Vintage Military Wool Overcoats: Storage & Care?

[crazylegsmurphy]

Hello,

I recently moved to the mild west coast, so unfortunately I am not getting as much use out of my vintage military will overcoats as I would like. As such, I would like to store them in a way that will keep them safe from the moist air and wool moths. I also want to make sure I don't misshape them in anyway.

Do you guys have any recommendations for the best way to do this?

Also, can you recommend a garment brush for use on vintage wool?

Thanks,

CLM

 

[kampkatz]

A cedar closet would be the ideal place to store the wool garments. Any good stiff clothing brush should be safe. You could check with the local dry cleaner for any tips they may have.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Buy a dozen clothes hangers with extra wide shoulders so they don't distort the shoulders of your coats or stretch them (see below). These are available in wood and plastic, but plastic is fine (and cheaper). These can be bought for a few dollars from any retail store supplier, i.e. a store that supplies stores.

Clothing bags can also be bought, which keeps dust off your coats, and if moths are a problem in your neck of the woods a few mothballs can be put into each bag.

Peacoat will have specific ideas about how to store wool outerwear in moth infested areas of the continent.

 

[Peacoat]

Dr. Damage is on the right track with those hangers, although I use the ones that are substantially larger. As doc stated, storing your coats in plastic bags with a little moth protection inside will work well if you don't have a cedar closet. I have a cedar armoire, but it only holds maybe 10 coats. I have several closets that are dedicated to peacoats and leather jackets with mouton collars and linings, as well as wool linings. I use moth protection for the entire closet. It gets complicated with the larger the number of coats, and I have a lot of wool to protect.

Brushing the coats is simpler. I like those one way fabric brushes. I have large ones as well as a bunch of smaller ones that I keep in the pockets of my peacoats. That way I can brush them off immediately after wearing. With these brushes, it only takes less than a minute.

Your wool coats should be dry cleaned at the end of the season to get any food particles off of them that may have accumulated over the winter. Moths love food particles. If your coats are stored in the plastic cleaner bags that are sealed, that will go a long way toward protecting against moths; they just don't like the dry cleaning odor. Nor do they like the plastic bags.

Here is the type of brush I like:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/ho...4878&sst=681f7a52-06a1-caa8-5b72-000017fed09c

Good luck. Of course you could always move back to a more wool friendly climate where you could enjoy the winter seasons by wearing your coats and jackets. I am ready for cool weather! PC.

 

[leafandarrow]

Here in VT I store the woolens in canvas bags (hanging for coats, stacking for sweaters). I use the mega thick, wooden ( same as I use for heavy leather jackets) hangers for heavier coats to preserve the shoulder and prevent hanger rub. I have never seen the effective properties of cedar wood, as the cedar oil which is a moth preventative only lasts for a season in the wood, which then needs to be sanded and reoiled. Cedar oil works pretty well however. I make linen bag sachets out of nightcap pipe tobacco soaked in cedar oil, and throw them in the bottom of each bag. Traders on the great Silk Road used to store wool with tobacco, because the nicotine in the tobacco is a natural insecticide (light 'em if ya got 'em). Also, your woolens will smell like heaven with this method.

Also I'd like to stress- never store anything in dry cleaning bags, the plastic is cheap, releases constant VOCs that turn natural fabrics yellow and makes wool brittle. Definitely dry clean after every season before storing, but don't store in the bag (or on those crap wire hangers)!

Good luck

Dr. Damage is on the right track with those hangers, although I use the ones that are substantially larger. As doc stated, storing your coats in plastic bags with a little moth protection inside will work well if you don't have a cedar closet. I have a cedar armoire, but it only holds maybe 10 coats. I have several closets that are dedicated to peacoats and leather jackets with mouton collars and linings, as well as wool linings. I use moth protection for the entire closet. It gets complicated with the larger the number of coats, and I have a lot of wool to protect.

Brushing the coats is simpler. I like those one way fabric brushes. I have large ones as well as a bunch of smaller ones that I keep in the pockets of my peacoats. That way I can brush them off immediately after wearing. With these brushes, it only takes less than a minute.

Your wool coats should be dry cleaned at the end of the season to get any food particles off of them that may have accumulated over the winter. Moths love food particles. If your coats are stored in the plastic cleaner bags that are sealed, that will go a long way toward protecting against moths; they just don't like the dry cleaning odor. Nor do they like the plastic bags.

Here is the type of brush I like:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/ho...4878&sst=681f7a52-06a1-caa8-5b72-000017fed09c

Good luck. Of course you could always move back to a more wool friendly climate where you could enjoy the winter seasons by wearing your coats and jackets. I am ready for cool weather! PC.

 

[Jeff Walker]

Hey,

Crazylegsmurphy here. I think my account may have been hacked or something. I can no longer log in, I am not getting any response from the admin, and nothing I do will recover my password. I am hoping to get it sorted, but in the mean time I wanted to thank you for your responses.

I am attempting to get this account deleted (I don't want my real name here) and my other one working. When/if that happens I'll respond.

Thanks for your understanding.

CLM

 

[Dumpster Diver]

Lavender Keeps moths away and smells Nice.

 

[Deacon211]

Lavender Keeps moths away and smells Nice.

Yeah, I read that too. I have a stocking from my wife filled with Lavender and spritzed with essential oil in my jacket armoire.




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[Spoonbelly]

I have 10 wool US Navy pea coats. From April through Oct. I put each one in a separate vinyl clothes/coat bag, and hang each coat on an extra shoulder long plastic hanger. Instead of putting mothballs in every coat I leave a box of moth balls opened so that everything in the closet gets fumigated including wool sweaters, etc. The only drawback is that everything smells of moth balls. I probably should just put a few in the pockets of each item.