Storing clothing long term

[BAK]

So I've been planning to put some fabric material away. Was thinking about buying couple of lots from govliquidation.com. Clothing, shoes, bed sheets, blankets and the like. Storage environment would likely not be ideal- a barn most likely. Any suggestions on how to prevent overdrying, mold, rotting and such? I've been thinking about Mylar bags but that will get expensive fast. What are your ideas on the matter?

[Lowdown3]

Mylar by itself- not in a bucket or otherwise protected- will get eaten through by a rodent.

[Rmplstlskn]

Crates made of cedar... But you need to control humidity and moisture. How that happens depends on your barn and your weather patterns. If vermin are a problem, wrap crates with chicken wire. I would be very particular on what I went to effort to store away so that when in need they have some value. It will take quite awhile in a PAW scenario for some of those items you mentioned to be worth your effort...

Rmpl

[BAK]

I believe that clothing (especially in the winter) and shoes will be in demand with in months after some event. Nowadays people don't keep 10 spares of shoes- got scratch marks then toss them is the new attitude. Blankets, sheets just as important but that's my opinion.
Good idea about chicken wire though. I was thinking about mylar bags inside steel drums- i have a local source that sells refurbished 55 gallon drums for $20.

[Rmplstlskn]

I would be worried about mold and mildew in mylar bags...

I learned a lesson on how tricky fungus can be when I stored important papers in one of those waterproof, airtight, fire boxes. Many months later, when I needed a paper from it, I opened it and a lot of the papers had begun to mold & mildew. If I had let it go longer, all of those important papers would have been damaged or ruined...

So I say let the clothing BREATHE... Which is why I think the cedar boxes are your best bet.

Rmpl

[protus]

I've tried plastic bags in totes. Zero vermin issue....but mildew ...mold seems to get into everything

[BAK]

Mold and mildew.... How about some dessicants inside the Mylar or plastic bag? Should work right?

[Rmplstlskn]

Mold and mildew.... How about some dessicants inside the Mylar or plastic bag? Should work right?

You will be the trailblazer on this one, I think... Let us know.

[BAK]

Sure will... In 20 years :-)

[kappydell]

Fabric kept where it cant breathe develops mildew quickly. 70 yrs experience in storage of fabric of both my mother and myself shows that fabric stored in paper bags, baskets, or cloth sacks (something breatheable) stays good much longer. As far as rodents, strict control of food sources for them works better than containment, however, you don't want chicken wire (holes too big and too flimsy) you want hardware cloth - 1/4 inch mesh, desiged to keep rodents from chewing on it and what is inside it. It is used to screen windows in outdoor storage cellars, to keep mice & moles away from bulbs, and rabbits away from new trees. Just get yourself a wood chest or box, line it with hardware cloth, and put in what you want to keep. You can toss in some cedar wood pieces or somthing else treated with cedar oil if you like the nice smell. Be sure the fabric is washed nice & clean when you put it away; some sizing used on new cloth is attractive food for gnawing critters. Since you should pre-shrink fabric before you cut on it, you can kill two birds with one stone by washing in very hot water, drying in hot dryer, and if it is going to shrink, it shrinks before you sew, so your clothes will stay the size you made them. It also removes all the sizing, so you can see just how firm or soft the fabric drapes, and it removes that nice smelling sizing that can tempt mice. Dessicants wont hurt as long as they are not in direct contact with the fabric (to avoid discoloration) and will help if you live in a humid area like I do.

Its a good idea to have a fabric stash if you know how to sew or even know a sewer; I've had one for many years, as well as a pattern collection full of basic, multi-sized clothing for both genders, a thread stash (used to be 10 cents a spool on sale; now 25 cents on sale much more rarely) and I keep all the buttons, zippers, and fasteners of anything I throw away. Grandma was wise to keep at least a button box; mine had a zipper box, and a 'possibles' box as she called the one full of other fasteners. She also kept all the fabrics from when she made short sleeve shirts out of long sleeve shirts (when the elbows wore thru) for patching those same shirts; and she put fabric in to double the knees and seats of childrens new play trousers (that is what wore out first). If someone came to me to barter sewing know-how for fabric and thread, I'd go for it on a shares basis -

If you don't know how to patch and mend, now is a good time to learn...before you have to. Lecture done, sorry if I got carried away.
Also look into a Janome treadle machine - they are modern with all the bells & whistles, yet work from a treadle. Lehmans hardware has them, it's those gorgeous oak cabinets that are soexpensive, so if you can find an old one, or make yourself one out of nice, cheap pine, it keeps the price down to just buy the machine.