Tips to prolong the life of garments

We all have items we wish we’d taken better care of, but did you know there are ten great ways to prolong the life of your favourite garments? Keep reading to discovers ways to keep your wardrobe in great shape…

REDUCE YOUR WASHING

 Reducing how often you wash your clothes is a great way to reduce long term damage. We would recommend on after the third or forth wear, with a spritz of natural freshener to keep it feeling fresh. If you have an outside clothes line, this is a great way to air out garments. Alternatively you can invest in a steamer which not only reduces creases but also kills bacteria that causes clothing to smell musty.

DON’T OVERFILL YOUR WASHING MACHINE

When you actually do a load of washing, try to avoid overfilling your washing machine. Overfilling the drum can cause unnecessary additional friction for your garments, which are not only being flung about in the washing machine but also fighting with other pieces for space.

HAND WASHING IS BETTER

 Never underestimate the power of a good sink wash. 

“To handwash delicate clothes, follow these simple steps:
♦   Pretreat the item as needed for stains, then turn the item inside out.
♦   Fill the washbasin or sink with water, tepid/room temperature water is usually best.
♦   Add detergent or soap and mix to prepare the bath.
♦   Submerge the item, use your hands to agitate the water and detergent or soap and soak items for up to 30 minutes. Never soak silk items for longer than 30 minutes.
♦   Rinse well. Use tepid/room temperature or cold water until the soapy water is gone and press out the water.
♦   Press the item against the sink or basin to remove the water, be sure not to wring or twist the item.”

WASH AT LOW TEMPERATURES

 BUY A HIGH QUALITY, ECO FRIENDLY DETERGENT

Investing in a high quality laundry detergent with contains less harmful chemicals is a great way to wash your clothes and help the planet. Not sure where to start? 

NATURALLY BLEACH IN THE SUN

 You can do this with any white fabric including towels, tablecloths, bed linen and white shirts. Wash your garments as usual then leave to lay out in the sun, this will naturally bleach stains and doesn’t use any chemicals in a lot of stain removers.

PACK YOUR CLOTHES AWAY

When you buy a piece a high quality clothing it will often comes with tissue paper or a garment bag or shoe box. Hold onto this packaging as re-wrapping your precious pieces after you’ve used them to help preserve them away from dust and sunlight.