Cheap high street fashion isn’t meant to last more than a season, then it goes out of style. But good quality clothes and basics like jeans and decent Ts are built to last.
Just how long they last is up to you. There’s a lot you can do to preserve your favourite clothes, and it costs next to nothing. No special products or tools required. Here’s some good old-fashioned tips:
- mend clothes before washing or laundering them to stop tiny tears turning into gaping holes – sew buttons on tight, mend frays and tears…
- save your good stuff for when you’re out and about – wear old clothes around the house
- air your clothes for an hour or so before putting them away
- fold or hang your clothes when you take them off. When fabric is warm, it wrinkles. Hang it up, brush it gently with a short haired brush and air it before stashing it back in your wardrobe
- buy decent hangers. The thin metal ones are a bit crap, they just damage the shoulders of jumpers, shirts, jackets and dresses. Get nice, big wooden or fabric-covered ones, or make your own by winding strips of cloth around your old wire hangers
- do up zips, buttons and other fastenings when you hang your clothes up so they don’t go out of shape
- shut your wardrobe door properly to keep the dust out
- chuck out, recycle or give away the things you never wear so the things you do wear have plenty of space in your wardrobe instead of being crushed together
- remove stains straight away – it’s always more difficult once they’ve dried. Try warm water first. If it doesn’t work, add soap and have another go. Leave it to soak in for an hour if it’s stubborn, then rinse off. If all else fails, take it to the cleaners and tell them what the stain is so they know how to tackle it
- to get rid of grease, place a piece of clean paper over the stain and run a hot iron over it
- dirt damages fabric, so wash clothes before they get too dirty
- use dress shields to protect the armpits of your clothes, but take them out before putting your clothes away – you can buy modern stick-on dress shields online. Try here – http://www.sweatguard.co.uk/DressShields
