How to Wash and Store a Winter Coat at Season End So It Survives the Summer in the Closet

A winter coat is the garment most people ruin by storing it dirty, because the body oil and the food and the perspiration that accumulate over a winter are exactly what the clothes moths feed on and what the mildew colonizes in a dark, warm closet. The coat that goes into the summer closet with a season's wear on it is the coat that comes out in the fall with moth holes and a sour smell, and the damage is the one no fall cleaning reverses. The coat that is cleaned before the storage and stored in a breathable, cedar-and-lavender-protected environment is the coat that comes out as fresh as it went in. The end-of-season protocol is the clean (the wash or the dry-clean per the label), the cedar or the lavender moth deterrent, and the breathable garment bag in a dry, dark closet — never the plastic dry-cleaning bag, which traps the moisture and the off-gassing that yellow the fabric, and never the dirty coat, which is the moth's invitation.

For winter coats and wool you would rather have professionally cleaned and stored, our Winston-Salem Northwest Blvd drop-off team handles outerwear, or browse all four Royal Clean Locations.

Why the Clean Before the Storage

The single most common cause of moth damage and the storage mildew is the coat stored dirty, and the reason is the food. Clothes moths (the webbing clothes moth and the case-making clothes moth) feed on the keratin in the animal fibers — the wool, the cashmere, the fur, the down — and they are drawn to the coat by the body oil, the perspiration, and the food spills that the season leaves on the fabric. A clean coat, with the soil removed, is far less attractive to the moth; a dirty coat is the feast that the moth finds and the damage that appears as the small, irregular holes in the wool or the bare patches in the fur. The mildew is the same: the moisture and the soil in a dark, warm closet grow the colony, and the coat that is stored damp or dirty is the coat that smells sour in the fall. The clean before the storage is the step that removes the attractant and the substrate, and it is the one step that most people skip.

The Clean — Per the Label

The clean is the one that respects the fiber, and the label is the authority. A wool coat and a cashmere coat are dry-clean-only in most cases, because the wool felts and shrinks in water and the structure of a tailored coat is set with the heat of the press that a home wash cannot replicate. A down coat is washable on a front-loader with a down-specific detergent and a low, tennis-ball dry — the protocol for a down sleeping bag, scaled to a coat. A synthetic-filled coat (polyester) is washable on a gentle cycle and a low dry. A waxed cotton (a Barbour-style) is never washed or dry-cleaned — the wash strips the wax — and it is re-waxed with the manufacturer's treatment. A fur coat is a professional's job only; never wash, never store at home, and use a furrier's cold storage for the summer. The label is the guide, and the coat that is cleaned per the label is the coat that is not ruined by the clean.

The Moth Deterrent

After the clean, the moth deterrent is the protection through the summer, and the choice is the one that does not damage the coat and does not introduce the off-gassing that the storage is meant to avoid. The traditional and the effective deterrents are the cedar and the lavender — the cedar chest or the cedar blocks (the aromatic cedar, which repels the moth with the cedar's natural oil), and the lavender sachets (which repel and which smell clean, not musty). Both are effective, both are non-toxic, and both need the cedar re-sanded or the lavender replaced each season to keep the active oil present. The deterrent that does not work is the mothball (naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) — it kills the moth, but it off-gasses a persistent, toxic odor that the coat absorbs and that takes weeks to air out, and it is the one to avoid for the health and the smell. The deterrent that is the clean and the effective is the cedar and the lavender.

The Breathable Storage

The storage is the environment that protects the coat through the summer, and the breathable is the non-negotiable. The protocol: a breathable cotton or canvas garment bag (never the plastic dry-cleaning bag, which traps the moisture and the off-gassing and yellows the fabric over the months), in a dry, dark, temperature-stable closet. The coat hangs on a sturdy, broad-shouldered hanger that supports the weight and the shape — never a wire hanger, which distorts the shoulders and leaves the dimples. The closet is dry (a dehumidifier in the humid summer, or the cedar that also absorbs the moisture), dark (the light fades the dye), and free of the food and the other attractants. Never store a coat in a basement (the humidity mildews) or an attic (the heat and the fluctuation damage the fiber and the lining).

The Coat-Specific Protocols

Wool and cashmere. Dry-clean at the season end (one clean per season is enough; more wears the fiber), and store in a breathable bag with the cedar blocks in the closet. The cedar is the moth deterrent and the moisture absorber for the wool.

Down. Wash per the down protocol (front-loader, down detergent, low dryer with the tennis balls), and store uncompressed — hang in a breathable bag or store loosely in a large cotton sack, never in the compression bag that flattens the loft.

Synthetic fill. Wash on a gentle cycle and a low dry, and store hanging or loosely folded in a breathable bag. The synthetic is the most forgiving and the least attractive to the moth, but the body oil still needs the clean.

Fur. A furrier's cold storage only — the professional's humidity- and temperature-controlled vault that the home closet cannot replicate. Never store a fur in a home closet for the summer; the heat dries the leather and the humidity mildews the pelt, and the damage is the one no cleaner reverses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to clean a winter coat before storing it for the summer?

Yes. The body oil, the food, and the perspiration are what the clothes moths feed on and what the mildew colonizes. A clean coat is far less attractive to the moth and does not mildew.

How do I store a wool coat for the summer?

Dry-clean at the season end, hang on a broad-shouldered hanger in a breathable cotton garment bag, with cedar blocks or lavender sachets in a dry, dark, temperature-stable closet. Never the plastic dry-cleaning bag.

Do mothballs work for coat storage?

They kill the moth, but they off-gas a persistent, toxic odor that the coat absorbs for weeks. Cedar and lavender are the clean, non-toxic deterrents that work without the off-gassing.

Can I store a down coat in a compression bag?

No. The compression flattens the loft for the months of storage, and the down may not fully recover. Store down uncompressed — hanging in a breathable bag or loose in a large cotton sack.

How do I store a fur coat for the summer?

A furrier's cold storage only — the professional's humidity- and temperature-controlled vault. A home closet's heat and humidity dry the leather and mildew the pelt, and the damage is irreversible.

The Bottom Line on Coat Storage

Clean before the storage, cedar and lavender for the moth, breathable bag on a broad-shouldered hanger, dry and dark and temperature-stable. That is the protocol that brings a winter coat out of the summer closet as fresh as it went in — and for outerwear you would rather hand off, our Drop Off Wash & Fold teams across Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Burlington handle the end-of-season clean.