10 Ways to Make Clothes Last Longer

Sometimes it seems as if clothing never last long. If you’re on a budget – or just annoyed by having to constantly replace your clothes – this can be frustrating. However, it can be very easy to make your clothes last longer.

Store Clothes Appropriately

For instance, one way to help keep your clothes in a great, long lasting condition is to store them appropriately. Have you ever tucked sweaters away for the summer and then found them ruined by moths or moisture? You want to make sure that you store clothing appropriately, such as packing them away after they’ve been cleaned and storing them in tight containers that don’t let in moisture of bugs.

Fix Problems Quickly

Have you ever had a pair of pants where the hem has come undone? Did you let it trail around because you kept forgetting to fix it? What about a hole in a shirt? After awhile, that hole starts to get bigger and before you know it, you’re throwing out the shirt. Fixing small clothing problems as soon as they appear will help preserve the clothing, making it last longer.

Keep Buttons

Most pieces of clothing come with an extra set of buttons. If you’ve ever had a piece of clothing lose a button, you know how hard it can be to find a matching button. If you keep a collection of clothing buttons in the house, you’ll be able to repair your shirt or pair of pants without having to set that item aside. There are plenty of people who will throw away perfectly good clothing because they don’t have matching buttons, so keeping the spares that come with new clothing is always a good idea.

Sort Laundry

Most of us have been told never to wash dark clothes with light clothes. No one wants their formally white shirts to turn pink in the wash, right? Sorting laundry might seem like a hassle, especially if it means you have to pay for two loads instead of one. But you’d rather pay for two loads than have to buy an entirely new set of clothing, right?

Read Instructions

One of the quickest ways to ruin clothing is to not read the instructions before you wash them. Some clothes require a certain type of laundry detergent. Some should be dry cleaned or washed by hand. Have you ever put a cashmere sweater into the drying machine? It shrinks up into nothing by the end of the cycle! Before you do your laundry, make sure you know how to take care of your clothes so that you can help make them last longer.

Heel Taps

More often than not, shoes become worn down quicker than clothing. Investing in some heels taps could help solve this problem and make your shoes last longer. Heel taps are attached to the heel of your shoe in order to protect that area from getting worn down. They cost about $10 from any cobbler, shoe store, or online retailer, and either you or a cobbler can put them on your shoes.

Air Dry

Did you know that air drying clothing not only saves you money, but helps make your clothes last longer? While throwing your clothes into a drying machine might be convenient, the high heat involved in the drying process is very harmful for your clothing. There’s also the chance that drying your clothes will shrink them. Air drying your clothes will take longer, but will save you more money and make your clothes last longer.

Wash Every Other Time

There are only a few items that you should wash after wearing them, such as undergarments, gym clothes, or any clothes that need to be cleaned before a second use. But many items can be worn for a second or third time before you wash them. Each time you wash clothing, you’re wearing out the material. That’s not to say that you should go months between laundry cycles. But if you wear a pair of jeans to run errands on morning, there’s nothing saying you can’t wear them again the next day.

Spray Shoes with Coating

Most shoe stores offer some form of protective coating behind the counter. These are sometimes to protect leather or suede shoes and sometimes to protect your shoes against the weather. It’s a good idea to coat your shoes to protect them since it will help make them last longer. You never know when you might get stuck out in the rain, and when that happens, you won’t want to ruin your shoes.

Minimize Products

Be careful about using hairspray, perfume, or colognes on your clothing. These products have a tendency of staining clothing, which is sometimes something we figure out after the deed is already done. Unfortunately, these items also reduce the color of your clothing, so you should put on perfume or hairspray prior to getting dressed.

 

Photo: Flickr: Richard_of_England