In Portugal, and across Europe, summer is that time of year when the days simply feel happier. No rain, no strong winds, no excess pollen, and none of that constant grey sky that just makes you want to stay in bed. We look forward to summer with excitement and want to make the most of it.

But before saying goodbye to the cold, it’s important to take good care of your winter, autumn, and spring clothes. After all, they’re what keep us warm during the harshest months. In this article, we’ll explain how to store your cold-weather clothing in the right way: properly, practically, and safely.

1. Wash before storing

This is the first golden rule: always wash all items before putting them away. Even if they don’t look dirty, they accumulate dust, sweat, dead skin, and even invisible particles. All of this attracts microorganisms and even insects, which can damage the fabric or affect the appearance and comfort of your clothes.

Pay special attention to down jackets, pure wool items, or structured overcoats. Washing these types of garments at home can affect their thermal performance or even alter their original shape. If possible, take them to a specialised dry cleaner.

Since you’re washing your clothes, make sure there’s no trace of moisture left. Humidity is the biggest enemy of stored winter clothing. It can lead to mould growth and end up ruining everything.

Don’t forget to include winter footwear: boots, rain shoes, and any heavy or bulky shoes. Clean them thoroughly before storing and, if you like, place a small bar of soap inside the box, even a neutral one, to keep everything smelling fresh.

2. Strategic packing

When it comes to packing your clothes, whether personal items, bedding or shoes, plastic boxes are often the go-to choice, as it’s easy to see what’s inside. However, there’s always the concern about humidity. The good news is that at Control Space, you can safely use cardboard boxes: they’re more affordable, easier to find and handle, and the environment is fully prepared to protect them.

As for organising, it’s simple: label each box with the type of clothing or the name of the person it belongs to. You can sort by colour, material, or even by categories like coats, vests, scarves, etc. And why not invest in scented sachets made for fabrics? Some even have anti-mould and anti-moth properties. That way, your clothes will come out of storage smelling and feeling fresh.

3. Use vacuum bags to save space

One of the best ways to store winter clothing and save space is by using vacuum bags. The weight remains the same, of course, but the volume is significantly reduced — and that makes all the difference. You can even combine this solution with using travel suitcases to store your clothes, especially those large ones you rarely use day-to-day. Just leave out the small backpacks or weekend bags, which might still come in handy for short getaways with light packing.

4. Give new life to what you no longer wear

If you're someone who follows trends and worries that your winter clothes might be out of style next season, take a deep breath, no need to panic. Fashion is cyclical, and there are always creative ways to repurpose what you already own.

If there are items you know you won’t wear again, consider donating them. In Lisbon, Porto and several other cities across Portugal, there are donation and clothing swap initiatives worth checking out — like the Let's Swap project, which runs thoughtful clothing swap markets in Lisbon and Porto, or Humana shops, already well known by many. Besides refreshing your wardrobe, you’re contributing to the reuse of clothes instead of buying new ones, which also helps reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry, still one of the most polluting in the world.

5. Where to store it?

You can store all this at home, if you have a large enough wardrobe, of course. Place the suitcases, boxes or containers with your winter clothes on the top shelves and keep only what you’ll need for the current season within easy reach. It’s a practical and smart way to stay organised. But let’s be honest: having lots of space at home is a real luxury, especially if you live in busy cities like Lisbon or Porto.

Using a small or medium-sized self-storage unit is now one of the most practical solutions for those living in high-cost urban areas. The cost per square metre of a storage unit is certainly much more economical than moving to a larger home just for extra space. Check our pricing table.

If your choice is to take better control of your organisation, at Control Space you’ll find storage units starting from just 1m², where you can make the most of the height, stack boxes and only pay for the space you truly need. Explore our locations and choose the unit closest to you, whether it's your home, workplace, your parents' place or any other spot that fits easily into your daily routine.