How to Store Clothes in Your Garage:  7 Helpful Tips

If you’re tired of always running out of room in your closet and want to know how to store clothes in your garage, then you’ve come to the right place. The garage is a great place to store items that you don’t use on a regular basis, like seasonal clothing or seldom-used home goods.

Sure, it’s not always fun to figure out where to put everything, but let’s admit it, once you’re done, it feels amazing to have it accomplished!

I’ve been storing my clothes in my garage for a few years now and I have gotten pretty efficient at it. In this post I am going to show you how I do it so you can get your clothes out of the way too.

Here are 7 tips on how to store your clothes in a garage long term…

1. Be Realistic About What You Need

Many people start storing clothes in the garage because they have no other option. They have run out of room in their closets and dressers, so they go to the place where they have open storage space, their garage.

Unfortunately, sometimes this is just a way of hoarding clothing that no longer fits or has become “out of style”. Perhaps this is a great opportunity to purge your closet and figure out what is realistically something you’ll wear again someday, and more importantly, what is not.

Don’t waste your storage space on something you’ll never wear again. Have a garage sale, or better yet, find a charity like Goodwill that would greatly benefit from your tax-deductible donation instead.

2. Keep Out the Moisture to Protect Clothing

The garage is an acceptable place to store clothes in a pinch, but it’s not always ideal. Garages tend to be hot and humid, so you risk mold and mildew on your clothes and other items. If you plan on storing clothing in your garage for any period of time, consider investing in some type of storage containers for the clothes.

Clothes made from natural fibers like cotton and wool are prone to mildew and molds. These fabrics need to be stored in containers that allow air to circulate around them or else they will become musty. It’s best if you have a climate-controlled garage.  If this is the case, you’ll just need to make sure you’ve sealed all the gaps around your garage door. This is extra important if you’re trying to figure out how to store clothes in a garage long term.  

3. Get More Space by Storing on Shelves and in Bins

A plastic storage bin with a lid is an excellent option for storing away items that do not need to be aired out or kept wrinkle-free. If you have multiple storage bins, stack them on top of each other so that you can easily see your label and know what’s in each one.

You want something that is water tight, but not air-tight. Like us, your clothes need to breathe. In order to keep out the UV rays of the sun, it’s also a good idea to pick something in an opaque color.

Bins also provide a convenient method for storing items like hats, gloves and scarves so that they can be easily accessed when the weather changes. This is an inexpensive way to keep your items organized and off the floor.

Clothes with strong odors (like athletic gear or work uniforms) should be stored in airtight containers so that they do not permeate the rest of your clothing collection.

4. Organize Your Clothes by Season and Type

Make sure to put all your clothing items away neatly, your future self will thank you for this later. You’ll definitely want to put heavier, bulkier items like shoes and boots on lower shelves, and your lighter items at the top. 

Organizing your clothes according to seasons will definitely help when it comes time to decide whether something should stay in the garage or come back into your closet. Mixing and matching seasonal clothes will make it difficult and time consuming to find what you need. It’s better if you keep it all together.

If you have multiple containers of clothing for a particular season, separate by type as well. For example, either organize by the type of article it is (shirt, pants, sweaters, etc.) or by use (casual, business, or formal). This again will help you find what you’re looking for in a few months.

5. Wardrobe Closet for Garage

Along with plastic storage bins with lids, wardrobe closets are the best way to store clothes in a garage. These are often less expensive than other types of storage units, and they take up less space, making them ideal for small homes or apartments with limited closet space.

Wardrobe closets help keep your clothing items up off the floor and allow for an efficient use of your space. They typically also permit you to provide storage for both hanging and folded clothes, ensuring they’re in good condition when you’re ready to take them back inside.

Don’t use metal wire hangers though. They can stretch your clothes and maybe even rust on them. You should use wooden or plastic hangers instead.

6. Be Smart About Where You Store Clothes

• Keep Clothes Off the Floor – This should seem intuitive and will help keep them away from dust, bugs, and extreme temperatures.

• Stay Away from Heat – If you have a climate controlled garage, avoid storing your clothing next to them as they could cause damage, or even worse, potentially start a fire.

• Avoid Sunlight – The UV rays of the sun can cause your clothing to deteriorate and fade in sunlight. Choose a dark, cool, dry space.

7. Make Sure to Label Your Clothing

Of course, this makes sense, but if you’re anything like me, you may say, “I’ll label these later”. Taking the time to separate and label everything now is a smart idea and will likely save you time in the long run.

Storage bins get heavy and you don’t need to be moving them around more than you have to. Besides, if you listed above about keeping your clothes away from sunlight, you likely have opaque storage bins that are harder to search though. Just make it easy on yourself and label your bins!

Conclusion

No matter what time of year it is, you will always find something that you can’t wear because the weather is wrong. Storing seasonal clothes in a garage is a great idea because it frees up space in your home. It also limits the crazy number of outfits you’ll have to sift through when getting ready in the morning.

If you have never had to go through the process of trying to find a place to store all your extra clothes, then consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us, the good news is that there are many different ways to store clothes in your garage. Some are easier than others, but I hope this guide helps you along the way.  And the best part… now your closet’s clean and you have enough room again!