How to Shrink Packages for Clothing Storage
- 1). Decide how you want to sort your items. Some logical ways are by season---shorts and swimsuits and halter tops; by sporting venues---your son's basketball, your daughter's soccer items; by holiday---Halloween costumes, Easter finery and Christmas sweaters. These are all items you won't need every day. As you sort your piles, you will know what size storage bag you will need by volume.
- 2). Help yourself out by rolling your garments. Sucking the air out of a storage bag leaves wrinkles in clothing. You won't be able to completely avoid this, but if you roll your garments into a tube you will fit more items into the small space bag and the material won't be sucked into creased folds.
- 3). Eliminate clothing moths by placing a bag of cedar chips in the sack before sucking out the air. Despite the fact that you think the sack is air tight, there is plenty of room for moths that lay their eggs in garments. They will hatch and eat the clothing as they continue their life cycles.
- 4). Follow the instructions on your brand of space sacks. Most direct you to suck the air out using a vacuum cleaner and seal the hole. You are left with a surprisingly heavy, irregularly flattened plastic bag with your clothing inside. Tape a list of clothing items within to the outside of the bag. It's irritating to think you know what is inside and then find it isn't and you have to reposition your liberated items and suck out the air once again.
- 5). Storage can be found in unusual places. Stash many bags under your bed, but don't forget the garage. The bagged clothing won't get dusty. The top shelf of your closet isn't easily accessible for every-day items, but it's great storage for flattened space sacks. Store kitchen towels between the cupboard and the refrigerator. Stash extra bags of rugs and towels behind the commode. Don't overlook the free space behind dressers.
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