It is difficult to resist the temptation to buy a fashionable sweater or a new dress, especially during the sales season. And the issue of maintaining an off-season wardrobe in order becomes very urgent, because sometimes it is a pity to throw away your favorite old outfits. An excellent option for storing things is vacuum bags for clothes, which can be stored in any convenient place.
Benefits of using
This is a very common way of storing things. Bags are popular with everyone because they have many advantages:
- the volume of packed items is significantly reduced (almost by 60-70%), which allows you to put several packages in one place. This greatly saves space in closets or dressing rooms;
- are ideal for packing items of different shapes (winter and summer clothes, blankets, toys, bed linen);
- perfectly store clothes made from different materials (fur, artificial textiles, suede);
- The material of the bags is durable and the packaging is airtight;
- they can be used for a long time;
- a wide range of prices allows people of any income to purchase vacuum bags for clothes;
- things are reliably protected from moths, dust, unpleasant odors, high humidity. No mold appears on them;
- thanks to their compact size, the bags are easy to transport (a suitcase or car trunk can hold a lot of vacuum-sealed items);
- You can store things for a long time. It is just recommended to periodically (once every six months) take out unnecessary winter clothes and air them out.
The main advantage of the bags is that things are folded neatly, and it will always be easy to keep your closet tidy.
Types
When choosing a bag, pay attention to several points: the quality of the polyethylene and the fastener, the reliability of the valve, the size of the bag.
Fastening options
In order not to get confused when choosing a product, you need to familiarize yourself with the positive and negative aspects of different options.
Bag with valve
Ideal for storing things at home and transporting a wardrobe. You can use either a portable pump or a regular electric one to pump out air. Since almost all the air is pumped out, the bags are significantly smaller in size and it is easy to pack a lot of things at once. A hand pump is convenient for packing things at the dacha. The main disadvantage of bags is the need for a vacuum cleaner, so they are not suitable for traveling.
How to use vacuum bags with a valve? Items are carefully laid out inside – the fastener should close freely. To seal the bag, the vacuum cleaner hose is placed against the valve opening and the air is pumped out. The vacuum cleaner is turned on at low power so that the air comes out gradually and the bag is deflated evenly. The package should shrink by about half. At the end of the work, the valve is closed with a special lid.
Compression bag (without valve)
Perfect for travel and business trips. The main advantage is that you don’t need any additional tools to pack your things tightly. The disadvantage is that it’s difficult to completely remove the air manually, so the bags take up a little more space. You shouldn’t put a lot of items in one large package. It’s better to buy several smaller bags and carefully place your clothes in them.
To remove air, the bag is not completely closed with a clasp and slowly twisted towards the clasp. The tighter you wrap things, the less space they will take up. As soon as the bag is completely twisted, the clasp is closed completely.
A budget option would be to use dense waste bag. The items are packed in the same way as in a bag without a valve, and the packaging is tightly sealed with tape.
Size range
Manufacturers offer a wide range of products in different sizes. It is important to choose the right size of the clothes bag. Otherwise, a too large one will be half empty and there will be no shelf for it in the cupboard, and a very small and overfilled one may burst. Manufacturers offer the following sizes of vacuum packaging:
| Size | For travel (without valve), | With valve, cm |
| S (small clothes, children's items weighing up to 3 kg) | 45x35, 38x54, 50x40, 60x50 | 38x54, 45x57, 50x60, 40x55, 40x60 |
| M (off-season clothing, sweaters, light jackets, vests weighing up to 5 kg) | 50x70, 75x65 | 60x80, 70x90 |
| L (warm outerwear weighing up to 10-11 kg) | 70x100, 80x100, 100x120, 70x140 |
Experienced travelers recommend choosing a bag based on the size of the suitcase. The best option is to place two bags next to each other, and they completely cover the bottom of the suitcase. To make it easier to put things in closets, bags are selected according to the parameters of the shelves.
In boxes, on shelves 40-80 cm wide and 60 cm deep, it is good to place bags measuring 60x45, 50x35, 50x40 cm. Children's clothing is suitable for packaging with a sticky valve (sizes 30x40 or 35x45 cm).
For mezzanines measuring 60x90 cm, bags of 80x60, 75x65, 85x54, 60x50 cm are selected.
It is advisable to store outerwear on hangers. The best option is bags with a hanger. It is important not to make a mistake with the length of the covers: jackets, down jackets, short coats are perfectly packed in bags measuring 70x90, 70x105 cm. And coats, fur coats, sheepskin coats are better stored in packaging no shorter than 70x125, 70x145 cm.
To ensure that the bag closes freely, after packing the items, there should be an allowance of 2-3 cm to the lock line.
Preparing clothes for storage
Most often, seasonal items are stored periodically. It is recommended to sort, sort, and prepare your wardrobe for storage before packing:
- Only clean, washed and well-dried items are packed. If it is not possible to wash winter clothes, they are first sent to a dry cleaner. Faux fur items must be thoroughly aired and dried. If you pack unwashed sweaters, jackets, warm trousers/skirts, then when you open the package, their aroma will not please anyone;
- to make it easier to find things when needed, they are sorted. It is better to store children's wardrobe separately from adults', because they will need different sized packages;
- To prevent damage to the package, items with metal fittings and voluminous decorative elements (zippers, buckles, rivets) are turned inside out. If it is not possible to hide protruding parts of clothing, they are covered with other items. You can use scarves, hats;
- When packing down products (jackets, coats, vests), the air is not completely pumped out so as not to damage the feathers. Items are taken out in advance before the start of the season so that they gradually acquire their natural volume.
Vacuum bags are universal packaging. They allow you to conveniently store clothes and are indispensable when traveling or moving.
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