Cashmere Shawls & Pashminas

• Think like a bug when you store your gorgeous, expensive cashmere and woolen sweater and pashmina collection. Remember, varmints that feast on cashmere sweaters and fine wools like nice, damp, humid, warm environments like attics, basements and garages. They also love the natural fibers of your "gorge-ous"  (think "munch-a-bunch-o'cashmere") clothing and they hate manmade solvents as a general rule. More about this later under "Deterring the Rotten Varmints."

• As you are thinking like a bug when storing your yummy angora and merino wool pieces, try to set up conditions that you as a bug would hate! I don't believe that there are bugs that prefer scarves to sweaters and coats, so be sure you consider the fiber content of your best clothing each season when you think about storage issues. You'll be glad you did!  Here are some tips that will help:

• I like to use acid free tissue on my sweaters and scarves. Not only will the tissue keep them dry and protected, the acid free status of the tissue means that you can decide not to wear a sweater for 10 years and then nostalgically go rooting for it in your vast collection of cashmere treasures. You will likely find it with no undue chemical reactions to the tissue, no untimely deterioration and no color changes. How great is that! After I do the tissue, I use plastic bags for my sweaters. I like the gusseted ones that allow room to fold the garment neatly. If the bag doesn't have holes in it already, I put a few in it just to keep the environment inside the bag from becoming a little hothouse for mold and mildew.

"Deterring the Rotten Varmints"

• Be sure that the garment you are storing is clean and completely dry!! Molds and mildews thrive in warm, moist environment and there is no need for this to happen to your garments no matter where you live! Additionally, if you forget to clean your garment in the rush of spring storage, the contents of an invisible stain may oxidize and wreak havoc in the fall when you go to get your awesome sweater. If you are like me, you will have some food stains somewhere on your sweater at some point. These are natural moth food, and we don't encourage moth activity around our sweaters. The first step is to wash or dryclean the sweaters before you put them away!

• The best place to store your natural fibers is in a cedar lined closet or chest. You can also just leave them in the drawers of your closet and throw in a handful of cedar chips. I also throw in copious amounts of mothballs since both are natural deterrents to moth and mold activity

• If you need to put your sweaters in the garage or attic for the summer, you can use those nice big see through plastic tubs with the tight fitting lids. Just be sure that the sweaters are clean, dry, wrapped in tissue and  treated with moth balls before you put them into the container. I also like to put some of those fabric bags full of silica gel in with my sweaters to absorb moisture and help prevent any moisture damage.
• Not only will this care save your beautiful garments from year to year, you will also build up a wonderful collection instead of replacing damaged pieces from year to year.

Enjoy!