There's nothing wrong with spending a little here and there on yourself or others, but if you're finding that you're spending a little too much on clothing, here's a few tips on how to get the most wear out of your closet so you can cut down on spending.
While most of us spend money each season on the latest trends and a few new essentials, keeping what you already have can be a lot easier when you know how to care for them.
Prevent Fading & Shrinking
Over the years of my doing an obscene amount of laundry, I've learned a few tricks to prevent fading in dark clothing and stop shrinking, too.
When washing polo shirts or anything with a collar, here's what I do.
Unfold the collar, button each button (right up to the very top), turn inside out and then tuck the unfolded collar into the neck hole. This will prevent it from refolding after you throw it in the washing machine.
Wash on cold on the delicate cycle. When it comes out of the washing machine, turn right-side out and hang dry. Make sure the collar stands against the hanger while drying as well.
Following the simple laundry trick with the collar will avoid that ugly faded crease on the collar and washing in cold water and hanging to dry will avoid color fading.
To avoid shrinking of basic t-shirts, wash with cold water on a delicate cycle. The cold water will prevent fading and the delicate cycle will prevent the fabric from being stretched too much. After washing, hang to dry either by laying down or hanging. Our shirts have gotten a lot of wear after washing them this way.
Prevent Stains Fast
It may seem like a pain in the rear to tackle a stain right as it happens, but doing so will prevent it from setting in and increase the likelihood of it coming out on the first try. While there are a slew of ways to get out different stains, I tend to use plain old laundry detergent.
First start off by wetting the stain. Pour a small amount of laundry detergent onto the stain and gently massage with your finger. Gently scratch at it with your fingernail as well. This will often lift the stain with ease for me. If not, I take a wash cloth, wrap it around my finger and wet it slightly. I then wipe at the stain with the cloth going in one direction.
You want to make sure that the entire time you're trying to get out the stain, you're using light pressure. Putting too much pressure can cause the stain to be rubbed into the fabric. Once you feel like you've done all you could do, toss into the washing machine.
I wash with cold water on delicate for pretty much everything except towels and sheets, but if I feel that I need warmer water, I'll turn it up a notch. If you can't launder the stain right away, run the stain under water to rinse the detergent away and toss into your hamper for washing later. Just don't wait too long!
After the clothing item with the stain has come out of the washing machine, check to see if the stain was removed. If not, don't put in the dryer. Doing so will cause the stain to set in and will be harder to remove on the second try and sometimes it may not come out at all.
Simply repeat the steps from before and try again. Roughly 9 times out of 10, the stain will come out for me on the first wash.
I've removed everything from grease to blood using this method and even though it may not work on all fabrics, it has done wonders over the years. The key is to make sure that you're using a good detergent.
Tide is by far the best to remove stains. I would choose Purex as a less expensive option because it has worked for me as well.
Conclusion
I do feel like I have to give a disclaimer to this post simply because I don't want anyone to think that these are miracle cures for each instance. There may be some instances where fading and shrinking will happen regardless. This is especially true for certain fabrics.
There is also a good chance that a stain will not come out no matter what you do as well. That being said, please use these tips but keep in mind that they're not 100% fool proof. Read your clothing care instructions and decide for yourself if it's a good idea to try.
#DIY
