Plastic Bags and Suits

[Highlander]

Just wondering, bought a new suit, and Jos A Bank gave me a plastic bag to bring it home in... I have been told not to store garments in the plastic bags from the cleaners,(as they have acidic issues) but just wondered everyone's thoughts on using the bag from the clothing store???

 

[Vintage lover]

Even Penny's gives you a suit bag, so to me it seems odd that Jos. A Bank would abstain from doing the same.

 

[Tomasso]

I use the large canvas storage bags where multiple items can be stored. They allows the clothes to breath while keeping them dust and moth free. The individual suit storage bags will allow both to enter through the hanger opening.

The plastic jobs the stores hand out are just meant to get the clothes home clean and dry, with a little advertising thrown in...

 

[2manyhats]

Maybe, they don't have as much business so they have to use plastic? The Jos. A. Bank I go to has given me a heavy bag last time I bought a suit. [huh]

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Your instincts are correct. DO NOT store clothes in the flimsy plastic bags like the cleaners use. I have some of them folded on a shelf, ready for when I might need to temporarily cover something. The other night, I grabbed one and it was an oily, sticky, slimy, gummy mess... The thing was degrading back into it's fossil fuel origins. Imagine that happening while it's on a nice suit.

 

[Tailor Tom]

My little bit....

DO NOT store your suits, your investments in a any plastic, ever!

The chemical processes used by most cleaners are quite harsh and your garments need to "breath" The plastic is merely there to keep them from getting dirty again on the way home.

Garments stored in plastic for long periods can lead to all kinds of problems. Humidity can build up in the interior and can cause mold. If bugs nest inside, that can create problems as well.

if you can not find cloth bags, you are better off just draping an old sheet of a few suits to keep the dust off them. That way they can still breath.

 

[Lokar]

What I usually do with those plastic bags is cut them so they're only about 3-4 inches long from the hole the hanger goes through. That way, if I am putting a suit away for a while, but not long enough to justify putting it into storage, no dust will settle on the shoulders, but it will still be able to breathe.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

What I usually do with those plastic bags is cut them so they're only about 3-4 inches long from the hole the hanger goes through. That way, if I am putting a suit away for a while, but not long enough to justify putting it into storage, no dust will settle on the shoulders, but it will still be able to breathe.

... the flimsy plastic bags like the cleaners use...it was an oily, sticky, slimy, gummy mess... The thing was degrading back into it's fossil fuel origins. Imagine that happening while it's on a nice suit.

shakeshead

 

[Lokar]

Oh, not the cleaner bags. I meant the kind you sometimes get when you buy a suit. I almost never dry clean, I just spot clean if I need to.

(Edit: Maybe I should have read the thread - I assumed this referred to the proper suit carry bags you get, made of a thicker fabricish plastic (I assume polyester), not the tiny see-through ones that are similar to cleaner bags. That'll show me for not reading!)

 

[Tomasso]

Oh, not the cleaner bags. I meant the kind you sometimes get when you buy a suit.

I too assumed that Highlander was referring to the zippered garment bags emblazoned with the store name.

 

[Tomasso]

What I usually do with those plastic bags is cut them so they're only about 3-4 inches long from the hole the hanger goes through. That way, if I am putting a suit away for a while, but not long enough to justify putting it into storage, no dust will settle on the shoulders, but it will still be able to breathe.

 

[Vintage lover]

I assumed Highlander was referring to your average plastic bag. Observe if you will...