should be left in direct sunlight as sunlight rots fabrics.
• Evening and wedding dresses can be kept in a duvet cover or a large nylon garment bag approx. £10-15 designed for the job - alternatively it could be boxed with acid free tissue (which insects do not like).

Acid free tissue and acid free boxes are PH neutral. So the chemicals in the fabrics don't react with the acid or alkaline in the boxes. Brown cardboard boxes are very alkaline!

Vacuum packing

Vacuum packing is becoming available. Bags with a special round rubber hole that allows the vacuum cleaner nozzle to be inserted in, to suck out all the air.

This enables garments to be reduced greatly as there is no air - this is ideal for slim-line storage - but will crease and squash the garments. This will damage fibre's forever.