Take Care
Want to know the best way to make your wardrobe more sustainable? Its very simple, look after the clothes you have and they will stay looking good for longer meaning you won’t need to replace them as quickly. As a stylist part of my job is making clothes look their best on photographs, but the clothes we wear each day need more TLC, I have all the tips you need to prevent your clothes from looking prematurely tired and tatty.
Wash at 30. I could stop there (I won’t but I could) as this is one of the most important parts of preserving both our clothes and saving energy. Most clothes only need to be washed at 30 degrees, save higher temperatures for bedlinen, underwear, bath / tea towels & gym wear. Spot clean any stains with cold water before putting them into the machine (ideally stains would be treated soon after the spillage to stop them becoming permanent) I am a fan of Vanish Soap Bar and a pre soak.
Hand wash delicates or use a net laundry bag to avoid delicates catching in the machine, keep dry cleaning to a minimum, the harsh chemicals can break down the fibres over time, premium fabrics suits can be brushed down and spot cleaned and hung out on a washing line, you’ll be surprised how much clothes will freshen up.
If clothes have logos or prints, think about turning your clothes inside out before washing them, leave them inside out for ironing, never iron directly on a print, if the flip side needs pressing, try ironing over a cotton pillow case.
A steamer is a stylists best friend, irons can leave scorch marks and fade colours, especially black, steamers glide over the garment without touching, hand steamers start at around £20, if you want the Rolls Royce of steamers check out The Steamery.
Remember to de bobble - even the best quality fibres pill due to friction, de bobble your cuffs and under arms with a pill remover to keep coats and knitwear looking new for longer, and remove daily lint (hairs / bits) with a sticky lint roller.
Wire hangers might be good space savers but they don’t help clothes retain their shape, wood are best for jackets & coats and flock for everything else, ideally knitwear is stored folded, use moth / cedar balls to protect for natural fabrics such as cashmere, lambswool that moths love to eat, Clothes-doctor.com make a lavender mist which repels moths and freshens up clothes.
As always prevention is better than cure, to keep shoes in good condition, use a suede protectionspray, brush off dry dirt , stuff with tissue paper when not in use (the tissue paper from the shoe box is fine) and when things get too bad take them to a professional to get them spick & span such as grael.co.uk
Keep special handbags in their cloth bags and store the straps inside the bag to stop it marking, while this tip doesn’t make for an Instagram friendly looking wardrobe, it does keep your favourite bags in good condition, direct sunlight, dust and scratches age a bag quickly. I use a balm for cleaning leather handbags and shoes, Saphir Renovator Cream is my preference but any balm will do the same job.
Lastly, repair before damage gets worse, think dropped hems, torn seams etc, use a local tailor / seamstress, don’t have one? Theseam.co.uk can recommend one, they say a stitch in time saves 9, that’s good fashion math.
