{"id":3602,"date":"2026-10-15T13:33:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T05:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dragobarzini.com\/blog\/?p=3602"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:33:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T05:33:50","slug":"how-to-store-knitted-fabric-properly-4dc1-e7e1fe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dragobarzini.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/15\/how-to-store-knitted-fabric-properly-4dc1-e7e1fe\/","title":{"rendered":"How to store knitted fabric properly?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone! If you\u2019re here, odds are you\u2019re either a fellow maker, a small clothing brand owner, or maybe even another fabric supplier who\u2019s dealt with the headache of perfectly good knitted fabric going to waste because it wasn\u2019t stored right. Let me start by being real\u2014 I\u2019ve been in the knitted fabric game for over a decade now, and I\u2019ve seen it all: bulk rolls of soft cotton jersey that got mildewed in a damp warehouse, colorful acrylic yarn blends that turned crispy from being crumpled in a sunny corner, even merino wool that got all moth-eaten because I skipped a basic step once. Trust me, bad storage doesn\u2019t just ruin fabric\u2014 it wastes your money, your time, and that perfect material you spent weeks sourcing. Today, I\u2019m breaking down exactly how we store our own stock here at the supplier side, no fancy jargon, just the stuff that actually works for bulk and yardage alike. Knitted Fabric<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s talk about why knitted fabric is weirdly tricky to store, especially compared to woven stuff (like cotton sheet material or linen). Knits stretch, they have that open loop structure that traps air, they absorb moisture way faster than woven fabrics, and they\u2019re magnets for pests\u2014 moths, silverfish, even that tiny little beetle that lives in dark corners. Woven fabric is pretty flexible, but knits hold their shape because of those tight or loose loops, so if you fold them wrong or hang them wrong, you\u2019ll get creases that never come out, or even permanent stretch marks. I once had a batch of 500 yards of organic bamboo jersey that hung on a too-thick wooden rod for just two weeks\u2014 the weight pulled the entire selvage (that tight finished edge along the sides) into a weird wavy line, and I had to discount it half price because no brand wanted wavy jersey for t-shirts. Lesson learned real fast.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics: storage space prep. You can\u2019t just dump fabric rolls in any old closet, right? First, pick a space that\u2019s cool and dry. I know, I know, that sounds obvious, but how do you actually measure that? We use a cheap little hygrometer that costs like $15\u2014 it tells you humidity and temp. The sweet spot is between 60-70\u00b0F (15-21\u00b0C) and humidity below 50%. Any higher than that, and you\u2019re asking for mold or mildew. We used to store our fabric in the back of our original warehouse, which had a leaky pipe that ran through the wall, and by the time we noticed, three rolls of navy polyester interlock were fuzzy with mildew at the ends\u2014 total loss. Now we insulate our storage area and run a dehumidifier in the off-season (when it\u2019s super humid here in the summer) to keep that level steady. Also, no direct sunlight! UV rays are the #1 enemy of color-fast knits. If your storage space has windows, cover them with blackout curtains or tinted film\u2014 we even had a customer send us photos once of their pink rib knit that turned neon orange in just three months sitting on a window sill. Yikes.<\/p>\n

Next up: how to actually store the fabric\u2014 rolls vs. cut yardage. This is the part most people get wrong. If you\u2019re a supplier like us, you\u2019re dealing mostly with bulk rolls, right? For rolls, never store them horizontally. I see this all the time\u2014 people stack rolls flat like pancakes on top of each other, and the weight of the top rolls squishes the bottom ones, especially stretchy knits like spandex blends. We store all our rolls vertically, standing them on their cut ends (not rolled side down) on sturdy metal racks. The racks are spaced just wide enough for a roll to fit without wobbling, and we don\u2019t stack more than three rolls high\u2014 any higher, and the bottom ones start to deform. Pro tip: wrap each roll in a breathable plastic cover, not the tight shrink wrap you might get when you buy fabric. Shrink wrap traps moisture, even if you dry the fabric before wrapping. We use these thin, perforated poly bags that let air flow but keep dust and bugs out. For the cut yardage we sell to smaller brands (like when someone needs 10 yards for a sample run), we fold them neatly, not in half, but in loose accordion folds. That way, you don\u2019t get sharp creases along the entire length. If you have to hang cut pieces (for fabrics that are super stretchy, like power mesh), use padded hangers\u2014 no wire hangers, they leave rust marks and pull the fabric. And never hang knits longer than, say, a week or two\u2014 they\u2019ll stretch under their own weight. We always tell customers that if they order cut yardage, unfold it right when it arrives, fold it again loosely, and store it in a bin.<\/p>\n

Now the big one: pests. Moths are the worst, especially for natural fiber knits like wool, cotton, cashmere blends, even linen. I\u2019ve heard people say to use moth balls, but those smell so bad that if you store fabric long-term, the smell seeps into the loops and you can\u2019t get it out. We use two things that work way better: cedar sachets and freezing. Wait, freezing? Yeah, if you get a new batch of fabric that hasn\u2019t been in climate-controlled storage, or if you buy secondhand (though we never do secondhand stock), wrapping it in plastic and sticking it in a deep freezer for 48 hours kills any moth eggs or larvae that might be hiding in the loops. No chemicals, no smell. For our regular stock, we swap out cedar sachets every 6 months\u2014 we don\u2019t just leave them forever, because cedar loses its scent and its bug-repelling power over time. Also, keep your storage space clean. We sweep our racks and vacuum the floors every two weeks, because crumbs or lint are like a snack for silverfish. No food or drinks near the storage area, duh. I once had an intern eat a sandwich by the fabric rack, and crumbs got into a roll of terry cloth\u2014 we had to throw that whole roll away because ants moved in. Total rookie mistake, don\u2019t be that intern.<\/p>\n

Wait, what about common fabric-specific quirks? Because storing a silk knit is way different than storing a polyester fleece, right? Let\u2019s break that down real quick. Natural fiber knits (wool, cotton, bamboo, silk) breathe more, so they can handle a tiny bit more humidity, but they also get mildewy faster if it\u2019s too high. We store our organic cotton jersey in those perforated bags, same as all others, but we add an extra cedar sachet since cotton is prone to bugs too. Wool knits\u2014 never hang them, always fold, because hanging stretches them permanently. And if you spill something on a wool knit, don\u2019t store it until it\u2019s completely dry, even if it takes a week. Synthetic knits (spandex, polyester, acrylic) are way tougher, they can handle a little more humidity and even a bit of stacking (though we still don\u2019t stack rolls). But they can get static cling, especially in dry winter months, so we throw a dryer sheet in the bin with them once every few months to keep static down. I once had a customer complain that their spandex blend was all static-y and sticking together\u2014 turns out they wrapped it in tight plastic that trapped static, so swapping to breathable bags fixed that in a week.<\/p>\n

Now, for smaller players\u2014 if you\u2019re a brand owner buying yardage from suppliers like us, you don\u2019t need a whole warehouse, right? You can do most of this in a closet or a spare bedroom. My advice for small storage: use clear plastic bins with tight lids, not cardboard boxes. Cardboard gets damp, bugs chew through it, and you can\u2019t see what\u2019s inside without opening it. Clear bins are cheap, easy to stack, and let you spot mold or bugs before it\u2019s too late. Line the bottom of the bin with a layer of cedar chips (wrapped in cheesecloth so they don\u2019t get all over the fabric), and fold your knits loosely, not tight. And label every bin\u2014 I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve rummaged through my own stock looking for \u201cnavy rib knit, 20 yards\u201d and found a random green jersey instead. Takes two seconds to write the fabric type, color, and yardage on the bin with a marker, saves so much time.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s talk about mistakes we see customers (and even other suppliers) make all the time, so you can avoid them. First: using vacuum storage bags. I know they sound great for saving space, but vacuum bags crush knit loops permanently. Those loops are what make knits soft and stretchy\u2014 if you vacuum them flat, they won\u2019t bounce back, your jersey will be stiff, your rib knit won\u2019t hold its shape. We had a customer send us a roll back once that they\u2019d stored in vacuum bags for six months, and when we unfurled it, it was almost twice as wide as it was long and totally useless. Never use vacuum bags for knits, ever. Second: storing fabric that\u2019s not fully dry. If you just got fabric back from the printer, or washed it (pre-washing is a whole other thing, but that\u2019s another post), make 100% sure it\u2019s 100% dry before storing. Even a tiny bit of moisture will turn into mold in a few weeks, especially in warm storage. Third: overcrowding. Don\u2019t stuff rolls into a rack that\u2019s too small, or cram bins full of yardage. Air needs to flow around the fabric to prevent mildew and bugs. We used to cram rolls into our old warehouse, and we ended up with 10 bad rolls in one month because there was no air flow\u2014 now we leave 6 inches between rolls on the racks, and we haven\u2019t had a mold issue in three years.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, storing knitted fabric well isn\u2019t rocket science\u2014 it\u2019s about being consistent, checking in on your stock every few months, and not cutting corners on the little stuff. That\u2019s why at our knit fabric supply business, we prioritize packaging fabric for storage before it even leaves our warehouse\u2014 we don\u2019t just throw rolls on a pallet and ship them. We wrap them in those perforated poly bags, label every roll clearly, and even add a free cedar sachet with every bulk order, because we know how annoying it is when fabric gets messed up after you take it home.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re a brand owner, maker, or anyone looking to source high-quality knitted fabric that stays perfect from our warehouse to your production floor, hit us up to chat about your needs\u2014 whether you need bulk rolls for a new line, cut yardage for samples, or advice on storage for your own stock, we\u2019re here to help. Don\u2019t let bad storage ruin your next great project\u2014 we\u2019ve got you covered.<\/p>\n

Recycled Polyester Fabric<\/a> References<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Textile Storage Guidelines, National Textile Association, 2022<\/li>\n
  2. Pest Control for Textile and Fabric Storage, Extension Service, University of Kentucky, 2021<\/li>\n
  3. Fabric Care and Storage: Knit Fabric Best Practices, Textile Institute of America, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Shaoxing Valu Textile Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Shaoxing Valu Textile Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional knitted fabric manufacturers and suppliers in China. We have world-leading production equipment and strong manufacturing capabilities. Please feel free to wholesale bulk high quality knitted fabric made in China here from our factory. Also, custom service is available.
    Address: 1904, Building 15, Cross border E-commerce Industrial Park, Keqiao District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
    E-mail: bruce@valutextile.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.valutextile.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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