Many of us take the summer clothes out of the closet and replace them with winter clothes. Or, we do the opposite because there is no room for clothes of all seasons. So, when a new season approaches, we take out the clothing we won’t be wearing that season. It’s such a bit hassle, though. And, when you break out the clothing from the last season you often see that the clothing doesn’t look like it did when you put it away. Now you have wrinkles in the garments and have to iron, put them in the dryer, or treat them with a wrinkle-release product. But when you make a simple adjustment to an ordinary cardboard box you do away with every bit of that hassle. Whether you need to store clothing for the season, or you’re moving and you don’t want your garments all wrinkled, you’ll be able to keep your hanging clothes still hanging – and neat as can be.
I used a large cardboard box to make a storage unit. A good choice for a box is one that is a bit taller than a blouse is long. A wide box will ensure you also have room for many garments. Near the top of the box, on two opposite sides, poke a hole. The holes should be the same distance from the top and exactly across from each other. That’s it. With just the two holes the moving or storage box is ready to assemble.
All you need now is a dowel rod and two wooden balls. You’ll find both at a home improvement or craft store. The rod should be cut so that it’s a couple of inches longer than the width of the box. Wooden balls are made to fit on the ends of wooden dowels. Purchase the appropriate balls for the selected dowel and it will take just a couple of minutes to assemble the moving box.
To hang the garments, take the dowel and slide it up under existing, hanging garments. Lift them off all at once. Lower one end of the rod into the box and through one hole. As you do this, hold the garments in place. Slide the rod way out one side of the box, settle the clothing inside the box, then position the rod so that it goes through the other hole as well. Put the wooden balls on the ends of the dowel, on the outside of the box, to secure the dowel.
With the clothes hanging on a rod inside the moving or storage box you’ll find that most of the clothing will have no wrinkles. For long garments, like dresses or jeans, take the hems and pin them up at the shoulders with clothes pins. This will keep them neat and tidy. In fact, all of your garments will come out looking just like they did when you boxed them.