Hello Dear Reader,
I'm a great believer in taking care of what we have. We don't buy many clothes but when we do, we buy the best quality we can afford and make them last.
1. Don't wash clean clothes. Nothing wears clothes out more than washing them. Trousers and jeans can be worn for two or three days. Jumpers can be worn several times or even up to five times before washing. Don't give it away though......hang clothes back up and wear the item a second or third time or even more a few days later.
2. Don't use a tumble drier. Every time you clean out the fluff, that's bits of your clothes disintegrateing. Hang your clothes outside to dry, on on a clothes rack indoors. Clothes will take around 24 hours to dry. Find a sunny window and leave that ajar and dry the clothes there. If you have a fire or woodstove then you will find your clothes will dry there in a matter of hours. If you have a porch, conservatory, green house or shed you may find that it gets warm in there. Sheds, being of a dark colour, trap heat and are great places to dry laundry.
3. Be delicate with your delicates. A good bra can cost £40- £60 so look after them. I've never seen a bra washing instruction yet that reads........"chuck in washing machine with the rest of your laundry". Wash them by hand. I soak mine in a bowl overnight with a tiny amount of detergent and rinse and hang to dry the next day. Knickers can easily go out of shape so wash them by hand too, especially if they are your best.
4. Don't buy clothes that are difficult to keep clean. Never buy anything that needs dry cleaning! The exception being a good wool coat if you can find one in a charity shop. I've given up on anything made of wool as I know it will get ruined. I look for a blend and make sure it's machine washable.
5. If you're messy.........never buy white. In fact, never buy white full stop! It will get grubby, go grey and dis-colour and won't last. That goes for sheets, t-towels, flannels and tablecloths. Get real...........unless you have more money than sense, you'll pay loads of money to keep it white. Choose colours instead.
6. Fold clothes and wrap them if they are special and you don't wear them very often, for example a best dress. Use the plastic bags that the clothes came in. I've recently bought a dress that I could easily bring out and wear for years to come, I'll make sure it carefully goes away but then, make sure you don't forget them. Never hang an item that is occasionally gets worn as the hanger will mark it.
7. Invest in a sticky roller. This will keep dark trousers and clothes fluff and pet hair free. Keep one in the car and check yourself over when getting out of the car at work. Look yourself up and down and get the fluff or hairs off your clothes. It will keep the clothes clean, help them last and you won't look scruffy.
8. Dress for mess. Wear an apron, or a boiler suit in the garden, keep yourself clean and it will save your clothes. Keep an apron by the door, come in, take off your coat and put an apron on to save your clothes.
9. Sit to the table and protect your clothes when you eat. I have a plentiful supply of linen napkins (mostly thrifted) and we keep one on our laps when we eat. Nothing will ruin your clothes more than eating like a chav/slob in front of the TV and dropping food on your clothes. Not to mention eating like that discourages polite conversation.
10. Keep a sewing box handy. Check clothes for any repairs which may be required. Don't put off repair tasks. Sew buttons back on immediately. Repair and snags or holes. Even nylon tights get repairs and worn again in this house. Repair socks and even underwear. Do not waste good clothes for the sake of a needle and thread. Look for side to side stitches on your sewing machine that will effectively darn or create structure if you need to patch clothing such as jeans.
11. Wash clothes inside out - it will reduce bobbles on the clothes and save on wear.
12. Separate colours and treat clothes with respect when washing them - use gentle detergents so your clothes don't fade too quickly.
13. Repair hems. Most clothes are shoddily made these days! The hems seem to come down the day you wear them. Reinforce them by hemming yourself to save the bother of having to do it anyway a few washes later.
14. Footwear - alternate your shoes to give them a day to dry out. All feet sweat and all shoes absorb sweat. Leave them in the daylight for the moisture to escape. Store them by stuffing screwed up newspaper inside them as this too will absorb any moisture.
15. Keep shoes clean and polished. Leather shoes need a wax shoe polish to feed them and keep them supple.
Over to you Dear Reader. As clothes get more and more expensive, how do you make sure you make them last? I have shoes and clothes that are ten years old and I'm still wearing them, who else is making clothes last longer and longer?
As ever, I look forward to hearing from you.
Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxx