Buying clothes for all the family is a costly business so you want to make sure these clothes last as long as possible. However, many families are unaware that if living in a hard water area that the water and limescale could be destroying their clothing. Luckily, there are a few simple tips to follow that will make your clothes last much longer.
1. Storage Solutions
If you don’t have a large clothes wardrobe, chances are that you need to store some of your clothing as the seasons change. There are two main goals to follow when storing clothing: keeping moths away and deterring moisture from forming. To prevent moths from ruining your clothing, make sure that everything’s packed away in air-tight containers. You can also add mothballs to the boxes, although some people don’t like the smell. If you live in a humid area, use corrugated boxes coated in shellac to keep moisture out. You can also stuff pocket books with newspaper, which will soak up the moisture and prevent mildew from forming.
2. Don’t Do the Wash Too Much!
Cleaning clothes too much can wear certain items of clothing out sooner than others. Some types of clothing don’t have to be washed after every single wear. Jackets can be brushed instead of washed and jeans can be worn two or three times without being thrown into the washing machine. Unless something is stained, dirty or sweaty, try to get at least a second wear out of it. Also, try not to wear the same clothing over and over – it will get washed less, which means that your favourite pieces will last longer.
DesignMom.com has a great page about patching clothes
3. Stitch Small Problems Immediately
As soon as you see a small problem, repair it immediately. Patch holes, sew on buttons and stitch tears right away. Left unattended, a small problem can quickly become a large tear that can’t be repaired. If you don’t know how to fix a fallen hem or another small issue, bring the clothing to your dry cleaner to see if they do minor repairs. A seamstress can fix larger holes and tears, too.
4. Closet Organisation
Don’t crowd clothing into your wardrobe too much. Clothing that’s smashed together gets wrinkled, which means you’ll have to do a lot more ironing. Ironing clothing wears it down more quickly. Also, make sure to hang clothing on supportive, high quality hangers. Flimsy hangers made of wire cause clothing to sag and become misshapen. If possible, don’t hang your sweaters up, but fold them instead. Sweaters, especially heavy ones, will stretch out when hung up.
5. Follow Directions
Labels on clothing may be pesky and itchy, but they’re packed with vital information for caring for your clothing. Don’t ignore the guidelines and warnings on the tags. In order to keep your clothing undamaged, you have to follow the proper cleaning instructions. Certain fabrics, like wool, silk and rayon, will shrink if washed in hot water. Hot water can also fade colours and a hot dryer may shrink some pieces of clothing.
If you have problems with hard water and limescale which are effecting your clothes then try an electronic water conditioner like scalewatcher – for more information on this product watch this video:
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