I pulled a box of summer clothes out of the garage last year and the whole bin smelled like a wet basement. Every single shirt had to be rewashed. The smell came from packing them slightly damp and slightly dirty, and then sealing them in plastic where the moisture had nowhere to go.

This year I did it differently and everything came out clean.

What actually matters

1. Wash everything first. Deodorant residue and body oil are what turn into that musty smell over months in storage.
2. Dry it completely. Like, run the dryer an extra ten minutes completely. Damp clothes in a bin is the number one cause of mildew.
3. Skip the plastic bags. Use breathable bins or cotton bags so any leftover moisture can escape.
4. Toss in a cedar block or a sachet. Cedar repels moths and keeps the air fresh without smelling like laundry detergent.

If your bins already smell

• Wipe the bin out with vinegar and let it dry in the sun before you refill it.
• A few sheets of newspaper balled up in the bottom absorb odor and moisture better than you’d expect.

The extra wash-dry step felt like overkill at the time. Then I opened the bins in October and everything just smelled like nothing, which is the whole goal.