Knowing how to make clothes last longer is an important factor when trying to create a more sustainable wardrobe.
Prolonging the lifespan of our clothing will allow us to master slow fashion and save money by reducing the amount of clothing we need to buy in our lives.
We’ve all had certain garments that we carelessly threw into the washing machine and dryer, only to find out that they got ruined because we didn’t consider the proper way to wash them.
By not taking care of our clothing, we end up throwing it away, only to wind up in a landfill or incinerated somewhere on the planet.
It’s horrible for the environment considering the pollution clothing creates to get produced, shipped and maintained, only to land somewhere that will cause more pollution.
Not to mention it’s a waste of money that was spent purchasing the clothing, even if we got it on the cheap by buying clothing secondhand.
Because of this, it’s crucial for ourselves as well as the environment to ensure our clothes have a long lifespan.
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Here are 13 ways to make your clothes last longer.
1. Buy High-Quality Clothing
Purchasing better quality clothing is an important factor when considering the lifespan of your clothing. Cheap garments won’t last long after repeated washes in the laundry machine and dryer and may be more prone to shrinkage and fading.
Learn how to stop buying fast fashion and instead focus on buying clothing that is made with high-quality and sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, and avoid cheaper materials like polyester.
When shopping in-store, you should also make sure that the seams on the clothing are intact and not fraying. This is a good indication of quality.
If the piece of clothing comes with an extra button, that’s another good indication that the garment is well made as it usually means that the designer intends for it to last.
I also believe that you can find a lot of high-quality clothing at thrift stores, which I explain more in my post on why you should buy secondhand clothing.
2. Protect your Clothing
Try and prevent dirtying your clothing by wearing protection when doing certain activities. If you’re cooking, wear an apron to prevent food or possible stains on your clothing. The same goes for painting, gardening, etc.
Stains can be a death sentence for clothing, so by taking precautions in advance, you’re ensuring that your clothes will last that much longer.
You should also protect expensive pieces of clothing that you don’t wear often like suits or fancy dresses in a garment bag when storing in the closet to help preserve them.
3. Carry a Stain Remover Pen
As mentioned above, a stain is usually a determining factor for when a piece of clothing has reached the end of its life-cycle.
To avoid this, carry a stain remover pen with you to tackle a stain when it’s fresh.
Alternatively, if you’re at home, wash it as soon as possible so the stain doesn’t set in.
4. Don’t Over-Wash Clothes
Plain and simple, clothes last longer when they aren’t being over-washed.
Sweaters you’re wearing over a t-shirt don’t need to be washed after every single wear. The same goes for jeans, skirts, camisoles, and dresses.
Unless the garment is actually soiled with something, they can generally be worn about three times before needing to be cleaned.
Just make sure that you’re hanging these clothes that you’ve worn in order to help freshen it up, avoid wrinkles, and not collect dirt or dust if they were just sitting on the floor.
5. Use a Laundry Bag for Delicates
Mesh bags for certain types of clothing like underwear, lingerie and delicate fabrics are important for ensuring that the clothes last longer.
Certain clothing can easily get caught in other pieces of clothing or on zippers which may cause them to become damaged and ultimately thrown out.
Reusable mesh bags are also great to put all your small items in like your underwear as well as socks to make it easier to sort afterwards.
6. Zip & Button Up to Prevent Damage
Speaking of zippers, in order to reduce the possibility of damaged clothing when washing them, zip up your sweaters and jeans before tossing them in the laundry machine.
The same goes with buttons. By doing this, you’re reducing the chance that your clothes will get caught or tangled and damaging your clothing.
I’ve got a few thin strapped tank tops and sometimes they’ve gotten tangled around a button, which stretches both the shirt and the button.
Ensuring your clothing remains undamaged is an important factor for having clothes that last a long time. By buttoning and zipping up prior to washing your clothes, you can help prevent that damage.
7. Follow Washing Instructions
Clothing doesn’t come with laundry instructions on their tags for nothing.
It’s extremely important to read these tags in order to learn how to wash each piece of clothing to ensure the garment’s lifespan is a long one.
Certain pieces of clothing need to be hanged to dry, or tossed in the dryer on a gentle setting. Maybe something can only be hand-washed.
You don’t want to take a piece of clothing out of the washer or dryer just to realize that it shrunk, faded or lost its softness. There’s no going back after that.
8. Sort Laundry Accordingly
Once you’ve read your laundry tags, you need to sort your laundry according to those tags. Sort your laundry by colors, delicates, etc.
Sorting your laundry will help your clothes last longer because certain pieces of clothing may get damaged in the dryer, for example.
Having your laundry sorted will make it easier when transferring your clothes to the dryer as well, knowing that the batch you just washed can all go in the dryer, and not have to sort afterwards when the clothes are wet.
9. Don’t Stuff the Laundry Machine
You definitely don’t want to wash with a small number of clothes because it’s a waste of energy and water, but you don’t want to put too many clothes in your laundry machine either.
If the laundry machine is stuffed too tight, it won’t wash your clothes properly. Also, the clothes will rub up against each other which may damage and fade your garments.
You should also be washing your clothes in cold water to prevent fading, shrinking and stains from setting in.
It’s also more eco-friendly to wash in cold water regardless since it takes less energy!
10. Wash Clothing Inside Out
To reduce fading and preserve prints from cracking, turn your clothing inside out prior to throwing them in the laundry machine.
Although it may seem tedious having to turn them back out after they’re dried, it will help make certain types of clothes last longer such as shirts with text or designs on them.
11. Hang Clothes to Dry
Hanging your clothes to dry on a clothesline or clothes rack is a great way to preserve their quality and therefore extend their lifespan.
It will also help reduce wrinkles and shrinking that could possibly happen from the dryer.
It’s also a better alternative because you’re saving energy by not using a drying machine.
When you are using the dryer, use eco-friendly wool dryer balls to shorten the drying time and reduce wrinkles in clothing.
12. Store Clothes Properly
Closets usually have doors for a reason, and that’s to keep clothes in a cool and dark area to preserve them.
If clothes are exposed to direct sunlight over a long period of time, the garment becomes permanently faded.
You also want to make sure that you’re storing your clothes in a cool and dry environment as to not risk mold.
13. Learn to Repair your Clothes
A little sewing knowledge can go a long way. You don’t need to throw away clothes because a button fell off or there’s a small tear.
Be more sustainable with your clothing and learn to fix your clothes so that they last for many years!
Final Thoughts on Making Clothes Last Longer
Taking care of your clothing in terms of how you wash them and store them is a great way to keep your garments around for the long haul.
These tips about prolonging the lifespan of your clothing are super important for creating a more sustainable wardrobe when starting to practice slow fashion.
Check out my post to learn all the ways to build a sustainable wardrobe!
this was such an insightful post! i’m guilty of stuffing the washing machine – but after reading this – i will do better. i also like how you mentioned not to over wash clothing. i’m trying to do this as well especially with jeans. i think some people get the idea once you wear something once, you can’t rewear it without washing it.
Hey there, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Jeans are a great example. Unless they are actually soiled with something, you can easily wear them multiple times before washing them. I do the same thing with shirts sometimes, depending on how long I wore it, and what I did during the day, and I also do this with shower towels!
Honestly, I never knew a ton of this!