You’ve spent time, money, and effort to establish the perfect wardrobe that’s filled with unique pieces to wear for work and play. The last thing you’ll want is for your clothes to wear out quickly. Frequent washing can fade colors and loosen the fibers. Accidentally mixing up colors or adding delicates to a dryer can result in shrinking and no longer fitting. But there are ways to keep your outfits looking new for longer. This article is a simple guide on how to practice good habits to keep clothes looking fresh and new without spending hours having to find replacements. 

Invest in quality clothing

From coats to shirts to dresses to t-shirts – well-made clothes tend to last longer. But how can you tell if clothing is well-made? Although natural fibers are a sign of a quality garment, just because it says 100 percent cotton on the tag doesn’t mean a sweater is well-made. It’s best to also check the stitching as a test. Better quality garments tend to have more stitches and their seams sit tighter. You can gently pull on a seam on the inside of a piece of clothing to check.

lady wearing nice clothes

Avoid over-wearing

You’ve found the perfect pair of jeans, so it’s only natural that you’ll want to wear them every day. But it’s important to give your garments a break between wears and let the shape recover. This is most important for items made from elastic fabrics like fitness wear and underwear. Besides, when you’re rotating clothes every day, it’ll look like you’ve got plenty more items in your wardrobe than you may actually have.

Store items well

Devising a good storage routine is imperative to keeping your garments looking new for longer. To avoid wrinkling items and having to iron them, invest in good clothes hangers. Some items should be hung rather than folded, such as coats and jackets, most leather items, and silk or satin dresses. If you need to find out how to unwrinkled clothes, check out this article.

Wash less frequently

Unless there are visible stains or your garments are smelly, there’s no need to wash an item after wearing it once. Frequent washing can quickly fade colors and ruin the structure of the fibers. By minimizing your laundry cycles, you’ll ensure that items will look fresher for longer. Make sure you always consult the care symbols on the inside of a garment before washing or drying them. Not sure what a care symbol means, then check out this great overview.

Treat stains immediately

Spills are a part of life. The important thing is to treat stains as soon as they happen. Don’t wait until red wine or coffee stains have dried. It’s much harder to remove them when they’ve had time to sit on the fabrics for a while. A quick spot cleaning should help get rid of the worst. Then wash the garment as recommended in the care instructions.