When you buy new clothes, you feel good wearing something new and trendy. However, once the same garment gets a bit old, it tends to go to the back of your cupboard or be converted into an item worn at home or may even need to be discarded. We bring you a few ways to care for your clothes, to make them look new and last longer.

In a way, your clothes are an extension of who you are. While it feels great to slip into a stylish, comfortable outfit, sliding into a wrinkly shirt or pair of pants just doesn’t feel great. Don’t worry. While it takes a bit of extra effort, it’s easy to both improve and optimize your laundry routine. Whether you’re snuggling up on the couch for a movie night or heading out to the club with some friends, we’ve got many tips to help keep all your clothes in great shape.

Keeping your clothes for longer can help to dramatically reduce the emissions that occur during a piece of clothing’s life cycle; extending the active life of a piece of clothing by just nine months can significantly reduce its environmental impact, while the emissions of a piece of clothing can be reduced by 24% over the year by doubling its useful life from one to two years.

Checkout most useful ways to care for your clothes and thanks us later.

How to care for your clothes?

Sort your clothes before washing them

Laundry is a big mixing and matching game. It may be tempting to toss all your clothes into the washer at once, but this isn’t always the best option. Instead, sort your clothes by color, as well as by how dirty they are. Also, divide certain clothes, like loose knits and delicates, into their own separate load. It may seem a bit tedious initially, but sorting your laundry helps keep your garments in great shape.

• Coloring sorting prevents any unwanted dye transfer during the wash cycle. Sorting clothes with dirt prevent extra grime from sticking to your less-soiled clothes.
• For instance, you could divide your laundry into 4 color piles: whites, pastels, medium-toned garments, brights, and darks.
• You might also separate your really dirty clothes from your less soiled ones.
• Experts also suggest washing towels, fuzzy shirts, and fuzzy robes in their own load since they tend to give off lots of lint.

Wash at Low Temperatures

When the time to do a clothes wash, wash at lower temperatures.  “Wash clothes at a low temperature with a gentle and natural laundry detergent to keep the fabric clean and soft and prevent color fading,” advises Morton.

For an average shirt over a year, 80% of the emissions produced during the ‘in-use’ stage of its life cycle are from washing, and tumble drying washing at 30° or less helps to reduce those emissions while also protecting your clothes.  The exceptions might be items in close contact with your skin, such as underwear, bedding, and towels – which may need a higher temperature wash.

Cut Down on Dry Cleaning

One in three consumers avoids buying a garment that says dry clean only on the label, thanks to the extra effort involved in cleaning the item. Still, actually, most delicate items labeled as ‘dry clean only can be washed on gentle, lower temperature cycles (unless the item has details that might become damaged in the washing machine).

Dry cleaning is a highly chemical-intensive process with negative environmental impacts and can hurt textiles fibers and consumers’ skin. Where dry cleaning is the only option for the garment, look for environmentally friendly cleaners offering non-toxic and ‘eco’ cleaning services.

Treat Stains Right Away

Stains are easier to remove when they haven’t been set into the fabric. Experts advise blotting the stain with a clean sponge instead of rubbing it in since rubbing a stain will only force it deeper into the fabric. Laundry experts also suggest pretreating the stain before tossing it into the wash.

• If you spilled coffee on your favorite shirt, soak the stained fabric in cold water and pretreat it with detergent or stain remover. Then, wash the garment with sodium hypochlorite bleach if the care label allows it.
• To treat ink stains, dip a clean sponge in rubbing alcohol and dab it around and over the stain. Flip the garment over, setting the stain face-down on a sheet of clean paper towels. Dab more rubbing alcohol along the back of the stain, replacing the paper towels as needed. Then, rinse out the stain as best as you can, and wash the garment as you normally would.
• For fresh blood stains, soak the clothing item in a container of cold water, and wash it as usual. For dried blood stains, soak the garment in a basin of warm water mixed with an enzyme-rich product. Then, launder the clothing item as usual.
• To care for light mud stains, spread a powder detergent paste over the soiled area and wash it as you normally would. For heavier mud stains, pretreat the garment in a basin of water mixed with a detergent or enzyme-rich product. Then, add it to your next load of laundry.

Avoid Overloading your Dryer

Big loads take a lot longer to dry all the way. Also, larger laundry loads look wrinklier once you pull them out. To prevent extra complications, dry a few clothes that can move and tumble easily in the dryer.

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