Clothes make one of the largest items of a typical family budget, especially one with kids. Children grow so fast that their clothes find themselves in a junk shop a couple of months after their purchase. With adults, though, the situation is a bit different. How long a man or woman’s clothes “live” depends on two main factors: quality and proper care. If you neglect your shirts, sweaters, or jeans, they start looking worn and faded whatever price you’ve paid for them. By taking good care of your items of clothing, on the other hand, you can prolong their lifespan and save money. Here are the essential guidelines for helping your garments last longer.
1. Washing
- Sort your clothes before washing them. The saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” may also refer to the laundry process. We recommend the following:
- Wash items that have metal buttons and zippers separately from other clothes. Metal parts can melt when the temperature is too high and harm the other clothes in the tub. They can also damage thin items such as silks.
- Wash towels without any other clothes in the tub.
- Wash dark clothes apart from white garments.
- Wash dirtier or soiled items separately from less dirty or less soiled ones.
- Follow the instructions on labels and set up the washer right. If you don’t want to ruin your clothes, you must heed the “Dry clean only” or “Hand wash only” notices. You should also be well familiar with your washing machine’s settings. Study the manual for your appliance to know when to use the delicate mode, for example.
- Turn clothes of dark tones inside out before laundering. By doing that you can keep your jeans, dark-blue T-shirts and similar items from fading as they are mixed with other clothes in the tub. This rule also applies to clothes with prints on the front.
- Zip and button your clothes. Thus, you will prevent them from hooking to other garments and each other and developing tears during the washing process.
- Avoid using too much fabric softener and detergent. If you think that loading a ton of detergent into the washer will make your clothes spotlessly clean, we must disappoint you. An excessive amount of detergent or softener may render the finish stiff or dull. Professionals advise taking half a cup of baking soda and mix it with half of the amount of detergent you normally add. They also recommend using distilled white vinegar as a replacement for conventional fabric softener. It will make your garments silky, but with a much lower risk of damage.
- Wash two-piece ensembles together. If you have a garment made of two parts, always wash them together. That way they will remain identical in color.
- Avoid frequent washing. While washing such items as undergarments is necessary every day, you can wear other items two or three times before stuffing them into the washer. Frequent agitation, rubbing against other items, and tumbling will fade, stretch, and age the sturdiest of clothing.
- Leave some free space in the washer’s tub. Cramming too many clothes into the washing machine is a bad idea. Why?
- There is no guarantee they will be really clean after the cycle is over.
- The finish on the clothes may suffer through excessive rubbing of the items against each other.
2. Drying and ironing
- Set the right temperature for the iron. If you are not careful enough while ironing your clothes, you may leave yellow patches or burns on them. Make sure you set the right temperature value for different types of fabrics. For instance, adjust the iron to 300° F for silk or to 445° F for linen. Most modern irons bear all the correct values on the heat dial.
- Use a steamer. A steamer can smooth wrinkles on clothes without the need to take them off hangers. The steaming process is less time-consuming than the ironing since it requires fewer manipulations. The cheapest steamer costs around $25. You can also hang your clothes in the bathroom while taking a hot shower.
- Use the dryer as little as possible. That way, you lower the risk of your clothes shrinking or fading too fast. It’s recommended to dry your clothes on a line instead, particularly delicate things like underwear. When using a dryer, at least try to set the shortest time possible.
- Hang light-colored items outside as the sunshine will help them retain their brightness.
- Hang dark-colored items indoors away from the natural sunlight. That will prevent their fading.
3. Clothes storing and maintenance
- Wear your clothes by the top/bottom principle. For example, if you have several pairs of jeans in your wardrobe, arrange them in a stack. Put the pair you washed last on top and remove the lowest pair from the stack. Next time you wash, place the most recently washed jeans on top and take the jeans from the bottom. That goes for all of your clothes.
- Never leave knitted or heavy items of clothing on hangers. Fold a sweater and put it on a shelf. Otherwise, it will stretch quickly.
- Follow the rules of hygiene. One of the prerequisites of keeping your clothes clean longer is to shower, sprinkle some perfume or toilet water on them and your body, and wear fresh underwear every day. Besides, think about what you are going to wear for different occasions. If it’s a bar party where you are likely to end up with a couple of stains, put on something not so fancy like a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
- Select good hangers. To help your clothes last longer and retain their original look, use high-quality wooden hangers with plush arms. Wire or plastic varieties will stretch the shoulders of your jackets and shirts.
- Have a stain removal pen close at hand. With stains, the faster you act, the better. Of course, washing the affected item properly is still a must, but the stain will not be so stubborn as it would be without immediate treatment. If you have no stain remover in your pocket, at least point to the stain with something like a clothespin. Make sure the stain has disappeared after the washing.
- Put little bags with lavender in your wardrobe. This aromatic plant serves two purposes:
- It fills the wardrobe with a pleasant smell.
- It scares off moths and bugs.
- Avoid cramming your clothes into a wardrobe. That way you will prevent damage from zips and buttons and let your clothes stay wrinkle-free.
Following these 20 essential tips will help your clothing last longer, as well as save money and time you would otherwise spend shopping.
