How to make your clothes last longer

clothes

Taking care of and keeping what you’ve already got will help your bottom-line home budget enormously. Not having to replace an item saves money. Since clothes tend to become a big budget item, it’s as good a place as any to talk about how to hang on to what you’ve got longer.

Before you ever buy, develop a strategy

Impulse buying is awful, compounded by the thoughtlessness that usually goes with it. Be aware of who you (and your children) are. If you have a rough and tumble daughter, the beautiful frilly lace dress isn’t going to last long, if it gets worn at all. Avoid 100% cotton blouses if you hate ironing.

Develop a color strategy

Buy clothes that coordinate. Buy clothes that are forgiving of stains. Don’t buy the yellow sweater – even if it’s on sale – if you have nothing to go with it.

Develop a dressing strategy

Don’t clean the house in something that can’t handle a chemical spill. Don’t wear the white dress to a wine and cheese party where you could be wearing the merlot. Black jeans for playing in the grass.

Reduce washing and drying

Kids would rather drop clothes in the hamper than put them back in a drawer. Before washing, check that items are really dirty. Washing depletes fibers and color. The fewer washes, the longer they last. Tide To Go Pen will clean spots fast and hold your item until laundry day. Use Shout sticks for larger stains. A lint roller will often pick up what you think is dirt but is really just superficial. And use deodorant. Perspiration and its accompanying aroma won’t stick to clothes if it’s not there in the first place.

Wash in cold

Many fabrics hold up better in cold water. Cold water detergents are designed to work optimally in the cold water. Every now and then throw a capful of bleach into the whites just to keep them bright. Also, you get the added bonus of a drop in energy bills.

Color separation really works

Similar colors will help each other by fading and bleeding on to each other. You know what a red sock does in a white load? In a red load, it would help the other red things stay red. If you don’t have enough laundry for color separation, at least do lights and darks.

Source: Wisebread

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