When you invest in clothing, you will want to keep it for as long as possible. Replacing worn clothing can be expensive; to avoid this, there are certain things you can do to prolong the life of your clothes. In this article, we take a look at some tips to help you in this regard.
It can be second nature to throw an item into the wash when you’ve only worn it for a short period of time. The more you wash your clothing, the sooner it becomes damaged and needs replacing. Only wash your clothes when necessary to save money and keep them in top condition. Things like jackets and jumpers can get easily damaged during a wash, you can use fabric fresheners on these garments to keep them fresh between washes.
To prolong the life of clothing, you should wash it at a low temperature. Low temperatures can get your clothing just as clean as high temperatures, but they’ll reduce the likelihood of shrinking and other issues associated with high-temperature cycles. Washing your clothes at a high temperature will decrease the lifespan of the clothing.
Clothing has care labels for a reason; they give you important information about how to best look after the items. Each item of clothing will require a different approach to washing, drying and ironing, depending on the material and other factors. The care label will give you the information you need to ensure you treat the item in the right way. It can be a hassle to check all of the labels on your clothes, but it will be worth it as the items will last much longer, and you won’t need to spend money replacing them or fixing them as frequently.
Clothes can become damaged when they’re stored incorrectly, and moths and other bugs can destroy your clothes in storage before you’ve even had the chance to wear them. You can store expensive items in clothing bags to protect them. In addition, many items of clothing shouldn’t be hung on hangers as they can distort the shape of the garment. One example is cashmere jumpers; these should be stored flat and folded alongside other garments and not placed on a hanger. If you are hanging items up in your wardrobe, you should ensure that you’re using the right type of hanger. Padded hangers are best for lightweight garments, and wooden clothes hangers are best for jackets and heavier clothing. Get more tips on how to stop moths in their tracks.
Spare buttons are perfect for repairing your garments; many items of clothing come with spare buttons sewn into them. These buttons can often get lost if you don’t take them off garments before they’re worn. It’s a great idea to have a place where you can store all of your spare buttons; this way, you can quickly make repairs if a button falls off any of your garments, keeping it looking like new.
If you spill red wine on your favourite white shirt, you might be tempted to get changed and deal with it at a later point. However, this is a big mistake; letting a stain sit on a garment will make it much more challenging to remove it rather than dealing with the stain straight away. As soon as possible, you should deal with a stain or spill; this will help to prolong the life of your clothing.
To keep your clothes looking better for longer, you should avoid using products whilst wearing your best clothing. Perfume, makeup, deodorant and hair products all take a toll on your clothing. To avoid this, you can put on deodorant, do your hair and makeup and put perfume on before you get changed; once everything is dry, you can put your clothing on. This will reduce the number of products that get on your clothes, prolonging their life.
When you look after your clothing, you will reap the benefits by saving money and being able to enjoy your favourite clothing for longer; the tips above will help your clothes last for many years to come.