3 Ways I'm Trying to Take Better Care of My Clothes

If you've been reading my posts since late last year, you know that I've been learning more about sustainability, fast fashion, and all that stuff. So, today I wanted to talk about some of the things I've been doing to help take care of my clothes and ensure they'll last as long as possible. You may find this interesting, you may not care, but either way, let's go.

#1: Better laundering

Washing clothes is something Americans aren't good at. Or, more precisely, we're too good at it. But washing and drying clothes too much, or the wrong way, is actually how clothes wear out faster.

So I've been trying to be more mindful about how I wash my clothes, starting with how often. My denim only gets washed a once a month, or when dirty. Clothes that don't touch my skin directly also go back in my closet as long as they're clean and don't smell for another few wears.

I don't do much different washing wise, but I do when it comes to drying. Anything linen, flannel, sweaters, delicate fabrics, and even some of my tee shirts hung to dry rather than submitted to the abuse of the dryer. Basically anything I don't want to shrink or rip.

Lastly, I'm trying to do better about ironing pieces that are wrinkled. Would you believe clothes do look better when they're properly ironed? I definitely don't iron everything, but I have a few skirts, dresses, and blazers that need a good press.

#2: Repairs

I've been very blessed to have a mom who believes in repairing clothes. But now that I'm older, I'm trying to learn to do these repairs myself, because honestly they aren't that hard most of the time.

It's more a matter of noticing rips and such and then remembering to fix them. Which, I must admit, I'm rather bad at. But I'm trying to get better.

I'm also trying to learn repairs for more than my clothes. Such as gluing my boots back together when they come apart. One of my future goals is to learn to darn socks and mend sweaters, which doesn't seem as hard as I thought.

#3: Care and Storage

Finally, I'm trying to care and store for my clothes better. For example, I recently took the time to clean and conditioning my boots. They may be faux leather, but they look so much better after I did that.

I also try to keep my clothes folded nicely, or hung on non-slip hangers in my closet. I don't currently have any winter or summer storage, so I can't say much on that front.

This isn't as big a point, it's more just the daily way I treat my clothes. I don't treat them like they're disposable- I care for them because I want them to last.

Does all of this have a point? No, I just felt like sharing. I hope you enjoyed.