Make Clothing Last - Saving Money Tips

[jeffrey]

1. Avoid trendy clothing that is likely to go out of style quickly. Even if the clothing is perfectly fine, you'll never wear the outfit again once it goes out of style meaning you'll have to purchase additional clothing to replace it. Instead, purchase classic style clothing that can be worn year after year.

2. Before you purchase any clothing, know what material it's made out of and what type of washing care it needs. Avoid clothing that is made of materials that require a lot of extra care since this usually equates to spending more money.

3. Avoid putting your clothes in the dryer whenever possible. Dryers wear out clothing materials much more quickly than letting clothes hang dry.

4. Be especially careful to keep clothing with elastic or plastic words / decorating on them out of the dryer as the heat can place especially heavy wear on these items. The melting plastic can also ruin other clothes in the dryer.




5. Only wash clothes when they need to be washed. If you tried an outfit on but didn't wear it, it can go back into your drawer instead of into the wash. Even clothes that have been worn a few hours don't necessarily need to be washed. If the clothing doesn't smell and isn't dirty, let it air out for a couple of hours instead of putting it into the wash.

6. Be sure to wash clothes when they do get dirty. Trying to save money by not washing clothes when they do get dirty will shorten their life. The dirt in the material will work to wear out the clothing faster if not cleaned in a timely manner.

7. Wash clothes in cold water. Todays's detergents are quite effective in cleaning clothes in cold water. Hot water washes will fade the color of the clothes much quicker.

8. Seperate colors when washing. A red sock in a load of whites can mean several outfits will need to be replaced.

9. Change when you come home. Have your kids change into play clothes as soon as they come home from school to make their school clothes last longer. You should do the same with your work clothes as these tend to be more expensive to replace.

10. Choose clothes that fit correctly. Clothes that are too tight or rub the wrong way will wear out much quicker than those that are the proper size.

11. Wear an apron when you cook (or do other messy chores). The apron will protect your clothes from messy spills and their stains which can instantly ruin clothes.

12. Use napkins when you eat. A napkin in your lap when accidentally spilling something can be the difference between having to purchase an entirely new outfit or not.

13. Avoid clothing that needs to be dry cleaned if at all possible. While this might not be possible for certain work clothes / uniforms, it should be possible for most other clothing your wear. Dry cleaning is much more expensive than washing at home.

[miclason]

I also find that washing - and ironing!- clothes in-side out helps.
If you are line-drying, remember that the sun will whiten your whites, but it will fade your colors, so, also, in-side out helps!

[BargainBetty]

A little side note - I wash some of my nicer clothes in the gentle cycle. Instead of using Woolite, I buy the knock off at Dollar General. It is $1.00 and works just as good. It is so much cheaper than using even the Target brand of Woolite.

BB

[cercis]

Also, cut down on bleach. Bleach eats away at the fibers. If you have a stain that needs some kind of treatment, try washing in cold without bleach first, then move to a stronger stain remover.

For whites, the sun will bleach out 90% of stains (plus disinfect). Baby diapers hung outside will be white and disinfected.

[debanden]

I sometimes throw my work clothes in the dryer for just 5 mins. which enables them to "fluff up" and then put them on hangers and hang on an extra shower rod I have in my bathrooms. After drying I can just transfer to our closets. I realize it isn't totally as frugal as line drying but most of the time I don't have to iron and that is another savings.

[acezz4e_tish]

thats a gr8 tip debanden. ill have to try that with daves work clothes. he welds and they get nasty. lol. harder work just to get them clean even. since he wears jean material too it takes longer to dry.

[anewshka]

OK, just found this out by trial and error. My daughter got RED paint on her NEW WHITE SHIRT at Girl Scouts. We nailed it as a rag. I had some Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda on hand (I make my own laundry detergent), which you can find at WalMart or Albertsons usually. I filled up the washer with warm water and a cup of the washing soda and soaked the shirt for a few hours. It's as good as new!!! I am SO excited! We tried everything else...stain stick, rubbing detergent on stain, soaking, bleach and I even tried rubbing Comet cleanser into the stain! I really thought we were just going to have to use Rit Dye or use it as a rag. My stores no longer carry it, but will order it for me. It can also be purchased online. Combined with Borax and fels-Naptha soap...it's better detergent than anything I've ever bought...and cheaper

[acezz4e_tish]

ive never heard of or seen this fels naptha before. borax yes. i used to paint on an all lady crew. he had a male crew too, but most older women whove lost thier hubbys and are alone now, feel more comfortable with girls in thier house then men. jerry, the owner and i, did a private job for our local church. very hard to do deep cleaning and not hurt anything thats that old. he brought in a 5 gallon pail, filled almost to top with water, used a cup of borax, a big squirt of dawn, murphys oil soap also. it cleaned things so brown back to white again! and didnt hurt anything in the church. took us all day, but went thru there with sponge mops with bar, lint free, towels tied on there and got it all. it looked so gr8! Nothing feels as good as cleaning Gods house.

[Uncle Foobar]

I'm sorry, but i have the best tip of all:

Go Nude! Stay Naked!

Become an Adamist!

Foob

[Tightwad Kitty]

Because of very low income, I have to buy most of my clothes 2nd hand. This is what I am doing at moment as I am losing weight. If you are buying 2nd - hand clothes anyway. Keeping your clothes and recycling them, then pick out a wardrobe for each season from your storage of clothes and buy only what missing.

I down grade clothing into these groups.

Extra Good – Wedding, Trip & Party Clothes.
Good – City & Day & Trip Clothes.
Good/Medium – Local Shopping & Trip Clothes.
Medium – Visiting Friends & Local Shopping
Medium/Poor – House Clothes.
Poor – Working Around House
Very Poor – Garden or Painting
Out – Rags

This is my down grading strategy.

[Scamper]

Clothes you can buy at thrift stores. They only except good quality.
You can cut the sleeves off old sweaters, and make leg warmers.
You can mend socks over a light bulb.
If the sweater sleeves are worn, turn them into a vest.
Old panty hose you can tie up bundles of newspapers with.
You can sprinkle cayenne pepper in socks and mittens. This will keep them warmer.
Leather shoes you can shine with pledge, and then buff.
Rubber boots you can clean with crisco. This will water resist them.
When your child is painting, turn his shirt inside out. It won't come through the opposite side.
Spray all clothes with Scotch Guard when first purchased. Stains will be a breeze to clean.
Spray and Wash is great for most baby food stains.
If you need fabric. Go the first day of the sale. Unbelieveable prices.
Salt stains on shoes. Use a rag and white vinegar.

[WiseOwl]

Graet tips. Yes, anewshka, baking soda is fabulous for stains. Have you ever tried mixing it with peroxide? It works very well on stains (especially blood). We have a septic system (rather than sewer) and I tend not to use chemicals like bleach, for it is not good for the system or the earth. I use peroxide instead. I also use Borax.

But where do you get Fels Napta ? Do you mean the Fels soap flakes? Or the bar for stains? My mother always used Fels napta flakes many years ago. Do they still make them? Where can I get them?

[Razzy]

When my dd's shorts or skirts start getting a lil short I had some lace to the hem. The lace add length to her garmets and it gives her more use of the garmet.

Razzy

[autowoman]

This is why jeans are my all time favorite clothing item. I wash them less and wear them more so long as they dont stink of course.

[Coleroo]

Just FYI....the best place I've found Fels Naptha at is SoapsGoneBuy.com

They have a lot of old fashioned type of soaps.

[Tahirarache]

Everytime I seem to gain a pound or two the first thing I think about is not being able to get into my clothes, especially the summer clothes.

If I gain too much weight, I would have to go out and buy new clothes!!!

I can't do that. Why? Because I'm broke!!

[emilywebster]

Keeping weight down is a good advice ,but not practical for me since I have thyroid problem. I tend to gain weight easily.
Anyways I am trying.

[ValL]

You can get great bargains at second-hand shops. Don't worry if any of the clothes smell of mothballs. I've found that I can get rid of even the most stubborn mothball-smelling clothes by hanging them out on the line in the sunshine for a few days. Some may need up to a week. The key is lots of sunshine and a slight breeze.