We live in an era of fast fashion, where clothes are deemed disposable and easily replaceable. That is why most people tend not to care about learning how to maintain and care for their clothes instead but adequately resort to buying more, eventually ending up in a landfill.
Clothes can last up to several years, and there’s a lot you can do to help. Implement these easy tips, and you’ll find it amazing how long your clothes will last. On top of all that, you don’t need any special skills or products, just a change of habits.
Buy Quality Garments
Before learning to take care of your clothes, investing in quality pieces is a good idea; this doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars for a t-shirt, but rather buying clothes made from quality material, preferably with natural fibers.
This ensures that your clothes last longer and that you don’t have to make frequent trips to find replacements. While there isn’t one rule you can follow to prolong your clothes’ lifetime, there are several tips you can implement for almost any type of clothing, such as:
Cleaning
Read the labels
Care labels are required on every piece of clothing. Learn how to read them properly because not paying attention to them can cause the fabric to become stretched, shrink, or rip. You also don’t want to mistake putting delicate fabrics in the washing machine when they may require professional service only. Some labels may even warn you about colors bleeding out.
Don’t Wash Too Often
While there isn’t a set amount of time to wear your clothes before throwing them in the washing machine, you shouldn’t also go overboard. You can wear some items multiple times before they need to be cleaned. For example, washing your jeans after 4-5 wearings is recommended. The general guideline for t-shirts is 1-2 wearings, and for more formal clothing such as dress pants, it’s 2-3 times.
Hand Wash
Sometimes the washing machine can be too harsh, and the tumbling may cause your fabric to feel and look worn out much quicker. This is especially useful to know when traveling and don’t have access to a machine.
Professional Care
Some fabrics, especially delicate ones like 100% cotton, silk, wool, and leather, should always be sent to dry cleaning to avoid damaging them. Dry cleaning is readily available everywhere, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore where you send your clothes.
Also, green cleaning is one of many sustainable options that use safe and eco-friendly solvents that will be safe for the earth but also ensure proper care for your clothes. Use dry cleaning sparingly; it is recommended only once in about three months.
Steaming
Nobody wants to wear wrinkly clothes every day. Steaming is a better and safer option to use instead of ironing. Your iron may have a built-in steaming option if you don’t have a home steamer. If it doesn’t, you can keep a spray bottle of water near because humidity helps to avoid scorching the clothes.
Store Your Clothes Properly
Different clothes require different storage. Some clothes are better hung up, and some are better folded. Clothes also need a certain amount of space available so the fabric can breathe. You should avoid shoving them all in one area. Instead, you can either buy extra storage or go through your clothing, decide which items you will wear daily, and plan your storage accordingly.
Suits, coats, and dress shirts are safe to keep on a hanger, while you should properly fold material such as wool to prevent the fabric from stretching out too much. In conclusion, prolonging your clothes’ durability and keeping them new for a longer time requires only a few minor changes to your everyday habits.
