Storing clothes

I have washed wigs in lukewarm water with gentle detergent and let them air dry. I would not use any human hair products that are not rinsed out thoroughly because most of them have oils in them and you don’t want to get oils on resin.

 

I usually use some boxes so it wouldn’t work for you as I store them on top of each other. However, I know that some people store them next to each other, which make them easier to find.
For the wig, I truly have no idea, I once tried it with gentle detergent but then it was really rough, I would try to dilute it quite a lot, and not use any human product

 

Misting a wig with water or using frizz cream should be fine. What kind of wig were you wanting to wash? Mohair reacts differently than heat resistant fiber than yarn for example.

I've had to wash a mohair/faux mohair wig before and I hand washed it with very diluted detergent made for wool products in cold water. Treat it as gently as you can.

 

I use cardboard boxes, honestly. A different box for each doll size, and I fold the clothing neatly.

As for wigs, some will absolutely be ruined if you get them too wet - there are fibers that will felt if you do so. If it's a synthetic fiber wig, however, it's safe. I mist my synthetic wigs when brushing, wash them with an all-purpose cleaner and condition them with fabric softener. (Dust tends to stick more easily if they're washed and conditioned with human hair products.) I wash my mohair wig with my own shampoo and conditioner, because they're incredibly gentle (I'm allergic to like everything). The viscose custom wig I'm on a waitlist for can't be washed or it'll felt; I'll be getting dust off with one of those spray air cans.

 

I store all my doll clothes in semi-transparent shoe bags from IKEA. I stack them in clear plastic drawers. So while I still have to dig a bit, I can still see inside the bags. I'm working on increasing my storage or re-arranging it to make it easier for me to access.

As for wigs, you already got all the great advice above!

 

Each of my dolls has their own shoebox size plastic tubs (Ok, Bren's is like twice that size and Lumi's needs to be...) but that keeps them organized by doll and I'm not digging through a giant tub to find stuff for a specific one. Most of these boxes are in a chest of drawers, but the ones that don't fit are on a shelf in the closet. Anything that needs to not get wrinkled (suits, formal dresses, etc) are hanging in the closet on doll hangers.

 

Someone mentioned shoe boxes and it made me think of those shoe organizers that hang off the closet door might be what you're looking for. But when you say original packaging, I think of them as flattened in their plastic... If my mental image is matching your situation do it like comics and stand them up. You don't necessarily need the top unless you're stacking the boxes and put dividers between sections so it's less digging and more like flipping through. And divide it like skirt/pant/blouse and they follow the roy g biv to "alphabetize" your colors. And for a more permanent solution, I've seen people take small cabinets and repurpose them as doll sized wardrobes on YouTube.

I say all this, but any method of organization is bins and jars... So maybe don't listen to me :p

 

I recommend smaller clear, flat boxes to store BJD clothing; I prefer one per doll. My large Rubbermaid storage containers are not ideal: items get lost and wrinkled in them. I also recommend Ziploc bags to keep whole outfits together. I find having whole outfits is more efficient than buying and keeping separates, hoping they'll work for something sometime. And even though I have multiple BJDs with the same body, I like particular outfits on particular dolls. They don't trade items - but that's a personal preference.
Ooh, and I like embroidery floss storage containers for the small items!
Happy Hunting for your ideal storage solution!

 

I ended up buying a pair of small, three-drawered chests of drawers that matched the style and wood color of my display cabinets. It wasn't a bargain solution by any means, but it has given me plenty of space and they look good in the room.

 

For smaller doll clothes, I actually have binders with pocket pages to organize all the clothes. This works for almost everything up to 1/4 size. All my larger clothes are in individual sleeves/clear bags and tossed in a big drawer so no help from me there. My wigs are kept in clear scrapbook paper boxes (they regularly go on sale at most craft stores). The scrapbook paper boxes are just deep enough for the height of a wig cap and some fluff and stack really nicely.

 

Oooo, that's a really great way to do it! I'm going to have to look into getting some myself; my wigs could use more love with their storage.

 

I just got my third plastic "photo case" for my BJD clothes and accessories. I love them because the outer case has handles and contain 16 smaller boxes which I can use to sort by item or size. Or remove completely to fit stuff like the 1/3 shoes. You can get them transparent or in colors which is handy

 

I have plastic shoebox containers for each doll or set of similar sized dolls, with labels on the end to show whose clothes they are. the boxes are big enough to lay most things pretty flat.
Wigs get stored in their net, with a ball of tissue inside to keep the right shape. Some fragile ones are then inside a polybag as well.

For Dolly Stuff in general, I keep all the little poly bags we use so much in this hobby, and reuse them. One of the shoebox bins in my closet is just a box O' bags.

 

I have a BIG box with other small boxes full of clothes in it, I also have a little doll sized wardrobe that actually fits clothes tho its turned into a mess so some of the clothes there gotta go into the box. I saw someone on instagram use a little binder with clear pockets to store their favorite (msd sized) outfits so i might try that too because im drowning in doll clothes lol

 

Oh, I tried this too! I think it might have worked better if I had tried it with smaller clothes, but for 1/3 size it gets unwieldy pretty fast. Too think I think, even if it's one sweater/jacket per page.

 

yeah i can imagine that might get a bit unwieldy, it might work better with like 1/4th and smaller.

 

I use these bags that are actually meant for storing wigs and hair extensions. Hangers are "clamp" style and have a strip of felt on either side.