You’re probably washing and storing your clothes wrong. Here’s what you should do instead
By Emily Mee, Money team
Discovering a hole in your favourite pair of jeans or a rip in your well-worn cosy jumper is certainly irritating – but it doesn’t mean those items are destined for the bin.
In fact, ethical fashion campaigners say that’s the last place your items should be going. There is usually plenty you can do to repair them – or even to avoid damage in the first place. That way, you can keep your best-loved pieces in your wardrobe for years to come.
Katrina Caspelich, from fair fashion campaign Remake, takes the Money blog through what you can do…
Store your clothes better
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Clean them before storing them: Always ensure that clothes are clean before storing them. Launder or dry clean them according to the care instructions on the label. Stains and dirt can attract insects and cause fabric deterioration over time.
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Use breathable storage containers: Opt for breathable storage containers such as cotton canvas bags or boxes instead of plastic bins. This allows air circulation and prevents moisture build up, which can lead to mould and mildew.
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Avoid direct sunlight: Store clothes in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Sunlight can cause colours to fade and weaken fabric fibres over time.
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Hang clothes properly: Invest in quality hangers that provide adequate support to garments. Use padded or wooden hangers for delicate items like suits, dresses and knits. Avoid using wire hangers, as they can cause garments to lose their shape. Don’t hang wet clothes on hangers – they can stretch.
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Use garment bags: For long-term storage of formal wear or seasonal clothing, consider using garment bags to protect items from dust, insects, and moisture.
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Rotate clothing: Rotate your wardrobe seasonally to prevent garments from being stored for too long without use. This helps to prevent fabric deterioration and ensures that all pieces are worn regularly.
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Avoid overcrowding: Avoid cramming clothes into storage containers or closets. Overcrowding can cause wrinkles, stretching and distortion of fabric fibres. Leave some space between garments to allow for air circulation.
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Store leather items properly: Leather garments should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Use padded hangers to maintain their shape and avoid folding, as creases can become permanent.
Does how you wash clothes make a difference?
What exactly makes a gentle wash gentle? For delicate fabrics, you should always use cool to lukewarm water. (Hot water isn’t needed unless you are concerned about bacteria and diseases like COVID-19).
Pro tip: Be wary of wringing out your wet clothes. It can seriously alter the shape of your garments.
Other options
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Wash your stuff less. The only clothes that should always be washed after one wear are underwear and sweaty clothes. Most garments worn regularly should be okay to wear two to three times before washing. Unless your denim has a bad habit of stretching out, experts say you should wash them after three or four wears so they age better. You can also throw them in the freezer to kill bacteria.
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Spot clean your clothes. To clean a spot, start by removing any excess spillage and blot away as much moisture as possible with a paper towel or hand towel. NO RUBBING. Use some stain remover or gentle detergent on just the stained spot. Let it air dry or use cool air to speed up the process.
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Air dry. Hang your clothes outside, Italian style. For heavier items that could stretch when hanging, lay them out flat on a surface to dry.
When should you dry clean?
Read the care tags! Don’t be so quick to adhere to every garment’s dry clean only tag – there’s lots of chemicals involved that lurk on dry-cleaned wool, cotton and polyester. Plus, lots of brands put those tags on when they lack confidence in our ability to properly and gently wash our clothes.
If it is made of wool, linen, silk, cotton or cashmere – which is likely a majority of your closet – these fabrications can handle gentle hand washes so long as you pre-treat and single wash anything with stains, as well as wash items in groups determined by fabrication and colour.
If you aren’t 100% sure what exactly a garment is made of, you can always test a little spot under the sink water to see if you get a ton of colour bleeding, warping or shrinkage before going all in.
If your garment has any fancy embellishments, flocking or beads attached by glue then you should probably take it to the cleaners if it’s not just in need of a little spot clean.
Pro tip: When you find yourself at the dry cleaners, you can try asking for alternatives like a liquid carbon dioxide cleaning, which uses pressurized CO2 mixed with other gentle cleaning liquids as opposed to perc. Another option is requesting a wet cleaning method, a wash that resembles a normal washing machine but utilises special soaps and conditioners for an extra gentle wash.
How do you know when a broken item is repairable, or when it’s no longer usable?
It’s important to always assess the extent of the damage. Small tears, missing buttons, loose hems or minor stains are usually repairable with basic sewing skills or by taking them to a tailor.
Considering the condition of the fabric is also important. For example, if the fabric is in good shape apart from the damaged area, it may be worth repairing.
However, if the fabric is severely worn out or faded in multiple places, it may not be worth repairing. Also, some types of damage such as large holes, extensive fraying or irreparable stains may render the garment unusable or not cost-effective to repair.
Finally, it’s important to consider the sentimental value of the item. If the piece holds sentimental value or is a high-quality piece, you may just want to hold on to it and invest in repairs.
If the item is no longer usable, you could upcycle or repurpose it. Get creative and turn the item into something new. Some ideas include turning old jeans into shorts, using fabric scraps for quilting or crafts, or transforming a worn-out tee into a cleaning rag.
Donation is another option. If the clothing item is still in decent condition despite the damage, consider donating it to a local charity or thrift store as some organisations accept damaged clothing for recycling or repurposing.
Finally, look for textile recycling programmes in your area. Many communities have textile recycling centres or programmes that accept old clothing, even if it’s damaged, to be recycled into new textiles or other products.
How about shoes?
Like clothing, extending the wear of your shoes requires proper care and maintenance. Some ideas include rotating your shoes between different pairs of shoes every day to allow each pair to air out and recover their shape between wears.
Clean your shoes regularly to remove dust, dirt and stains.
It’s also a good idea to apply waterproofing spray to protect your shoes from water, stains, snow and other environmental damage. Like clothing, it’s important to attend to any signs of damage or wear as soon as possible, replacing worn-out soles, repairing loose stitching, and fixing damaged heels to prevent further deterioration. Definitely consider taking your shoes to a professional cobbler for these regular repairs!