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I've never head about sanding cedar before. Does this apply to my cedar chest? I've had it for 6 years and it still smells like cedar when I open it. I'd be really hesitant to sand it, even inside, because the finish is so beautiful.

lurker--

Cedar chests don't require sanding since there's very little airflow - as long as you can still smell the cedar then it's working.

It's things like cedar blocks, drawer liners, closet paneling, etc that are exposed to much more airflow that require an occassional light sanding to bring out the oils that repel pests.

Thanks-- bepsf--I should have realized that. I'm a chemist. Of course something isn't going to oxidize if it's cut off from air!

But who in Southern California really puts clothing away til spring? Don't we wear pretty much everything year round?

I feel like dry cleaning everything 2x costs more than my clothes...

don't forget washing clothes in only cold water..keeps them looking better.

No wire hangers EVER!!!!!

cold water wash and hang dry

Knitwear should be dried flat on a drying rack. Hang up a sweater to dry, and it'll stretch out.

Also, use a mild soap to hand-wash clothes whenever possible (obviously, this doesn't apply to garments that require dry cleaning). I use a tiny dab of Dr. Bronner's (remember to dilute concentrated soaps!).

Mend clothes when you first notice a problem, not before things get a lot worse. This is especially true of jeans.

Some of these tips are dead wrong. I am a collector of antique textiles so I know a lot about storing textiles. I also had a major moth infestation a couple of years ago so I did a lot of research.

1) Cedar does NOT prevent moths - Google and find out. What probably worked with cedar chests was that they closed tightly.

2) Grouping clothes by fabric does NOTHING to prevent bug infestations - in a dark closet, bugs will spread. In my closet, the moth larve was partial to goat hair - there went all my cashmere...

3) Putting paper on a shelf to prevent things from coming in contact with wood is worthless - you need the right type of paper or the acids in it will leech into your fabric. Read up on-line about whether to use acid free or the other type of tissue paper for storing different fabrics.

4) Plastic bags and boxes, wooden shelves, painted shelves, cardboard boxes - all are equally bag for LONG TERM textile storage. They're not a problem in the short term.

5) Use hangars that support garments properly.

6) Clean clothes before you store them for the season - I cannot begin to tell you how gross it is to read which type of bug is fond of which type of body secretion. There are things that love ring around the collar. Yuk!

7) If you collect anything that might have bugs in it, be really careful about bringing it into your home! Have flea market finds laundered or cleaned - or, if that won't work, put the item into the freezer for a few weeks, properly wrapped - again, something you can read up about on-line. This isn't only textiles - it is feathers and can be wood. I was astonished by what a tribal art objects dealer told me about the problems he had.

8) Don't dry clean clothes more often than you need to - it wrecks fabrics and is expensive.

Here are a few tips I've used over the years to keep my clothes looking good longer:

1) Avoid fabric softeners. They leave a greasy residue on clothing which can dull the fabric over time. I only use fabric softeners - dryer sheets - when drying clothes made from synthetic fabrics. You don't need fabric softeners at all if your linens and clothing are all cotton. Towels will also be more absorbent if they're dried without fabric softeners.

2) Wash light colors in warm water, darks in cool water - and NEVER mix lights and darks (too many dyes run and transfer, and light clothes will leave visible lint all over darker items). I try not to wash anything in truly ice cold water, apart from maybe wool handwash. Detergents work better in warmer water, and getting dirt and oils out of your clothes is essential if you want them to last. If something can be washed in hot water, I do it, provided it's not stained with something (like blood) that sets in hot water.

3) Use the permanent press cycle, especially if you're stuck washing clothes at a laundromat. The permanent press cycle tends to blast clothes with fresh water during the initial spin cycle, and this gently removes additional detergents (and additional oils and dirt). Rinsing is important, because laundry detergents can actually weaken and fade fabrics if left in extended contact, and they can build up on clothes over time, dulling them. This is why it's also important not to use too much detergent.

If you're washing at home, you may find the permanent press cycle doesn't provide quite as strong a final spin as the regular cycle on some machines, which can be a drawback when washing towels or other heavy fabrics. You can always send those items thru a second, regular final spin cycle to draw out more water. This can be more economical than relying on your dryer to bake the water out.

4) Avoid bleach. It's hell on fabric. I use borax, a natural mineral, on my whites and underwear. It's not harsh, it's a powerful antibacterial agent, and it boosts the cleaning power of most detergents. It also doesn't leave behind that sometimes sour bleach smell.

5) Don't iron your clothes if you can avoid it. Ironing really stresses and weakens fabrics.

6) Don't machine dry your clothing if you can avoid it - or at least, don't dry for a full cycle. Almost all of my clothes are 100% cotton. I remove them from the washer promptly, and throw them in the dryer just 'till it heats up. Then I start removing articles and hang them on plastic hangers. This removes any large wrinkles, and simply passing your hands over the fabric can smooth out most of the smaller ones. Hang to dry overnight. No wrinkles, soft clothing and no ironing.

I never have to iron, and my clothes last until I'm sick of them. And because I only run my dryer for a full cycle when drying sheets, towels and underwear, I save lots of money on electricity.