If you’ve shopped successfully for clothes and created a wardrobe you love, why put all that to waste and risk ruining your clothes by not looking after them properly? We all know someone, or have even been the culprit ourselves, who has shrunk their favourite jumper by putting it in too hot a wash, created an unexpected fusion of colour on a white t shirt by washing it with other colours or melted delicate blouses onto the iron!
My top tip is to read the care labels on clothing before you buy, before you wash and before you iron. If an item is hand wash only are you prepared to do this? Likewise, if it is dry clean only can you afford to get it regularly cleaned? Airing clothes between wearing can help your clothes last longer by reducing the number of washes or cleaning needed. Some denim aficionados will only put their jeans in the freezer to kill off bacteria!
Wash delicate items by hand or turn them inside out and put them inside a lingerie bag or pillow case on the delicate cycle in the machine. Check the maximum temperature before washing – too hot a wash can damage fabrics with elastane and they will go out of shape. Wool should be washed on a gentle wool wash or by hand with a wool detergent and then dried flat.
Washing jeans inside out can help reduce colour fade but if they’ve really faded why not try dyeing them to restore their original colour. I have revitalised a favourite pair of jeans by dyeing them with Dylon’s fabric dye in Jeans Blue. (See the before and after pictures on my Pinterest Board Jeans Blue).
Again, read the labels on your clothing before ironing and understand how your iron works with different fabric types to avoid damaging your clothes. Hanging your clothes to air in a steamy bathroom will help creases in clothing drop out.
Simple repairs to clothes such as repairing a hem or reattaching loose buttons will make your clothes last longer and save you money. A favourite pair of shoes or boots will last longer with regular heel repairs, conditioning and cleaning.
As the days are getting brighter, if you store your clothes on an open rail keep this out of the sun as sunlight will fade the colours of your clothes.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.