It pays long-term to embark on a proper organization of your closet or wardrobe. And what better way is there than to have essential suit maintenance tools and other items to keep your garments and accessories tidy, fresh, and in good shape? The time and resources you invest in taking proper care of your outfits and accessories are cost-effective strategies. No doubt, they go far to maintain the sparkle and form of your wardrobe inhabitants for at least a decade, if not more. 

Let's explore the interesting world of wardrobe organization together. How to use essential garment and suit maintenance tools and repair kits are laid out in this guide. Not forgetting care tools for key accessories like shoes and hats. 

And while you read along, sample our menswear collection at the Twelve19Styles store. Discover outstanding men's suits, jackets, outfits, and accessories primed for men of distinction and built with intention - both bespoke and made-to-order.

Wardrobe/Closet Organization - Customized Wardrobes are Excellent 

A well-organized wardrobe, particularly a customized one, gives you many clear advantages. The single clothes bar, cloth hooks, and drawers of a typical closet may not be enough. You can create functional sections that won't go to waste; every section will serve you well. 

Otherwise called ‘closet organization systems’, a well-planned customized wardrobe helps to maximize the space available. Again, your garments will enjoy better airflow and good spacing out. Thus they will suffer much less of those unwanted wrinkles and bunching up. And you can easily identify and pick individual outfits from the lot - your garments will not get mixed up or ‘lost’. With quality maintenance to accompany these benefits, your priced suits and other clothes will outshine a decade in best form and functionality.

Liaise with an adept interior designer or home fittings expert within your locality. He/she can measure the available space and create a robust customized wardrobe within your budget to serve your needs. 

The basic fittings in every closet should include:

• Closet lighting - preferably one with a motion sensor

• Strong Clothes bar(s) (or rail/rod)

• Reach pole (with a hook)

• Clothes hooks

• Step Stool

• Functional drawers

Wardrobe and Suit Care Tools - Our Check List

Here's our go-to list of items that constitute a standard wardrobe maintenance kit - for your suits and garments, shoes, hats, and other accessories.

Lint Roller 

Gently run a lint roller on the surface of your suit, to remove lint and other loose particles on it. Ensure you follow only one direction - across or down - to prevent damaging the fabric. 

But there is a downside to using a lint roller. It cannot reach in-between the threads of the fabric to loosen or remove trapped dust or lint. Yet again, the reversed tape on a lint roller is a single-use component; you must discard it after each use. 

Clothing Brush

Put a soft-bristled clothing brush to work each time you remove your suit. Follow the natural grain of the fabric to gently brush down the suit in order to dislodge lint, dust, dirt, or any hair strands trapped in it. Concentrate more on areas with the most exposure to dirt, like the shoulders or chest regions. 

The good thing is that clothing brushes can last a lifetime, and there are a variety of such brushes for different fabrics and accessories. For instance, have a suede brush for suits and accessories made from suede. To use a suede brush, run it in circular motions over the fabric to maintain its surface quality. Use a typical rectangular clothing brush for garments and overcoats, and a curved brush for hats. There are several brushes you can also use on shoes, as we shall soon see. 

Fabric Shaver/Pill Comb

You can use a fabric shaver or pill comb to gently dislodge any pills or fuzz formed on your suit, particularly wool suits.  

Garment Steamer

We recommend a garment steamer for fast and gentle release of wrinkles from your suit and other garments. With a garment steamer, you can prevent the effect of excess heat on the fabric due to a pressing iron - such as burns or flattening. It disinfects and freshens up clothes as well. 

Steam Iron & Ironing Board

While garment steamers are a safe way to straighten out your suits, you might find yourself with no alternative than to use a pressing iron. In that case, follow the instructions on the garment’s or suit's care label to use a pressing iron at the recommended temperatures. In any case, the pressing iron should not be too hot. Ensure you place a clean pressing cloth on the garment or suit fabric, then run the iron on it with gentle pressure. Better still, use a steam iron for the safe and gentle treatment of the fabric. 

There are standard in-home vacuum ironing boards that prove stronger than traditional ironing boards. They come with a foot-operated fan having a pedal. By pressing the pedal, you draw air downwards through the garment and table. This keeps the garment pressed down on the table with vacuum pressure. Release the pedal in the opposite direction to push up some air from under the garment and loosen it. 

For folks who need to work in smaller spaces, you can can buy a combo iron/ironing board/steamer. The ironing board will come at a reduced size, but it should be workable. 

Garment Bag

Breathable garment bags are the most effective way to keep disruptive elements like dust, moisture, insects, and light away from your suits. Cotton, muslin, or linen garment bags have an added advantage - they are not just breathable, but you can wash and reuse them. There are also breathable synthetic bags made from materials like polyester. 

You must separate your suits from one another to prevent colour transfer problems and creases. To that end, enclose each suit in its own garment bag - it should be long enough to cover the entire suit. Place a cedar block or plank, or else use lavender sachets, inside the garment bag at the bottom. This will get rid of odour and keep the suit smelling fresh. 

Avoid plastic garment bags as much as possible, because they trap moisture that can affect the fabric. If you must use plastic at all, use thin, lightweight plastic or vinyl garment bags (preferably for a short period). 

Mesh Laundry Bag

If you must use a washing machine for any of your delicate garments, enclose them in mesh laundry bags before washing as a protective measure. 

Hat Blocks and Hat Boxes

Hat blocks or molds are quite rare to find but very useful. A hat block can preserve the shape of your hat. Aside from this, you can get yourself some good hat boxes to protect your hats from stains and disfigurement. 

Good Quality Hangers

Hangers are so important to the maintenance of suits, as they help to aerate the suits and preserve their shape - particularly around the shoulders. So it is wise to invest in high quality hangers, knowing well that they will stay with you for a lifetime. 

Your suit jackets deserve wide, curved hangers to support the shoulder areas and stop any distortion. For a better experience, use wooden hangers. With their ability to chase off insects and absorb moisture, cedar wood hangers are a far better option. A separate set of clip hangers (with felted clamps) will work well to keep your trousers wrinkle-free. In the absence of clip hangers, use hangers or clothing bars with non-slip surfaces.  

Be aware that different types of hangers exist for different garment types. So it is sensible to have a variety of hangers, each one suitable for a different type of garment. There are shirt hangers, trouser hangers, jacket hangers, and suit hangers you can buy and use accordingly.

Shoe Care Kit

A high-grade pair of shoes can last over a decade if you cater well for it. With this in mind, you should expect quality shoes to be expensive. And so they are worth every effort you put into maintaining them. As such, you should have the following shoe care tools at home:

Shoe Trees 

Shoe trees are extremely useful for extending the lifespan of your shoes. Made from wood or plastic, a shoe tree appears almost like a normal foot. By inserting them in your shoes, shoe trees maintain the shape and size of your shoes for a long time. To get rid of odours and moisture from leather dress shoes, cedar wood shoe trees are your best picks. 

Shoe Horns

A good way to avoid distorting or damaging your shoes while attempting to wear them is to use a shoe horn. Especially shoes that fit snugly around your feet. Always have a standard or long shoe horn close by your shoe closet. 

Shoe Shine Kit

It is common and easy to get a shoe care expert to shine your shoes. But you can handle it at home with your own shoe shine kit. Which allows you to invest in high quality and long-lasting materials to clean and maintain the shine of your shoes. They include:

• A suede brush. Made from brass, it is ideal for shoes made from suede material.

• Several shoe brushes which include horsehair brushes (or polish applicator brushes), and rectangular brushes for shining (one for each colour).

• A soft cloth or rag for the initial shine (or buffing). Use it in place of an applicator brush, or following the applicator brush. 

• A lint-free microfibre or nylon cloth for the final shine

• Shoe polishes of several colours, including a neutral polish. A water-based or cream polish is suitable for frequent or regular polishing, with just a moderate shine. But use a wax shoe polish for a vivid shine, especially at the shoe tips and heels. 

• A toothbrush to handle tiny details 

• Edge dressing to fill in and protect the heels and soles.

Sewing Kit

There might be a need for minor repairs like reattaching loose buttons, or stitching loose seams or hems. So keep a sewing kit close by. It should contain scissors, threads of many colours, free buttons, needles, and a tape rule. 

Fabric Protector Spray

After cleaning them, give your lighter coloured suits some extra protection by applying a fabric protector spray. It safeguards them from stains and spills. 

To check for the possibility of colour transfer or stain, test a small amount of the spray on the insides of the suit. Then use a clean and dry white cloth to dab the spot. Should there be any problem, discontinue with the spray. 

Otherwise choose a well-ventilated area. Shake and apply the spray from a distance of about 15cm on the clean, dry fabric. You should apply it in two separate coats. The first coat must dry completely - at least for between a few hours to 24 hours before reapplying it. Put away the suit in storage only after it is completely dry. 

Fabric Freshener 

A fabric freshener keeps odours out of your suits in-between dry cleaning cycles. 

Lay out or hang the suit or garment. Then shake the bottle of freshener and apply an even spray at a distance of about 10 to 20cm from the fabric. Focus a bit more on areas where wrinkles or odours are evident. The suit or outfit should be damp but not soaked. Then smooth out the fabric with your palms, and leave it to air-dry for some minutes. You can wear the suit thereafter. 

A quick reminder about dry cleaning your suits. It is a chemical-based cleaning operation that should occur once in at least three to four months. Or else do so only to eliminate stubborn stains. Because frequent dry cleaning will weaken the fabric of your suit. 

Stain Remover Pen 

Use a stain remover pen to spot clean your suit where a stain occured. Remove any surface residue, then gently press and rub the pen tip on the stain. You may need to repeat the process until the stain fades away. Finish off by pressing a damp cloth on the spot to remove excess liquid. 

Storage Boxes

It is ideal to use every one of your suits time and again, rotating them in and out of storage to keep them fresh. But there may be a need to keep some of your suits and outfits for a bit longer - seasonal wear for instance. That is, to preserve winter outfits during summer, and summer garb during winter. Again, some garments are better stored folded away. 

To solve the problem of long-term storage, keep the garments in storage boxes with moth balls in them. Just like garment bags, we recommend storage boxes made from natural, breathable materials like cotton. For precious fabrics like wool and cashmere, use plastic totes with moth balls inside them. 

On a Final Note: Wardrobe and Suit Maintenance Tools are a Life-Time Investment

With a set of dedicated suit care and wardrobe maintenance tools at your disposal, you are beyond lucky. Stay relaxed and enjoy your quality suits and accessories for a decade or more. The best part is that most of these tools are long-lasting. So they help to maintain suits, garments, and other dress items cheaper in the long run. 

As we close, let's help you Elevate Your Style. Enjoy a transformative experience of claiming your identity with confidence by joining our thriving and inspirational family of fashion-forward creators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers. We look forward to sharing the beautiful journey of becoming with you. 

Does the suit maintenance guide above benefit you in specific ways? Any other suggestions? Let's have your take in the comments below.

Quick Maintenance Tips

 Follow the Grain: When using a clothing brush, always follow the natural grain of the fabric.

 Avoid Plastic: Refrain from using plastic garment bags as they trap moisture that can damage fabric.

 Cedar Benefits: Use cedar wood hangers and shoe trees to naturally absorb moisture and deter insects.

 Dry Cleaning: Only dry clean your suits once every three to four months to avoid weakening the fabric.