Fast fashion is a massive problem in the world right now. When manufacturers are designing clothes that are only intended to be worn for short seasons, the waste this can produce is astronomical. However, caring for your clothes can help you expand your lifespan and reduce the number of items you need to buy. Here are five simple ways to extend the lifespan of your clothes.
Store clothing properly
Clothes that are not cared for properly can lead to damage like tears, holes, and color fading. But when you store your clothes correctly, you can extend their lifespan significantly. Clothing left to sit in a pile or thrown on the floor will wrinkle, shrink and tear. When keeping clothes away, make sure it’s either hung up or folded neatly in an organized dresser drawer.
Avoid the dryer
Many of us throw our clothes in the dryer to get rid of wrinkles. But what you may not know is that the dryer is one of the fastest ways to ruin clothes. Clothes can shrink, fade, or become distorted over time when put in the dryer. One way to avoid wasting your clothes is by using an iron and some light starch spray before you wear them.
Wash in the Coldest Setting
The first way to extend the lifespan of your clothes is to wash them in the coldest setting. This will help your clothes last longer because it prevents the fibers from stretching and shrinking. This is especially important for underwear or clothes made with lycra, such as leggings or shapewear.
Follow washing instructions carefully.
The first thing you can do to extend the lifespan of your clothes is to follow washing instructions carefully. Different materials need to be washed differently, so if a label says hand wash only, then washing in a machine is likely to damage it, the same with dry clean only garments. Pay attention to any direction regarding the detergent you should use too, for example, fabric softener reduces the effectiveness of towels meaning they won’t dry as effectively.
Treat stains immediately
One of the easiest ways to extend the lifespan of your clothes is to treat stains as soon as possible. You can remove most stains with a bit of soap and water. If you don’t want to wash them, you can use a stain removal pen or spray. Just be sure to check the care instructions before you apply any treatments. Or look online for tips for natural remedies to remove stains from clothing with household items such as baking soda, or white wine and lemons.
Do not bleach
When you bleach your clothes, it will destroy the fabric. This is due to the loss of elasticity in the material. It will break down the fibers and cause the clothes to shrink in size.
Paying close attention to who you care for your clothing can help you to avoid spending a lot of money replacing items over time and reduce how many you need to dispose of due to them becoming damaged and unwearable.
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