As winter abates, it will soon be time to take on the humungous exercise of stashing away the silks, woollies, boots and other accessories.
Although why do we have a summer bias against silk is beyond my ken. Silk is a natural, breathable fabric and works equally well even when the heat soars. The trick is not to use silk blouses as the lining within makes them ill-suited for the blistering summer.
Getting back to storage, the first rule is to sort out what needs to be mended, kept and given away. Next, ensure every garment is sunned inside out for an hour or two. Natural sunlight is the best antidote as it works as a natural deodorizer. In fact, if a wear in any fabric is not dirty enough, hang or lay flat the whole night in the open and then sun. The mix of dew and sun is as good as drycleaning, actually far better, and, elemental!
Change the folds of your clothes, specially silks each time you put them away, and use cotton bags rather than those plastic ones. Plastic and newspaper should be a strict no-no. Even clothes that come from the drycleaners should be taken out of the plastic wraps, sunned, wrapped in soft cottons. Repurpose those jaded bedsheets, pillow and cushion covers, dupattas and saris.
If the collars, sleeve ends, under arms of a garment look dirty, and you have the patience, take a soft cloth roll, dip in petrol and gently scrub. The fumes can be killing, be warned, and then of course let the sunshine work its magic. This works for silks, suits, jackets and trousers.
If possible, use one closet or two only for the woollies, else use the topmost shelves. Instead of naphthalene balls, layer the shelves with a sprinkling of fresh, clean and dry neem leaves. Place some twigs in the corners. You can add the finest and oldest cotton dupatta atop and then begin with the chunkiest woollies at the bottom as they will be the last to be brought out next season. Cover the area with another cotton cloth if you use the topmost shelves and sprinkle generously a second round of neem leaves.
When it comes to boots, clean irrespective of material, sun, use a generous coating of petroleum jelly if pure leather, stuff with newspaper rolls and keep them in a well-aired space. Place dessicators wherever possible.
