Easy Halloween Costume Storage for Kids

Sharing is caring!

Easy Halloween Costume Storage for Kids!

Over the years, Halloween costumes that we purchase, or make for our kids, can really add up. If you are like our family, we like to keep costumes on hand for future Halloween events, as well as special dress up occasions at church or school.

My mom enjoyed making costumes for my sister and I when we were little. When I became a mom I wanted to do the same for my kids. I really loved coming up with costume ideas, sewing them, and seeing the ideas come to life! I appreciated that I could store and save costumes so my younger bundles of joy could wear and enjoy them once they grew into them.

I know sewing and making costumes isn’t exciting for everyone. Whether you make costumes or buy them, protecting them from the elements is important!

Having easy halloween costume storage for kids will keep your children’s costumes organized, contained, and safe from dust and bugs too! Ultimately, by having the costumes organized, they will take up less space and be easy to find!

IN A HURRY? >> Find Costume Storage Ideas Here

Before you start to get your costumes organized, it’s important to:

1. Go through your inventory of costumes. You may not want to keep costumes that:

• Your children have outgrown
• Are beyond repair or damaged
• No one in the family will want to wear ever again. (Sometimes we have had flops when designing costumes!)

2. Wash the costumes. 

• Machine wash – This is a good option if the costume does not have detailed elements like beading. You can use a gentle cycle for washing and hang dry to keep fabric from looking too worn.
• Hand wash – This is good for anything that has special details or is fragile. A tutu is a great example of this.
• Spot wash – Best for outfits that have stuffing or made out of material that isn’t traditional fabrics. I love to create costumes out of felt, but unfortunately can only be spot cleaned.

COSTUME STORAGE BAGS

Using storage bags for your costumes can keep them dust free and make them easy to store. Plastic bags can make it easy to slide under the bed, stack in storage spaces, and easily transport to events.

I have used plastic bags that are left over from bed comforters or sheet packaging. I am careful, however, to make sure that the plastic bag zips completely and there are no open spaces. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose if dust and bugs can still find their way in. I also like using the front cardboard label to turn around and relabel!

SPACE BAGS!

SpaceSaver Premium Storage Bags – FREE Hand-Pump for Travel – 6 Pack

There are also quality storage bags that are fairly inexpensive on Amazon. You can either store them vertically, or you can have the ability to hang costumes in a closet. I do both of these options depending on how big and heavy the costume is.

Space bags will obviously save you space and keep your costumes well protected from the elements. You can use a vacuum or the hand pump that is provided to get the air out of bag.

I have used these and not only are they fun to suck the air out of, they save a ton of space, (they become little pancakes), and I know my textiles are protected.

These bags also give flexibility when storing since they have soft sides.

Simple gallon bags or plastic shoe box containers can be an easy way to contain small pieces and accessories that go with a costume. It’s a bummer when you get excited to wear a costume you have been saving, only to find that the pig’s snout is missing from the rest of the costume!

Flexible cloth under bed storage is another option hold loose accessories too!

HANGING BAGS

Below shows hanging bags for costumes. I like to use these for clothing that I don’t want to get wrinkled. I keep cedar hangers in closet to help keep the pests away from our clothes.

COSTUME STORAGE BOX

Like the storage bags, storage boxes are simple to stack and store. They also keep garments from getting dusty and critters making a home sweet home.

Storage boxes may be easier to stack than storage bags, since they the bags may need to lean against something in order to be stable. There are also storage boxes available that can be slid under a bed if you don’t have a storage area.

Using a storage box can also make it easy to store props with the costumes and keep them from getting lost. Suggestions for keeping props from getting crushed and separated from the costumes include small plastic shoe boxes or gallon sized storage bags.

PLAY COSTUME STORAGE

See and Store Dress Up Center Pink – Armoire, Dresser Kids’ Furniture

Of course some care-free and spirited children LOVE to wear costumes ALL YEAR ROUND!

I once had a little princess that didn’t see what the big deal was to wear a fancy dress to run errands. (It’s too bad we lose that care free spirit as we get older!)

Of course she keeps that tradition alive by wearing mismatched socks most days!

Having a space that the kids can get their costumes easily and hang back up will keep the floors clear, and help to keep the costumes last longer.

KEEPING COSTUMES FRESH

Have you ever stored clothes for a season or to saved costumes for the next child in line? You may have experienced the smell of opening a container of clothes after a long period of time, like the smell of walking into a second hand shop. Not the most pleasant!

To avoid this smell and keep costumes fresh and not musty, there are some simple solutions.

• Cedar – It repeals moths and beetles as well as absorbs smells. I recently learned that you can revive cedar by gently sanding it!
• Lavender – One of my favorite smells! You can add a small bag to storage container, or hanging bag, to keep away the bugs as well as working as an antibacterial and anti-fungal agent!
• Dryer sheets – These can be placed in container in between costumes, or you can punch hole in sheet and hang on hanger hook.

 

Hanging Moisture Absorber Lavender Vanilla, 3-PackGolden Bamboo, Mini Activated Charcoal- Air Purifying BagsMoth Repellent Sachets with Pure Natural Lavender

It’s cool that there are a number of options available to keep costumes and clothes that are stored fresh and away from bugs. Mothballs aren’t the only way!

WHEN THE PARTY IS OVER

Costumes can be a real investment of time and money. Keeping them safe from the elements for long periods of time, even for years, is valuable. Especially if you want to re-wear costumes or want your younger kids to enjoy them too.

When your family is done enjoying the costumes, and you are ready to part with them, there are great organizations that will be grateful for your donations! 

I know in the county we live in, they have a costume shop. This shop allows schools and students to borrow costumes for school plays and events. If only they would use my tips on how to keep them fresh and smelling good!

Have fun looking through your costumes, whether you store them or set up a dress-up area in your child’s room. Taking these steps for easy Halloween costume storage for kids, will in the end keep them fresh, ready to reuse, and pass on for others to enjoy!

Happy Harvest!

Cheering you on to a more simple life!