Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Storing down comforters for the summer with limited closet space - how to?
New Posts  All Forums:
 

Storing down comforters for the summer with limited closet space - how to?

post #1 of 12
6/19/12 at 11:37am
Thread Starter 

Sometimes I heat fluff and de-lint them in the dryer and then wrap them in flat sheets, and label with masking tape, and then cram them into drawers (1 per), or stack them in closets where they fall over a lot and take up so much space. Other ideas? And do you store them in their covers, or store those separately?

 

Thanks.

 

(I'm not yet ready to give them up, love them so in the winter...)

Sponsored Links
post #2 of 12
6/19/12 at 1:52pm
I just fold it best I can and shove it on a shelf in my hall closet. It has a duvet that I just leave on it.

I stopped using it in may and will probably break it out late September. Maybe more of an issue if it would be sitting longer, but it's 20 yrs old and doing well despite cats and kids.
post #3 of 12
6/19/12 at 10:20pm
The vacuum space saver bags work really well for this.
post #4 of 12
6/20/12 at 6:18am

You can vacuum the air out with them in a garbage bag, too. I fold them, stuff them in a bag, and deflate them. Then they take up a lot less space.

post #5 of 12
6/20/12 at 10:05am
Thread Starter 

Oh what??? A vacuum and a garbage bag? Great! I love solutions that get around the marketing of a must-have new product. I did try to fall in love with the space bags that they sell for this purpose but I found the plastic too fragile and the ziplocks not locking.

 

Just about to pull the first ones from the dryer - will get my garbage bags and vacuum ready!

post #6 of 12
6/20/12 at 10:57am
Thread Starter 

update - hmmm, the vacuum part didn't work, but the garbage bag part did. I folded 2 inside a large study bag and knelt on it and smoothed out a lot of air and taped the opening closed.  But I think the slippery quality on the shelf... not so much.

post #7 of 12
6/21/12 at 5:48pm

Sorry for the less than helpful suggestion. I must gave a super-powered vacuum! Nice improvising! My closet has a wrap around shelf, and I can kinda wedge them in so they don't fall. Hmm... I will think on ways to keep them from slipping off the shelf.

post #8 of 12
6/21/12 at 6:19pm
Thread Starter 

not at all - it was inspiring! I love the aspect of not buying something NEW to make a solution. 

post #9 of 12
6/26/12 at 12:05pm

Can you pack it away inside an empty suitcase?

post #10 of 12
6/26/12 at 5:51pm

We have a heavier comforter for "winter" (this is San Diego) and an extra-lightweight down "blanket" for summer. Whichever one we are not using is stored in a pillow case on the top of our closet where nothing else would likely be anyway...on the very top of a stack of long, flat boxes that would ordinarily be under the average person's bed. LOL I prefer to have a clear space under our bed. We sleep better that way.

 

The winter comforter requires two king-size pillow cases. I use the jersey knit ones where we repurposed the sheets since we did not like them for sleeping. We fold the freshly aired and sun-freshened comforter (hung out on the line in the hot spring sun for several hours) as tightly as possible and cram it into one case, then push and pull and cram it the opposite way into the second case so the entire comforter is covered. This compresses it significantly and avoids plastic.

 

The summer down blanket fits in either two regular size pillow cases the same way or just one of the king cases above and fold the end over to discourage spiders and such.

 

We store all of our travel gear in our largest suitcase. Otherwise, I love that idea!

post #11 of 12
6/26/12 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan View Post

 

The winter comforter requires two king-size pillow cases. I use the jersey knit ones where we repurposed the sheets since we did not like them for sleeping. 

 

Great repurposing! But I guess it wouldn't count as simplifying if I have to buy some new jersey linens... Love this idea. That material sticks to the shelf too, more or less.

 

Our suitcases are also holding other suitcases, but if they weren't - also cool.

post #12 of 12
6/26/12 at 6:35pm

Probably not, but perhaps a thrift store find would be okay? Or asking around? The fabric does indeed "stick" or "grab" the surface nicely, which is precisely why we did not care for them as sheets. LOL

New Posts  All Forums:
 
  Return Home
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Storing down comforters for the summer with limited closet space - how to?