Storing Hand Block-Print Garments Through Monsoon and Beyond
Hand block-printed cotton and other natural fibres respond to how they're stored, especially through India's humid monsoon months. A few simple habits go a long way toward keeping garments looking and feeling their best over time.
Let Garments Breathe
Avoid packing pieces tightly into airtight plastic bags or vacuum-sealed containers for long stretches, especially during humid months. Trapped moisture against fabric encourages mustiness and mildew. Cotton and other natural-fibre garments do better with some airflow — breathable cotton garment bags or simply leaving space between hangers works better than sealing pieces away. For pieces going away for a whole season, wrap them in a clean muslin cloth or an old, soft cotton saree instead of plastic.
Keep Them Dry Before Storing
Make sure a garment is completely dry — not just surface-dry — before folding or hanging it away, particularly after monsoon-season wear or washing. Any residual dampness in humid air is what invites mildew, not the fabric itself.
Fold Along Existing Lines
For block-print pieces you're not wearing often, folding along the garment's natural seams rather than creating new creases helps prevent permanent crease marks from setting into the print over time. When you take pieces out and put them back, shift the folds slightly each season so no single line carries all the wear.
Watch for Direct Humidity Sources
Avoid storing garments directly against a damp wall, inside a closed cupboard in a bathroom-adjacent room, or anywhere condensation tends to collect. A silica gel sachet tucked into a garment bag during the wettest months can help absorb excess ambient moisture.
Keeping Moths Away
Dried neem leaves are a traditional, gentle way to keep moths away from stored clothes. Tuck a few into the folds or the garment bag, and swap them out if they ever go damp. We'd skip mothballs — the strong chemical smell is very hard to get out of fabric.
A little care between wears keeps hand-printed pieces — like those in our Rangrez Runway and kaftan collections — looking sharp season after season.
