Storing winter clothes

[mjr]

Would anyone know the best way to store winter clothes and winter coats to keep possible mice away? Are heavy plastic garment bags good? One winter I went to get a coat from the closet to wear and put my hand in the pocket . . .lo and behold. . . . some critter had gotten into the pocket and was storing away dry dog food!

Thanks!

[richshelpmeet]

We live in a small home without even a basement for storage. And in having a small house, we, too, must rotate our clothing out as the seasons change. We have been doing this for over 10 years now and have come up with somewhat of a system.
What works for us (to store off season clothing and keep rodents and bugs away) is to buy those plastic storage totes. We like the 18 or 20 gallon size. We label them as "off season clothing" so they are easily found when it is time to bring out the next season's clothing. They might smell a little bit like "plastic" when they first come out of the bins, but I just hang them on the line and that freshens them right up. You do not have to buy more totes/bins each season, just rotate your clothes thru the same ones. Also be sure to buy your totes/bins with good tight fitting lids. With some cheap storage totes, the lids can easily pop off if disturbed much.
Our experience with heavy garmet bags is not good. Mice chew through these easily. And once, mice got into our shed and made a nest of one article of clothing!