Your Stress Free Moving Handbook

Posted on: 21 December 2016

Thrifty parents who plan to have another child in the future may wish to save some of the perfectly good baby clothes they have now. After all, if your child outgrows things before wearing them out, that's something to take advantage of, right? And it's totally possible to store some baby clothes in the intervening years in your attic or a storage unit, as long as you're not worried that they'll be out of style by the time your next baby comes along (but don't worry, he or she won't care about being stylish, due to being a baby). However, you'll need to pack them correctly and store them in an appropriate environment if you want them to still be usable in several years. Here are four guidelines to help you pack and save your baby clothes optimally.

1. Guard against dampness

Of course you'll make sure the clothes are clean and dry before you store them, no matter how sleep-deprived you are as a new parent. But it's also important to take steps to guard against dampness encroaching on the clothing during the months of storage. You should pack them in a plastic bag or bin so humid air (or water if your roof develops a leak) can't get in, and to prevent any humidity that's already in the bin from condensation on its sides, be sure to put a small humidity absorbing device (such as silica gel) in the container as well.

2. Guard against light

Most attics aren't super-bright places, but if there is a window in yours or if you store your clothes in a location where any daylight can occasionally get to them, you'll want to make sure that they're in an opaque container. It's true that clear containers make it easier to see which items are in which box, but they also allow UV rays to get through and fade the clothing inside, which can leave unsightly faded stripes or patches. Protecting against light is crucial if you want the clothes to be usable later.

3. Only save your favorites

Although you may feel sad now about getting rid of any of the clothes your wonderful baby has ever worn, it's probably a good idea to get rid of any that have indelible stains or that always frustrated you by being hard to put on and take off. They won't get any better in storage, and if you don't get rid of them now, you'll just have to do it later. Also, you'll probably get some new clothes for your new baby (from baby showers and so on) even if you don't undertake to buy him or her a whole new wardrobe.

4. Store woolens separately and safely

Any items that have significant wool content (or any animal fiber, such as angora) will need to be protected from wool moths by storing them in an airtight container with mothballs. You don't want to get that nasty chemical mothball smell on the rest of your baby clothes, though, so you'll want to make sure this is a separate container, and in order to protect from moths the container must be airtight. If it's not airtight, not only can moths get in, but enough fresh air may also get in that they can feed on the clothes without dying a grisly death.

These four tips will help you ensure that your perfectly good baby clothing is safely stored so you can come back to it later without worrying that it won't be usable.

For more information and tips for storing your items, contact a storage facility near you, such as Stor-King.