The Best Way to Store Seasonal Clothes in Chicago

Ah, the Windy City. A metropolis renowned for its food, world-class museums, and ever-changing weather. Chicagoans stock their dressers and closets with everything from swimsuits to full-length parkas to keep them comfortable throughout every season. So, what do they do when they need to store seasonal clothes and other items in the off-season?

The answer depends on a number of factors, including how much onsite storage space you have at your home and how much stuff you want to stash away. While it might be ideal to keep everything at your dwelling all year, lack of room may present a challenge. However, if you do have access to storage in your building, there are a few steps you can take to keep your stuff safe and clean when you’re not using it.

Tips to store seasonal clothes at your home

Are you fortunate enough to have plenty of room to store seasonal clothes in your house, apartment building, or condo? That’s great! Here are a few tips to keep your garments safe and fresh:

Wash all clothing before packing it up. Packing up your summer stuff for the cold months? Make sure everything is nice and clean. You don’t want any unfortunate surprises when you bring the items back into your wardrobe.
Use watertight and airtight containers. Many people store seasonal clothes in their basement or attic. Unfortunately, those places are sometimes susceptible to moisture, bugs, or smells that you don’t want on your garments. Make sure each container seals tightly to keep the freshness in and the unwanted stuff out.
Keep your packed clothing fresh. Pop a dryer sheet into each container of clothing so they smell fresh and clean when you unpack them.
Label each container. As soon as the temperature starts to change, you’ll want easy access to your seasonal clothes. Label the top and sides of each bin or box as you pack. That way, you’ll know exactly what to grab when you’re ready for the season change.

Storing seasonal clothes at home is likely the ideal situation for most Chicagoans. However, some residents encounter challenges that prevent them from keeping their off-weather garments onsite.

Challenges of storing seasonal clothes at home

Over nine million people reside in Chicagoland. Although they’re spread out across more than 10,000 square miles that encompass the city and its extended metropolitan area, not everyone has a ton of extra space to store seasonal clothes within their homes. For example, residents in the approximately 758,500 apartment units—not to mention all the condominium owners—often struggle with where to stash things like seasonal clothing, décor, and sports gear.

And it’s no wonder. While the closet space and under-bed storage spaces are generally filled up with clothes and items you need access to year-round, the basement storage units in Chicago’s apartment and condo buildings leave something to be desired. Sometimes residents are only given a small 5’x5’ storage room to themselves. And that doesn’t leave much space for seasonal items that you want at your fingertips for a few months out of the year but out of your way the rest of the year!

Even in a single-family home with a full basement, storing seasonal clothes can be a challenge. Boxes might be moved around throughout the offseason for easier access to other packed items, and when you finally unbox your garments after a year, they could smell like…well…basement. For these reasons and more, many people choose to store their seasonal clothing at an offsite facility.

Advantages of storing seasonal clothes offsite

There are many advantages to storing seasonal clothes offsite. For example, many people like the “set it and forget it” approach storage. They want to box up the stuff they won’t need for a while, have it kept in a secure and temperature-controlled location, and have it delivered back to them at their convenience when the seasons change. In other words, they don’t want to even think about their seasonal clothes until they’re ready to wear them again.

That’s where micro-storage facilities come in. This is an easy, convenient, and budget-friendly way to get your winter parkas out of the way for summer or your shorts and t-shirts out of your hair during the cold months. The storage bins are delivered directly to your home, and you’ll only pay for the space you need. No more getting charged monthly for an entire storage unit that you’re not filling up!

Yet another advantage of working with a micro-storage facility is that you can use eco-friendly supplies like reusable plastic bins and recyclable packing paper. In addition to the convenience, you’re also helping out the planet. Further, your belongings will be kept in a safe, secure, temperature-controlled environment. This means you won’t have to worry about damage or loss as you might in a large multi-residence building (or even losing track of some boxes in your stinky basement or attic). If you have even more seasonal items that you want to store, a micro-storage facility can help with those too.

Additional seasonal items you may want to store

In addition to clothing, a micro-storage facility can store all sorts of bulky seasonal items, including:

Summer sports gear like bicycles, golf clubs, kayaks, and life jackets
Winter supplies such as parkas, skis, snowboards, Christmas trees, and other large holiday decorations
Home décor or outdoor items you can only use during part of the year, including patio furniture and grills
Other space-consuming items you only need sometimes or aren’t quite ready to part with, like luggage, strollers, and the coffee table you bought in college but can’t yet say goodbye to

Whatever you’re looking to store, do yourself (and your wallet) a favor by taking advantage of the delivery, pickup, and safe storage options from your local micro-storage facility.

Let the pros store seasonal clothes for you!

We understand how deeply you value your belongings. And we also understand that you might not have room for your seasonal prized possessions all year round. Our team will deliver packing materials right to your door, and then pick them up when you’re ready for them to go into storage. When you want them back, just let us know what date you’d like us to drop them off to you. It’s that easy!