Last night I was at dinner and the subject of drycleaning came up.
We were discussing the basics when I mentioned that you should never store your clothes in the plastic bag that the drycleaner puts over your clothes. That bag is just meant to protect your clothes on the journey from the cleaners to your closet.
My friends were so surprised by my statement, I thought maybe I should tell more people.
I can think of three major reasons why you should never to store your clothes in plastic (drycleaners call it poly)
1. The plastic that drycleaners put on your clothes is a petroleum product. It is a chemical that outgasses. These gasses can and will permeate your clothes. I have had customers bring clothes back because of the unpleasant odor. They believed it was a residual drycleaning solvent smell. I had to assure them that we do not use traditional drycleaning solvent - so drycleaning chemicals were not the cause of the odor.
2. The plastic captures moisture that can foster the growth of molds and/or mildew. These can ruin your clothes and infest your closet!
3. The bag can trap atmospheric gasses that can cause color change on your garments over time. Fume fading often hapens in closets over time - but leaving your items in the plastic will accellerate this process
How should you store your items?
If it is heavy, like a bulky sweater or knit dress. Don't store it on a hanger. Gravity does a lot of damage! I like to roll the items with a piece of acid free tissue and wrap it in a clean peice of material - like an old pillow case.
In the closet, that same pillow case works wonders. Cut a hole in the top and put it over the item - it protects it from light and dust and will cause no harm. A clean sheet will also do the trick.
And perhaps the most important question. . . . what to do with all that plastic?
Film plastic is not currently being recycled in most areas - so before putting it in the recycle bin - you may want to call and make sure it is being accepted and not just put in the land fill. I always recommend giving it back to the cleaners. The better ones have a recycling plan, and if they don't - the more people that return the plastic, the more likely they will be to consider it.
Check out my blog "take the plastic back" from a few years ago:
Take the Plastic Back!
Thanks - and have a great day!
