Once we bring clothing (whether it’s new or previously loved) into our home, there are certain things we can do to help extend the life of the clothes. Clothes, especially fast fashion items (made in higher volumes and lower quality), tend to fade quickly and lose their shape at a fast rate. Whether it’s the money you are spending on new clothing or the time you are spending sifting through secondhand clothing racks to find gems, it’s in your best interest to extend the life of your clothes as much as possible.
Helping our clothes last longer is not just beneficial to our finances and time, though. Did you know it also helps the environment? According to Forbes, the fashion industry is a major global polluter, contributing up to 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. The less you buy and the longer you keep your current clothes, the more you’re helping the environment. In addition, when clothes get ruined or when we get bored with them, we tend to ditch or donate the items. Unfortunately, 85% of textiles end up in landfill each year (World Economic Forum).
The better we care for our clothing, the longer it can stay in use and circulation. Therefore, the less waste we contribute to our time, money, and the environment. Here are twelve tips to help extend the life of your clothes:
1. Clean your washing machine monthly
It is important to clean your machine about once a month. Soap, residue, and minerals build up in our machines over time, significantly reducing the machine’s ability to clean properly. Cleaning the tub, drawers and doors, rubber gaskets, and draining and cleaning the filter are all important steps.
2. Use less detergent
Overuse of detergent can break down the fabric over time. Don’t be afraid to take an extra moment to measure how much laundry soap you are using, and for most brands, you can cut the recommended measurement in half. With Root and Splendor laundry soap, you only need 1 Tablespoon (1/2 fl oz) of laundry soap per load.
3. Don’t use unnecessary laundry products
The use of additional products, likely containing synthetic and toxic ingredients, can significantly reduce the quality of clothing by breaking down the fibers at a high rate and building up unnecessary residue. Products such as bleach, synthetic fabric softener, and scent beadlets can reduce the quality of your clothes and their overall lifespan. Ditch these products, as they are not typically necessary to clean clothes.
4. Don’t overload the machine
A perfect load of laundry is around 15 pounds of clothes. This is considered a full load. Overloading your machine causes too much friction between clothes but also prevents the machine and laundry detergent from working at their maximum efficiency in cleaning the clothes.
5. Lower the temperature
Avoid hot water cycles, when possible, as hotter water (and hot dry cycles) break down the fabric. As a general rule, save hotter cycles for items worn close to the skin, like bedding, towels, socks, and underwear. Other types of laundry can have the temperature reduced and be washed at cooler temperatures.
6. Remove stains! Check and stain remove again (before drying)
One of the biggest culprits for clothes needing to be thrown out is stains, but permanent stains can be avoided. For best results, treat your stains with a stain remover as quickly as possible. Don’t be afraid to carry your Root and Splendor stain remover along with you. This natural formula is powerfully effective at removing all stain types. The quicker you treat the stain, the more likely you will be able to get it out. After the wash cycle and before drying, check your clothes. If the stain doesn’t come out, treat the stain again. The toughest stains may need a couple of treatments.
7. Follow the directions on the label
We are not textile experts, and no one expects you to be either. It is best to read the directions on your clothing label. These directions are intended to help your clothing last longer, and taking any shortcuts could significantly reduce the life of that item.
8. Sort
Sorting laundry is not just an old-fashioned method of doing laundry, but it is actually beneficial in helping preserve fabrics. There are many types of sorting you can do, but the main two are:
Colors - Sorting colors is a simple and easy trick – darks go in one load and lights in another. (We even like to separate the bright fabrics out, as well). Due to the rise of fast fashion and various cheap dyes that companies use in their clothing, sorting the clothing will easily avoid noticeable bleeding of colors, which then damages other items in the wash.
Fabric types - Sorting out by type of fabric can help extend the life of your fabric. For instance, sorting towels with towels, linens with linens, and athletics with like items will help prevent items from being damaged in the wash.
9. Zip up! Button up!
Zippers and buttons can cause teeny snags in clothing that, although you may not notice it with your eyes right away, will worsen over time until finally, there is a small growing whole. Zip up and button up those jeans, jackets, sweatshirts, and more.
10. Inside-out clothing
Another quick tip is to take your t-shirts (with graphics) and dark clothing and turn them inside out. This practice can help reduce fading of clothes and reduce piling.
11. Don’t overwash your clothes
Many of us have the tendency to wash our clothes after every use, but you can actually get multiple uses out of your clothes. For instance, jeans can last 4-6 wears, and wool items prefer to be brushed, not cleaned. If the item is dirty, smells bad, or is stained, toss it in your dirty hamper (stain remove first), but otherwise, try to get a couple more wears out of it. The more you wash your clothes, the more the colors fade and the fit or elasticity changes in shape, especially with lower quality and fast fashion clothing items.
12. Fold or hang your clothes right away
Stuffing your clothes or leaving them piled in a basket is tough on your clothes. When possible, fold or hang your clothes at your earliest convenience as they come out of the dryer. This takes some extra time upfront, but it is worth the effort to help your clothes last longer.
We hope these twelve simple tips have been helpful. We have more control over the lifespan of our clothes than we realize, whether they are brand-new items or secondhand clothes. If we all take some extra time to properly take care of our clothes, the overall waste of our resources (time, money, and environment) will be reduced.
Written by Kristin Fracassi, Founder and Owner of Root and Splendor
For more information on natural and safer for people and planet laundry essentials, visit www.rootandsplendor.com
