How to Store Winter Coats Over Summer (and Why Not in Vacuum Bags)

To store a winter coat over summer, have it cleaned, let it dry completely, then hang it on a broad, padded hanger inside a breathable cotton cover, in a cool, dark wardrobe with room around it. Take it out and look at it once a month. Keep good coats out of vacuum bags: a sealed bag does keep moths out, but months of pressure crush the shoulders, set creases and trap any moisture that went in with the coat.

Fur, shearling and leather need their own care, set out below. The overcoats in our wool and cashmere archive have mostly lasted decades because someone did exactly this, season after season.

Why not vacuum bags?

Vacuum bags have one real strength. English Heritage, which studies clothes moths in its own collections, notes that clean clothes can go into vacuum bags or tightly lidded boxes: sealing keeps moths out.

The trouble is everything else. The Woolmark Company, the wool industry's own body, says vacuum bags don't let clothes breathe, are not ideal for delicate clothing and can trap moisture inside. A winter coat adds a problem of its own: it has a structure. The chest canvas, the padded shoulders, the roll of the lapel and the brushed face of the cloth are all shaped. Pressed flat for five or six months, they come out with hard creases, flattened nap and a shoulder line that no longer sits right. Some of that steams out. Some of it does not.

Down coats are the clearest case. Outdoor brands advise storing down loose, hanging or in a roomy bag, rather than compressed, so the fill keeps its loft.

If space forces your hand, vacuum-pack the knitwear and casual layers, and give the good coats the hanging space.

Before it goes away: clean it

Clothes moth larvae and carpet beetles eat wool, cashmere, camel hair, fur and feathers, and stains and body oils draw them in. English Heritage's first rule is to make sure clothes are clean before they are stored. For wool and cashmere that means a specialist clean or a careful brush and airing, depending on the coat; our guide to cleaning a cashmere coat covers the choice. Empty the pockets, brush the collar and cuffs, and let the coat air for a day so it is completely dry before it goes in.

Where and how to hang it

• A broad, shaped, padded hanger. The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) advises padded hangers for garments, and flat storage for anything very fragile or heavy. Never a wire hanger: it digs into the shoulders.
• A cotton cover, not plastic. Take off the dry cleaner's plastic film; it is for the journey home. Woolmark recommends 100% cotton or wool bags because they let clothes breathe, and CCI recommends a dust cover for each garment so it is protected from dust, light and other clothes.
• Room around it. A crammed rail crushes collars and sleeves just as a vacuum bag does, only more slowly.
• Cool, dark and dry. Not the attic, which is hot, and not the basement, which is damp. CCI notes that mould grows on textiles between 65% and 100% relative humidity and is unlikely below 60% with good air circulation. Keep coats out of sunlight, which fades the cloth.

Coat by coat

Coat	How to store it
Wool, cashmere, camel hair	Clean, padded hanger, cotton cover. The main risk is moths, so check it monthly.
Shearling	Broad hanger, cotton cover, air around it, never plastic. See how to clean a shearling coat.
Leather	Padded hanger, cool, out of light and away from heat. See leather care.
Fur	Professional cold storage is best. Never plastic, a cedar closet or mothballs. See how to store a fur coat.
Down	Hang it, or keep it loose in a roomy cotton bag. Never compressed for the season.

Moths: what works and what doesn't

Cedar is a weak shield. The University of California's pest management programme calls the effectiveness of cedar chests and closets debatable: the oil in aromatic cedar can kill small larvae but not large ones, and it loses that effect after several years. For fur, cedar does harm, because it dries the skin.

Lavender is pleasant, but we have found no good evidence that it protects a coat.

What does work is attention. English Heritage advises taking clothes out of the wardrobe and shaking them at least once a month, vacuuming the bottom and edges of wardrobes and shelves, and checking creases, folds and the backs of labels, where larvae hide.

If you find moths, English Heritage's treatment is to seal the item in a plastic freezer bag and freeze it at −18°C for at least two weeks. Leave the bag closed until the coat is back at room temperature, so condensation forms on the outside, not on the cloth. Don't freeze fur, leather or shearling at home; ask a specialist.

Grey marks after a vacuum bag: what they can mean

Coats sometimes come out of storage with grey or dark marks that weren't noticed before. There is no single cause, but three are common.

• Mould. CCI describes mould as a white or coloured velvety growth, often with a musty smell, and says isolated disfiguring spots are an early stage. A coat sealed while slightly damp is the classic case. Keep it away from other clothes, and have a specialist cleaner look at it.
• Old marks surfacing. Perspiration, food and body oils that weren't cleaned out before storage can darken with time.
• Transfer. Dye or residue from the bag, from another garment, or from a metal hanger pressed against the cloth.

Don't scrub. Rubbing pushes a stain deeper into wool and roughens the surface. Take the coat to a cleaner who handles wool outerwear, say how it was stored, and let them test before they treat.