Oops! With these 7 habits you're unknowingly ruining your clothes
22.9.2022
Translation: machine translated
Do you really want something long and serious, but your clothes are only good for short flings? Then these tips from textile therapy are just right for you.
Swipe left, swipe right, a quick shopping cart quickie here, a stormy textile speed date there. Yes, we are currently navigating through fast-moving times, consuming our fashion just as quickly as our food. But the real pleasure is only when you take your time. The best relationships are the ones you cherish for a long time. This also applies to the relationships with our clothes. You know: invest in high-quality staple pieces and shower them with love like the new Crush, so that the liaison lasts as long as possible, instead of constantly picking up suspiciously cheap trendy pieces that last a season at most.
Would you consider buying a new piece of clothing?
Would you like to, but the long-term relationship just won't work out? Well, maybe that's up to you. It could be that you are sabotaging your partnership with unconscious mistakes. So take a seat on my textile therapy couch and let me break you of these seven bad habits .
1. Wire hangers
These rickety things miraculously find their way into every wardrobe. Once they're in there, they're used all the time - they're nice and space-saving, I'll give them that. But that's exactly where the advantages end. With their thin wire curves, they make for baggy shoulders, getting caught and tugging at larger stitches is pre-programmed. So keep your hands off. Wooden or plastic hangers with a wider bar are by far the better choice.
2. Speaking of hanging or folding?
While I'm on the subject: Not all garments and materials like hanging or lying the same. Jumpers and sweatshirts, for example, can quickly wear out and become unattractively warped when hanging on the hanger. So it's better to stack them neatly in the wardrobe. Make room for your trousers, which you should now only store hanging. This way you can avoid unnecessary creases, which sooner or later can even colour the wash of jeans. Nobody really wants that.
If you belong to the group of people who also own bras, then please fold and crease them as little as possible. It's best if bras are lined up one behind the other. That way, no cups dent, no underwires bend and no straps wear out.
- ## 3. Just wash them
They are often skilfully ignored, although the washing labels sewn into our clothes only mean well. Hand wash means hand wash and maximum 30 degrees means maximum 30 degrees. Anyone who thinks that a gentle wash cycle in the machine or just 10 degrees more is certainly OK, will soon look pretty stupid from the shrunk or warped laundry.
By the way, you can already collect plus points when preparing for the wash cycle: Check all pockets for paper handkerchiefs or similar remnants that could cause crumbs and lint, close all zips and hooks that run the risk of getting caught in other textiles and stow particularly delicate items such as lingerie in practical laundry bags. Deal? Deal.
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4. ... or wash too often
You'll know how to wash your clothes in a gentle and species-appropriate way by now, at least since point 3. Designer Stella McCartney herself revealed to The Guardian in a 2019 interview that she washes her clothes as little as possible. Instead, she relies on airing, brushing - and extensive personal hygiene: "Basically, in my life, the rule of thumb is: if you don't need to wash an item of clothing really badly, don't wash it. (...) I don't put anything in the machine just because I've worn it once." So if you haven't stained yourself badly, hang your clothes outside to air or put them in a bag and put them in the freezer for 24 to 48 hours. This treatment kills any bacteria and thus also any unwanted odours.
And you'll be able to keep your clothes in a cool place for 24 to 24 hours.
By the way, swimming costumes and bikinis in particular end up in the washing machine far too often, which damages the shape, colour and elasticity of the good pieces. Instead, rinse them thoroughly by hand after bathing and only put them in the machine once or twice per season.
5. Drying incorrectly
In short, the tumble dryer is the nemesis of pretty much every garment. If you care about the quality and shape of your favourite clothes, keep them away from it. The heat stresses the fibres and makes some materials shrink to the size of children. Hearty, yes. Desirable? No. The classic clothes horse is the safe choice.
Wool, cashmere and silk items, however, want a little extra help: they will stay most faithful if you only wring them out carefully and then dry them lying down on a towel. .
6. ... or don't dry
If you regularly use the endorphins you get from exercising to smash your wet sweaty clothes into the laundry basket with panache and vigour, let me tell you: it's a stupid thing to do. They'll probably start to smell - and you won't get rid of that smell in a hurry. Better: hang them up first, air them and let them dry. Then your outfit can go into the basket and wait to be put into the machine. We don't have to tell Miss McCartney about it.
7. Don't use tools
Similarly to washing labels, tools like shoe trees, laundry bags and dust bags were invented for a reason. I promise you that you will enjoy stretched shoes and bags stored in bags much longer than those you carelessly throw in your wardrobe or leave to rot in the hallway . It's the little things that make all the difference. Also in textile relationships. With this in mind, I hope things work out with the "happily ever after".
Auftaktbild: Dmitry Zvolskiy via Unsplash
Laura Scholz
Senior Editor
Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.chAlways in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.
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