Cover Me
Students seek storage solutions
Anticipating a weather change, Sarah Riffle, Kansas City, Kan., senior, packed up shorts and sleeveless shirts one morning late in October and unpacked sweaters and jeans that evening.
For many students, the winter wardrobe transition is not that easy. Out-of-state students must find other accommodations for winter clothing because a weekend trip home usually involves buying plane tickets.
Rebecca Holden, Dallas senior, said she tried one year to lug her winter clothes on an airplane and never would do it again.
"It was horrible," she said. "I had my sweaters in a Hefty bag over my shoulder because there was no room in my suitcase. I got on the plane seconds before takeoff and had to walk all the way to the back of the full plane with a trash bag over my shoulder, bumping everyone's heads.
"Somebody yelled from the back, 'You're a month early, Santa.' Then there wasn't even any room for it on the plane," she said.
This is the feeling most college students have: There just isn't enough room. A limited amount of space is available to college students, especially in residence halls, fraternity and sorority houses, and scholarship halls.
"There's barely enough room for my wardrobe now, much less storage," said Chelsi Hayden, Alexandria, Va., sophomore. "It's impossible to fit four months' worth of coats, sweaters, boots and pants into one tiny closet."
Out-of-state students have come up with innovative solutions for storing winter clothes, such as selling extra clothing at secondhand stores.
Arizona Trading Company, 734 Massachusetts St., pays 40 percent of cash value for seasonal clothing or gives a 60-percent in-store trade. This is an appealing option for
many students because they don't have to find more room for clothes.
Other students choose to store clothes with friends or relatives who live near Lawrence. However, this can turn into a disaster. Last year Carol Thobae, Houston senior, stored her winter wardrobe at a friend's house. When she went to get her clothes, her friends realized that they had left the clothes behind when they moved out.
"The new residents of the house sold my entire suitcase of winter clothes at a garage sale, so I spent all last winter scrounging up money to buy clothes at the outlet mall and secondhand stores," Thobae said.
Until two years ago, dry cleaners would store clothing. Although this service no longer is offered, people have been known to take items in for cleaning and not pick them up for a few months.
"After about two months, we have to call people and remind them that their winter clothes are on our racks," said Jeff Davidson, an employee of Acme Dry Cleaners, 1015 W. 23rd St. "We are not responsible for holding their items after that."
Although Lawrence cleaners no longer provide garment storage, they do provide services to prepare clothing for storage.
Lawrence cleaners offer an odorless, chemical mothproofing treatment for winter clothes. The service is available from April to June. After the clothes have been treated, they are placed in plastic bags and ready to store.
"The key is to make sure your clothes are clean before you store them," said Laurie Clark, plant manager at Scotch Fabric Care Services. 1026 Massachusetts St.
Moths eat bacteria on soiled clothing, producing holes in the garment, she said.
Tom Leininger / KANSAN
Many students don't have room to store off-season clothes. Some don't even have enough space for one season's wardrobe.
Once clothes are clean, they are ready to be stored until next winter. The best way to store clothing is in a cedar closet, said Ken Campbell, owner of Campbell's Clothing, 841 Massachusetts St. "This keeps them safe from moths and eliminates the odor that comes with using moth balls."
—BY COURTNEY TUGGLE
1995-12 Hill • December 6,