It requires time to shop for clothes that meet individual fit and color preferences. How do we keep our new wardrobe pieces from becoming faded and stretched? There are steps you can take to preserve your clothing for the long haul. Follow these 5 CLOTHING CARE TIPS for keeping your wardrobe wearable and fresh:
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1. Wash clothing less often.
It’s possible for an outfit to be worn more than once before washing becomes necessary. Less washings equal reduced wear and fading. After undressing, immediately place clothes to be re-worn later on non-slip hangers to prevent wrinkling. Also, less chance of it falling on the floor and ending up in the hamper.
You can also reserve a set of old clothes to be worn when completing chores in which your clothing is likely to become stained. For example. when doing yard work or home maintenance chores.
2. Do not allow clothing stains to set.
Treat stains before placing them in the wash. At the time the potential stain agent comes in contact with the fabric is best. Dab water onto the area or soak it under a faucet. If this fails try using dish liquid to wash out the stain. As a last resort, treat the stain with a commercial stain remover, then put through a wash cycle.
3. Prepare clothing for washing.
Properly sort clothing according to darks, whites, and brights to reduce color transfer. Turn darks inside out to preserve the fabric and color. Zip up any zippers to prevent them from snagging on other articles of clothing.
Read the clothing care labels sewn into the item to check for recommended washing instructions. This will inform you of water temperature settings to protect against color transfer. As an added measure, toss in a few dye-catching sheets in with your brights.
4. Try air-drying small articles of clothing.
As clothes are tossed around in dryer the result is pilling of the fibers in your clothing which gives clothing an aged look. NOT drying your clothing in a commercial dryer is best. Bypass the dryer altogether. Place work-out wear, swimsuits and bras, on a drying rack to air-dry. Take measures to minimize the drying time of clothes that do end up in the dryer. Set your dryer to the shortest cycle possible to get the job done. Next, toss in a few wool dryer balls to further reduce drying time. Restore smoothness to worn knits and sweaters with a clothes shaver.
5. Store smarter.
Recently, my husband was appalled to find holes in his two-piece suit the night before a job interview. The culprit? Clothes moths. These elusive pests mostly feed on animal fibers such as wool or cashmere. The replacement blue suit we had to invest in, now hangs inside a garment bag with cedar sachets and disks tucked within it. These can also be put inside drawers or chests when storing winter wear away at the end of the season.
6. Expect clothing to require mending.
Clothing care extends beyond how we wash, dry, and store clothing. Lost buttons and tears are bound to occur with wear. Keep the extra buttons normally attached to the sales tag in the very likely event, you lose a button. Some even include a length of matching thread. An assortment of threads to mend tears can be found at craft stores such as Michael’s ™ or Jo Ann’s Fabrics™. Then, hone in your sewing skills by viewing a few YouTube™ videos or pay a visit to your local seamstress.
Even with the best care, clothing will show signs of wear and need to be replaced eventually. But, by following these clothing care tips, you can extend the amount of time each article is kept in your clothing rotation.