Clothes on Hangers
There are many reasons why one would want to keep a long-lasting wardrobe. Sustainability, a way to save money, and, as always, to have items that you like and that can stay with you for years. Whatever the reason, here are some tips to help you with this.
Try to wash your clothes less frequently and with less hot water. Many people wash cotton on 50-60 degrees, even though 30 degrees is more than enough for something that you wore a few times that isn’t covered in anything that is trying to stain it. Moreover, some fabrics simply can’t and shouldn’t be washed at such high temperatures – wool can shrink if you do that, and synthetics or silk can get damaged and start to look battered.
It is also a good idea to make sure you wear as many of your items as possible. No, this does not mean walk around in clothes that smell. Just make sure that you go through your wardrobe, wearing a variety of stuff, and only wash what’s in the basket once you have a full load ready to go. Make sure you’re not just wearing two of your favourite items while ignoring all the others. Or else, tell yourself that you simply refuse to wear certain things and they need to be donated or given away.
Fold clothes carefully when you put them away – this not only saves on space but means you don’t have unwanted creases on the items and help them retain their original shape. If you don’t know how to do this, there are many tutorials out there on places like YouTube. In addition to helping to maintain your clothes and making things aesthetically pleasing when you open your wardrobe doors or your drawers, neat organisation also helps you see all that you have available and make it easier to choose what you will wear today.
Learn basic repairs. If you know how to replace or clean up a loose thread, re-attach a button, or close a small hole or tear in a neat fashion – rather than throwing away and replacing the item – this will save you a lot of money. And help avoid you throwing out a decent item of clothing just because of a fixable issue.
Consider investing a steamer rather than an iron – or even hanging your clothes up in the bathroom when you take a bath, letting the natural steam from there do the work for you. This is for people who have things that need ironing or that wrinkle easily – shirts make from cotton or silk or viscose are the primary culprits. But they don’t retain their fresh look easily if they are constantly ironed, and some materials, like silk and viscose, particularly dislike it. Steamers are a good investment in that case, not only for straightening out items but also as an extra cleaning product in your home. Finally, they are usually quicker to set up and use on an item you’ve just grabbed in the morning that needs to be spruced up.