Essential Fabric Care Tips to Make Your Clothes Last Longer
Are you the kind of person who takes a lot of pride in taking care of your wardrobe? Well, if yes, you are doing great. Apart from feeling proud of this, you need to know that it is also a commitment to sustainable living, and of course, affordable household management. Many of us do not pay enough heed to the fact that clothes that last longer reduce waste. Also, you will not need to replace them frequently. This ultimately offers environmental as well as financial benefits.
When you comprehend the right fabric care techniques and apply them, you can make sure that your clothes are in the best condition for the years to come. In this guide, we are outlining some tips for extending the lifespan of your garments through proper care.
Read the Care Labels
One of the most important rules you should consider while maintaining your clothes is to read the care instructions, and of course, follow them as well. You can find the instructions on the labels of your clothes. These labels come with symbols that can help you to know about the ways to wash dry and iron your clothes without causing any damage.
For example, if you see a tub of water icon on the label, it means machine washing. The dots inside mean the water temperature that is recommended. If you see a triangle, it will mean you can bleach the cloth, and a crossed-out triangle means against it.
If you familiarize yourself with these symbols, you can keep yourself away from several mishaps such as fabric warping, color bleeding, and shrinkage.
Sort and Pretreat
If you want to maintain the integrity of your clothes, you must consider sorting your laundry. You can start by separating the clothes by color, type of fabric, and soil level. This will help in avoiding the transfer of dye and uneven wear. In addition to this, before you wash the clothes, you can pretreat the stains. This will increase the chance of removing the stains completely. You can also use a stain remover or put a small amount of detergent on the area of the stain. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes, and then gently rub the particular area of the fabric so that the detergent can penetrate. This is actually helpful for organic stains like that of sweat or food. Not treating these stains can only make them stubborn and tough to get rid of.
Wash Correctly
While taking all the steps to keep your clothes last longer, you must also not forget to use the right water temperature, suitable detergent, and washing cycle for various fabric types. For the majority of the fabrics, cold water is safer, and it also conserves energy. However, if the clothes are heavily soiled, or if it is made of cotton or linen, then warm water is suggested.
It would help if you tried to avoid overloading the washer since doing this may affect effective cleaning. Also, it puts additional stress on the fibers of the garments. Apart from this, if you use too much detergent, it can leave residues on the garments, and may even attract dirt rather than cleaning it. It would help if you stick to measuring detergent as per the size of the load and soil level.
Air Dry When Possible
Machine drying is certainly convenient but if you want the fabric to go through a gentle process, then you must opt for air drying. If you choose tumble dryers, they can cause wear over the period, and also weaken fibers and fade colors. On the other hand, air drying helps preserve the integrity of fabrics and retains the vibrant colors as well as elastic properties. While drying clothes, you can hang them or lay them flat in a well-ventilated area. While you do so, keep them out of direct sunlight so the colors do not fade.
Proper Folding and Storage
To prevent wrinkles and damage, you should always fold your clothes while storing them. For instance, if it is knitwear, it should be folded and not hung so that the fabric is not stretched. Trousers should be hung by the waistband or folded once along the crease. The hangers should be of good quality and the drawers should be such that the clothes are not compressed. Moreover, keeping your wardrobe clean and well-organized should be a priority. This will help you to avoid overstuffing, and your garments will be in the right shape.
Rotate and Repair
As you rotate your garments, their lifespan will extend. This will help prevent excessive stress on a single garment. Also, your wardrobe will feel fresh. If there are scopes for minor repairs like fixing a seam, sewing a button, or patching a small hole, you can go forward and do it yourself. You can, thus, preserve your garments and reduce waste.
Use Delicates Bags and Mesh Bags
You can choose mesh bags during the wash cycle to protect delicate items such as fine knits, lingerie, and embellished garments. As you use these bags, you will notice your clothes not stretching or snagging, and they remain in pristine condition. Also, zippers, hooks, and velcros catching on other garments will be stopped.
Wrapping it up!
As you adopt these fabric care tips, you can extend the life of your garments and ensure they look and feel new for a long time. By incorporating these practices during your laundry routine, you will certainly experience the benefits of well-maintained clothes. Your wardrobe, wallet and the planet will thank you for this.