5 Laundry Tips for Making Your Clothes Last Forever
As a fashion lover who loves to shop and wear pretty clothes daily, I feel the way I take care of my clothes is super important when it comes to keeping my favorite items around a lot longer than expected. From ruffled blouses, long and short party dresses, day dresses, evening gowns, and silk & leather skirts, washing my clothes can be a little extra work but I know the effort is worth it if I want to keep them looking nice and new looking.
Here are five handy laundry tips for making sure your favorites clothing items stay like new forever:
Use Cold Water 99% of the Time
Cold water is your best friend when it comes to doing your laundry. It’s gentler on fabrics and cleans just as good as warm or hot water. Not only is cold water great for keeping the shape and size of clothes, but it also is kind to colored clothing including brights and darks. Cold water also helps resist fading which is what we want for all of our clothing. Right?
Use the Right Amount of Detergent
Have you ever taken your clothes out of the washer and found that they are stiff? If you have this happen to you, try shaking the clothing item out before putting it in the dryer and if it remains stiff without loosely falling open, you’ve used too much detergent. Rewash this time with just water to give the clothing a good rinse. Using too much detergent doesn’t just make your clothes stiff, it also fades colors. Wearing clothing that still has detergent on them can also lead to skin rashes and irritations.
Use the Right Dryer Settings
Be sure to always follow the dryer setting on your clothing tags. Don’t over-dry and take clothing out right away once the dryer stops. For your delicate clothes, lay them flat to dry. For the items you do not want to shrink, put them in the dryer for 2-3 minutes so they bounce back to shape and then hang them to dry. For the clothing items, you want to dry but you are not sure about the right setting, always choose delicate.
Catch Stains Immediately
If you want to remove a stain from a garment, you have to act quickly before the stain sets in. As soon as you can, rinse the garment in cold water. Apply stain remover, let sit for the recommended amount of time (refer to stain remover label), then wash the item as directed. If you pull the item out of the dryer and the stain is still there, rewash. Do not let the item fully dry. If you do, the stain will be set in the fabric and will be impossible to remove.
Keep Your Delicates Looking Like New
Hand wash your delicates in cold water and lay flat to dry. I always do this. If you cannot hand wash them, place them in lingerie bags and wash them on delicate with minimal detergent or just softer, depending on how badly they are soiled. Lay them flat to dry. Avoid the hot dryer for these items.
