Off The Grid News Better Ideas For Off The Grid Living
Maybe you’re looking to stretch your dollars, and maybe you’re trying to do more for the environment. Making your clothes last longer can save money and in this day and age every penny spent is a huge help. Here’s a few tips to help your clothes last while keeping them new looking as well.
Rotate Things Around
One of the first things you can do is rotate the clothing in your closet. Some people tend to wear the same thing over and over again, and then you end up forgetting about the clothing that’s more to the left or right of your closet. Like most of us, you probably put on the first thing you see in the center of the closet and get on with your day. Well, it’s time to switch things up some! Take everything that’s right in the front and put it more towards the back. This makes it easier for you to see those cute pants you bought last year but have never worn.
This is great as well for keeping your clothing looking great and avoids premature wear and tear on items as well. The same goes with your shoes. You want to give them time to air out, so wearing the same shoes everyday for two weeks is not necessarily a good idea.
In addition, consider wearing your clothes a few more times before you wash them. If you only wore those jeans for a few hours to a friend’s house, chances are they didn’t get dirty and you can wear them again before washing them. In fact, blue jeans are very sturdy and really don’t need to be washed every time you wear them. Consider making them last as long as possible before throwing them in the washer.
Storage
If you don’t plan on wearing certain clothing until next winter, rather than throwing them out or shoving them in the attic, store them properly in airtight containers. If you’re going to store suits away ,you want to keep them on suit hangers to prevent wrinkles from forming. You’ll want to hang them in suit bags as well, which helps keep them fresh when stored.
You also should avoid jamming your closet with clothing, and the same goes with storage containers. Avoid packing them too full. Allow the clothing to sit freely so they don’t get stinky or too wrinkled. If you’re going to be storing your clothing in a closet, avoid cheap hangers as well as wire hangers that are going to stretch out sleeves. Some hangers also leave that mark in the shoulders so when you wear your clothing you find that you look like you’re wearing huge shoulder pads. Another tip to remember: knit clothing should never be hung up since it will stretch down.
If you do happen to have knit items that need to be stored away for the season, consider folding them and take a piece of acid-free tissue and place it in between your knit items. You’ll find that next season you’ll have a new sweater with fewer wrinkles!
Another thing to keep in mind with storing clothes is to launder them before you put them away. Moths love dirty items, and when you don’t do this before storage, you might find that the following season they have tiny holes from moths. They love natural body oils that come off on our clothing.
Avoid Dry Cleaning
Some clothing we buy states that it can only be dry-cleaned. If you want to save money consider staying away from clothing that needs to be dry-cleaned. If you do but these clothes, you might want to steam your own clothing, as the starch and other chemicals that are used by these companies will wear down your clothing. If you iron your clothing, consider leaving out the starch. This wears your clothing down over time.
Laundering
Clothing needs to be washed. There’s no way around that, but when you do wash your clothing, consider washing them either by hand or in cold water. Cold water helps hold onto the color in your clothing, and you might want to look into making your own laundry detergent. A lot of the brands nowadays are making detergents with fewer chemicals in them, but some contain a lot of chemicals, which are only going to wear down your clothing.
Also, avoid overloading your washing machine when you do wash your clothes. Overloading your washing machine will lead to your clothing having a worn down and torn look to them. If you overload the washer, your clothing will get stuck in the agitator since they have no room to move around freely. This leads to the agitator stretching out your clothes and often times causing a snag in the fabric.
Drying Clothes
Heat has a tendency to fade clothing over time. Consider drying your clothes outside on a clothesline. This not only keeps them looking their best, but having that fresh air smell can be relaxing for many people. A lot of people do this with bedding. They wash it and then hang it outside. It’s like having some of the outdoors in your bed every night with the smell.
Also, the lint trap that you empty out actually is from your clothing. It’s the fibers that come loose so in actuality you are ruining your clothing when you wash them. If you do need to use your dryer, try to do so as little as possible. If you have intimate items, consider lying them flat to dry since the heat can ruin the elasticity in clothing, especially delicate items.
Dye Baths
Another great method for keeping your clothing brighter for a longer period of time is to give them a dye bath. These are great for solid colored items such as that favorite black dress you own. The dye comes in a variety of colors and can be bought at your favorite grocery superstore many times.
These are just a few tips that can help your clothes stay youthful looking. You’ll be wearing those favorite jeans or that favorite shirt for years to come. You’ll also save a lot of money from having to buy new clothes as often too!
