1. Buy High-Quality Clothing - Purchasing better quality clothing is an important factor when considering the lifespan of your clothing. Cheap garments won’t last long after repeated washes in the laundry machine and dryer, and may be more prone to shrinkage and fading.
Focus clothing that is made with high-quality fabrics such as organic cotton and rayon, and make sure the seams on the clothing is intact and not fraying. If the piece of clothing comes with an extra button, that’s another good indication that the garment is well made as it usually means that the designer intends for it to last. 2. Protect your Clothing - Try and prevent dirtying your clothing by wearing protection when doing certain activities. If you’re cooking, wear an apron to prevent food or possible stains on your clothing. You should also protect expensive pieces of clothing that you don’t wear often like suits or fancy dresses in a garment bag when storing in the closet to help preserve them. Stains can be a death sentence for clothing, so by taking precautions in advance, you’re ensuring that your clothes will last that much longer. 3. Don’t Over-Wash Clothes - Clothes last longer when they aren’t being over-washed. Sweaters you’re wearing over a t-shirt don’t need to be washed after every single wear. The same goes with jeans, skirts, camisoles, and dresses. Unless the garment is actually soiled with something, they can generally be worn about three times before needing to be cleaned. Just make sure that you’re hanging these clothes that you’ve worn in order to help freshen it up, avoid wrinkles, and not collect dirt or dust if they were just sitting on the floor. 4. Use a Laundry Bag for Delicates - Mesh bags for certain types of clothing like lingerie and delicate fabrics are important for ensuring that the clothes last longer. Underwear can easily get caught in other pieces of clothing or on zippers which may cause them to become damaged and ultimately thrown out. Reusable mesh bags are also great to put all your small items in like your underwear as well as socks to make it easier to sort afterwards. Using a mesh laundry bag will help make sure your clothes don’t get ruined. 5. Zip & Button Up to Prevent Damage - Speaking of zippers, in order to reduce the possibility of damaged clothing when washing them, zip up your sweaters and jeans before tossing them in the laundry machine. The same goes with buttons. By doing this, you’re reducing the chance that your clothes will get caught or tangled and damaging your clothing. Ensuring your clothing remains undamaged is an important factor for having clothes that last a long time. 6. Follow Washing Instructions - Clothing doesn’t come with laundry instructions on their tags for nothing. It’s extremely important to read these tags in order to learn how to wash each piece of clothing to ensure the garment’s lifespan is a long one. Certain pieces of clothing need to be hanged to dry, or tossed in the dryer on a gentle setting. Maybe something can only be hand-washed. You don’t want to take a piece of clothing out of the washer or dryer just to realize that it shrunk, faded or lost its softness. There’s no going back after that. 7. Wash Clothing Inside Out - To reduce fading and preserve prints from cracking, turn your clothing inside out prior to throwing them in the laundry machine. Although it may seem tedious having to turn them back out after they’re dried, it will help make certain types of clothes last longer such as shirts with text or designs on them. 8. Hang Clothes to Dry - Hanging your clothes to dry on a clothesline or clothes rack is a great way to preserve its quality and therefore extend its lifespan. It will also help reduce wrinkles and shrinking that could possibly happen from the dryer. It’s also a better alternative because you’re saving energy by not using a drying machine. When you are using the dryer, use eco-friendly wool dryer balls to shorten the drying time and reduce wrinkles in clothing. 9. Store Clothes Properly - Closets usually have doors for a reason, and that’s to keep clothes in a cool and dark area to preserve them. If clothes are exposed to direct sunlight over a long period of time, the garment becomes permanently faded. You also want to make sure that you’re storing your clothes in a cool and dry environment as to not risk mold. 10. Learn to Repair your Clothes - A little sewing knowledge can go a long way. You don’t need to throw away clothes because a button fell off or there’s a small tear. Be more sustainable with your clothing and learn to fix your clothes so that they last for many years!
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AuthorZoe Bautista is a Pratt Institute Alumni for the creative writing program who is a trailblazer for sustainability and practicing a life of zero-waste. She has written for publications such as the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. ArchivesCategories |