Every spring in the West Island, the same ritual plays out: you swap your heavy wool coats and down parkas for linen shirts and sundresses, and somehow the hall closet still ends up overstuffed. The difference between a smooth changeover and a chaotic one almost always comes down to one thing — cleaning before you store, not after. Here's how to do it properly so your clothes come out next November in exactly the condition they went in.
Why You Should Clean Before Storing (Not After)
It's tempting to hang a coat back on the rail and deal with it in the fall. Resist that urge. Body oils, invisible food splatter, and deodorant residue left in fabric over several months can oxidize into permanent yellow stains that no cleaner — dry or otherwise — can fully reverse. They also attract fabric-eating moths and silverfish, which are genuinely active in Montreal's humid summers.
The rule is simple: nothing goes into storage dirty. Even if a garment looks clean, if you wore it more than once this season, it needs attention before it's packed away.
How to Properly Store Winter Coats
Wool, cashmere, and structured coats
- Have them professionally dry cleaned to remove oils and odours that home washing can't fully address without risking shrinkage or shape loss.
- Store on wide, padded hangers inside a breathable cotton garment bag — never sealed plastic, which traps moisture and causes yellowing.
- Add cedar blocks or lavender sachets near (not touching) the fabric as a moth deterrent. Replace cedar annually once the scent fades.
Down and synthetic-fill parkas
- Most down parkas can be machine washed on a gentle cycle with a down-specific detergent, then dried on low heat with two or three clean tennis balls to re-loft the fill.
- Check the care label first — some technical shells are water-resistant-treated and should be professionally cleaned to preserve the DWR coating.
- Store loosely folded or hanging in a cool, dry space. Compressing down long-term breaks down the clusters over time.
Leather and suede jackets
These should never go into storage without conditioning. Dry leather cracks in storage. Wipe down smooth leather with a damp cloth, apply a leather conditioner, and let it dry completely before storing in a breathable bag. Suede is considerably more finicky — if it's picked up salt stains or watermarks over winter, professional cleaning is the only reliable way to remove them without damaging the nap. This is one of the services Nova Dry Clean handles for West Island clients, along with conditioning and finishing.
Preparing Summer Clothes That Have Been in Storage
Before you pack coats away, you need to bring summer clothes out — and those shouldn't go straight onto your body without inspection either.
- Check for set stains. A stain you missed last September has had months to bond with the fabric. Treat it immediately rather than washing and hoping — heat from the dryer will lock it in permanently.
- Air everything out first. Even freshly cleaned clothes stored for months can develop a stale, slightly musty odour. Hang them outside or near an open window for a few hours before wearing.
- Look for moth damage. Small irregular holes, especially in natural fibres like wool or silk blends, are a sign you have a moth problem. Address the storage space before putting anything back in it.
- Re-press linens and cottons. Folded storage creates deep creases. A quick steam press restores the look without re-washing items that don't need it.
When to Call in a Professional
Home care works well for most everyday items, but some garments need more than a washing machine can safely offer. Structured wool coats, tailored blazers, leather pieces, heavily embellished items, and anything with a care label that reads dry clean only all benefit from professional handling — not just for cleanliness, but for maintaining the structure and finish that make them worth keeping.
If you're based in the West Island and have a stack of coats, curtains that came down for the season, or a pile of home textiles that need freshening before storage, Nova Dry Clean offers pickup and delivery service Monday through Friday 8am–8pm and Saturday 9am–5pm, with a $50 minimum order for pickup. You can reach them at (438) 230-1800 or book through novadryclean.com. It's genuinely easier than hauling everything to a drop-off location yourself.
Done right, the seasonal changeover takes a couple of hours once a year and saves you from finding damaged, stained, or musty clothes right when you actually need them. That's a trade worth making.
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