Did you know that every American throws away an average of 81 pounds of clothing every year?
As you can imagine, this isn’t very sustainable. Our love of ‘fast-fashion’ is ruining the world, bleeding rivers dry and filling up our landfills. In fact, particles from clothes made from plastics – like polyester – can end up in the sea, where they’re likely to remain forever.
It’s a big problem, but we can fix it. To start with, the population needs to stop throwing away so many clothes and take care of the ones they have.
To keep your jumpers, jeans, and jackets from the landfill, take a look at our tips on how to preserve clothes.
Wash Inside Out
One of the easiest tips for how to keep clothes looking new is to wash them inside out. If you’ve got fabrics that are dyed darker, like blue denim, you need to be careful when washing to stop the color fading. By washing them inside out, there’s less chance of the water and cleaning products stripping the dye, keeping your clothes looking newer for longer.
This also works great for clothes with embellishments. Washing them inside out prevents the details from snagging on other clothes or being bashed around in your machine.
Never Use Chlorine Bleach
Using chlorine-based bleaches is an absolute no. This is guaranteed to speed up the breakdown of fibres in your clothes, causing plenty of damage in no time. It’s also terrible for the planet and pollutes the seas and rivers, so stay away!
Look instead to natural bleaching alternatives, such as lemon, vinegar, and baking soda. They can give you the same cleaning effects without the harmful chemicals.
Switch to Soap Nuts
If you’re looking for clothing care tips, one of the best to make your clothes last and help our planet is to switch to soap nuts. These are completely natural and have actually been used for thousands of years to clean clothes.
Soap nuts are super gentle on fabrics, reducing the chance of dye loss or fibre breakdown. Add a few drops of essential oils to yours for an eco-friendly scented wash. Make sure you switch your soap nuts every few washes to keep your clothes clean and fresh.
Start Air Drying
If you’re wondering how to keep your clothes looking new, a top tip is to stop drying them in the machine. It can actually cause them to lose their shape, stretching or shrinking items until you can’t wear them. It’s also a great idea to air dry if you’re looking at how to keep clothes from fading.
To help them dry quicker, use an air drying rack and space your clothes apart properly. You can also hang items such as jumpers and t-shirts. Place your clothes in a well-ventilated spot, such as by an open window, and use a dehumidifier to prevent too much moisture in the air.
Use Mesh Bags to Preserve Clothes
Mesh bags are designed to keep your delicate items safe from the wash. From your underwear to embellished items, put these into a mesh bag or pillowcase to stop them from being bashed around during your wash. You can also use it for clothes that have zippers that you’re worried could ruin other items in your wash.
If You Don’t Have to Wash, Don’t
Not every item of clothing needs to be washed after every wear – you’re not that smelly! Things like jumpers and jeans can actually be worn multiple times before washing, as long as you haven’t been for a 5 kilometer run in them of course.
By not washing so often, you can extend the lives of your clothes. It also saves water, energy, and laundry detergent (or soap nuts!), making it a no-brainer. Here’s some guidance for when to wash:
- Denim can be washed after every 4-5 wears
- Wool clothing resists stain and odors, making them wearable for longer than one day
- If the clothing hasn’t touched your skin, like a jumper over a t-shirt, why wash it?
- Pants and socks should be washed after a days wear
Stop Snagging
If your clothing keeps coming out of the wash with rips or snagged fabric, it could be your other clothing. To stop this, always do up any zips, snaps, and buttons before washing. It’s a simple tip that can help your clothes last a lot longer!
Treat Stains Quickly
Stains are a quick way to ruin clothes, so if you’re wondering how to keep your clothes looking new this is something you’ll need to deal with. Stains always need to be treated quickly, so act fast! A lot of chemical stain removers can be tough on fabrics, so take a look at natural options instead.
Here are a few tips for treating stains without ruining your clothes:
- White vinegar – Add a cup of vinegar to your wash to remove yellow underarm stains and mildew, as well as brightening your clothes. If you’re wondering how to keep clothes soft this works too
- Baking soda – Remove odors, soften fabrics, and get rid of stains by adding baking soda to your wash
- Hydrogen peroxide – For stains on white clothes, use hydrogen peroxide, applying it directly to the stain before washing
Once you know how to treat stains properly, keeping your clothes looking new will become a whole lot easier!
Use the Right Wash Setting
Your washing machine has different settings for a reason, so make sure you’re using the right one. This is especially true for fabrics like wool, which need a very gentle wash. Always check the care label to make sure you’re following the proper directions for washing.
If you really want to preserve your clothes, switch all your washes to the delicate cycle. If your clothes aren’t heavily soiled, this will still give them a good wash but will be much gentle to them, using cold water and spinning them much less. Most clothes don’t actually need more intense cycles to still come out clean and fresh.
If you’re doing a regular cycle, try turning down the heat if you can to make the wash kinder to your clothes. This will also cut down on energy use, saving you money and helping the planet. You can also reduce the number of spins to stop them from being thrown around too much.
Avoid Top-Loading Washers
A lot of Americans are still using top-loading washing machines, which are a big no-no when it comes to looking after clothes. They contain an agitator, which basically pulls your clothes around to properly clean them. Whilst the idea is great, in practice, this is way too tough on most clothes and can quickly cause damage.
So, instead of a top-loading machine switch to a front-loading design instead. These don’t have an agitator, instead of relying on spinning and gravity to tumble your clothes around. This is a much better way to clean your clothes if you’re looking to make them last.
Repair Your Clothes
The final point is if all else fails and your clothes are damaged. These tips will definitely help your clothes last longer, but sometimes tears and holes are inevitable. But, that doesn’t mean it’s time to just chuck out your jackets and t-shirts.
Learn to repair your clothes instead. It’ll save you a lot of money on a new wardrobe every year and is much better for the planet. Take a look at these tips to repair old clothes:
- Patches – Use clothes patches to cover up any holes or rips. These can look great on things like jackets and jeans, and a unique look to your clothes
- Sewing Machine – Look for second-hand sewing machines to make repairs a lot quicker. It may take some time learning how to use it, but it’ll be more than worth it
- Sew on buttons and zippers – Fastenings are pretty simple to re-attach once you know how and as items that are usually quick to fail, learning how to sew them on can save a lot of waste
- Repair holes – Sewing up holes is actually pretty easy and, as the biggest clothing problem, will help your wardrobe last a lot longer.
Get Cleaning!
Making sure you look after your clothes is essential to cutting down on how much you buy. If you want to save the planet, make sure you work to preserve clothes you already have and stop buying so many new ones. Together, we can cut down on the waste in our landfills, protect our oceans, and keep our planet safe.
If you want more useful tips for everyday life, be sure to take a look at some of the other articles on our website.
