How to Extend the Life of your Clothes
Today’s guest post is by Remake Events Manager, Alison! She will be describing how to extend the life of your clothes. Read on for all the tips and tricks!
When I was in middle school, I happened across a 1992 Pearl Jam tee in my mom’s closet. It was an original concert tee, oversize fit, and like most clothing of my moms from the early 90’s, very worn. At the time, I was just looking for a cool, comfortable looking shirt to wear to school and it fit the bill perfectly. Over the past 15 years, this shirt has been worn by my mom, my sister and myself hundreds of times; we fight over this tee even now when it has worn holes, stains and stretched seams!
When thinking about this shirt and how its still (kinda) wearable, I think about my other clothes that I love (some maybe still new) and hope I have a similar fate with them in 20 years. You might say, “Well Alison, that shirt was made in another time! They don’t make clothing like that anymore!”. While you might be right (kinda), the lifetime of your clothing also depends on how to take care of it.
Here are six helpful tips on how to extend the life of your clothes:
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Less is more when washing your clothes – especially with more natural fabrics like denim, silk and wool. There are some items that you will still need to wash after each wear (i.e. underwear, sweaty shirt or shirts) and that’s okay! But the majority can be worn more than once before washing.
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“Hand-washing is something that I do a ton,” says Alison. “It not only is more gentle on your garment, but it’s more gentle on your water consumption and helps your garment shed less micro fibers.”
Fun fact: Washing by machines use 14-20+ gallons of water per load.
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You don’t have to be an alterations professional to mend your clothing! Mending can be a fun, creative way to make your garments your own and recycle other fabrics by patching.
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If you are using your washing machine, a good way to wash your delicates is in a ‘delicates bag’. This keeps them from getting tangled with your other clothing! Alison says, “This is my favorite bag to wash delicates in.”
Air drying your clothing is a huge way to keep your garments from wearing so quickly. If you don’t have space to air dry, no worries! Look for the ‘cool’ or ‘delicate’ setting on your dryer. This will be more gentle with your garments, stretching them out less.
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Whenever you have heat coming into direct contact with your textiles, it can be pretty detrimental; especially with more delicate/natural fabrics. Steaming on the other hand is a great way to get wrinkles out without having to strain your clothing. If you don’t own a steamer, try hanging your clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower!
I hope these tips help you as much as they’ve helped me in the mission of making my clothes last a long time! – Alison
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Comments: 1
Another useful post bursting with info! Love, love, love your posts and your career as a super model!