We all buy our clothes wanting them to last for a long time, but that is not always the case.
It is important to take care of them as much as we can to ensure we don’t damage the fabric, and they last as long as possible. This saves us money as we are less likely to buy new clothes to replace the old ones. It is also a sustainable choice as you are less likely to throw away your old clothes, they would be in good enough condition to recycle, donate or keep for next season.
The way we take care of our clothes is crucial to their lifespan. An 100% linen shirt can last you 10+ years when taken care of, opposed to 2-3 years if you don’t. So here are 3 things you can do at home to extend the life of your clothes.
Wash your clothes less
Washing your clothes less, expands the lifespan of your clothes. Every time you wash your clothes you damage the fibres, so the less you wash them, the more they maintain their quality.
How frequently you wash your clothes is down to personal preference, however many things such as jeans, coats, jackets etc, don’t need washing every time you wear them. When they get frequent exposure to water, it can wear them out.
It is also an important energy saving tip for your washing machine. The less you use it, the more energy you save.
Follow the care labels
All items of clothing come with laundry care labels. It is important these are followed in order to wash and clean your garments correctly. For example certain items of clothing may shrink in hot washes and others may be dry clean only.
By following the care labels correctly, you are maintaining the quality of your clothes, giving them a longer lifespan.
Here are the main care labels you need to look out for.
Washing Symbols:
Drying Symbols:
Dry Clean Symbols:
Iron Symbols:
Bleach Symbols:
Hang your clothes correctly
First thing you need to make sure of is that you are using the best type of hanger. Wire hangers can cause your clothes to misshapen. Make sure you use a wooden or padded hanger to keep their shape.
Aim to hang clothes that are likely to crease such as trousers, skirts, dresses, shirts, jackets. Also hang clothing made from delicate/easily wrinkled materials, such as silk, leather, linen etc.
You should fold clothes such as jeans, shorts, and jumpers. Jumpers especially should be folded as when hung they can sag and stretch.
Here are some tips on how to hang certain items.
Top Tip: Always put the hanger through the bottom of the clothes and up through the neck, to avoid stretching the neckline.
Tops
When your top is on the hanger you can use the hanging loop in your garment like the one shown below to relieve pressure from certain areas of your garments.
Shirts
When hanging a shirt make sure that the top button is done up and then every other button from there. This ensures the collar and shirt keeps its shape.
Trousers
To hang trousers you can either use the trousers hangers with the clips or a standard wooden hanger. To hang your trousers on a trousers hanger, make sure the clips are placed on the waistband. See picture below.
When using a wooden hanger, fold them lengthways and hang them over the hanger rod as shown in the picture below.
Skirts
To hang skirts we recommend using hangers with clips. To avoid the clips damaging the more delicate materials such as silk you can put a piece of tissue in between the clip and the skirt as a protective layer.
By hanging the clothes correctly you are avoiding misshaping them and stretching them, increasing their lifespan.
These are just 3 reasons on how you can care for your clothes and improve their lifespan. It is a good start to a long lasting, high quality, sustainable wardrobe.