Caring for your clothes - Make loved items last
By Florenne Earle Ledger published 06/04/2024
Caring for your clothes might not seem that important, but the way we treat our clothing (including the laundry products we use, washing temperatures and alterations), impact the quality of the garment and how long we can wear it for.
As trend cycles get shorter and shorter, we’re not often encouraged to think about how to care for our existing clothes, but it really is a great way to have a more sustainable relationship with fashion. Caring for your clothing properly helps you get more wear out of items you love, before buying new.
It’s not all about laundry and washing temperatures, a lot of how we care for our clothes actually starts before we’ve bought anything.
Does caring for your clothes start pre-purchase?
Deciding what items to buy is the first step towards caring for your clothes. Ensure you’re investing in something that’s high quality, that you can see lasting the test of time. Not only is it important that you’ll want to wear it a lot, but it’s also essential that you can imagine the fabric holding up after multiple washes. Does the quality look okay? Is it actually going to last?
Say you’re thinking of buying a T Shirt, Orsola de Castro from Fashion Revolution suggests turning it inside and out and lightly tugging at the seams to see how well made the garment is. If you’re already seeing threads pull apart, you know it’s a no go.
Our Brand Director, Siân Spicer, also has a trick up her sleeve when it comes to deciding what to buy: ‘I think it’s also good to check care labels before you buy items - in the past I’ve bought things and not really thought about it, only to realise they are ‘dry clean only’ which can be really impractical sometimes for certain items, especially when you have a dog!’
She’s right– we never think about looking at care instructions when buying something, but why not? If our lifestyle makes it unsustainable to upkeep the quality of the item is there much point buying it?
Dogs -1, jumpers -0.
How to wash clothes well
It’s boring, but laundry is an essential part of caring for your clothes. There are a few simple ways to use laundry and washing to your advantage and get more wear out of your favourite pieces. It’s so easy to accidentally do the opposite and ruin a good pair of jeans if you’re not washing them right.
Follow our care tips to keep your clothes looking brand new.
How often should I wash my jeans?
Believe it or not, denim is not supposed to be washed frequently. In fact, it was designed not to be washed at all! Denim was initially work wear, durable and practical fabric that doesn’t need to be washed a lot, if ever. It relaxes when it’s been worn and fits better. Not to say you should never wash your jeans, but think about it– they don’t need to be washed as much as a top or a sweatshirt.
It’s not just denim, but other fabrics too. Be aware that some materials (often knitted or woollen) are not designed to be washed in a machine, you have to do it by hand or it may lose its shape or shrink.
Should I wash my jeans inside out?
With coloured items, particularly coloured denim, washing the garment inside out is a great way to ensure the colour lasts for longer. I wish I'd known that before I washed my orange jeans one too many times…
When it's time to give your jeans a wash, make sure you use our location tags to mark the item as 'in the wash'. This ensures you only plan outfits with items you have available.
Does a high washing temperature ruin clothes?
Washing at low temperatures is not only better for the environment, but also your garment. It’s less harsh and reduces the chances of the fibres breaking down and the item shrinking or losing colour.
If you really want to care for your clothes with a good laundry routine, say goodbye to your tumble dryer. For all the same reasons washing on a low temperature is good, air drying your clothes instead is the way to go, both for the environment and to extend the life of your favourite clothes.
Should you wash your trainers?
Yes! It might sound obvious, but not everyone washes their trainers- but they should! Sian tells us why she keeps her trainers on regular rotation in the washing machine: ‘I clean my trainers a lot because it keeps them looking fresh and clean, and they last a lot longer. There are some really good trainer specific cleaning products out there that sneakerheads love but even just using washing up liquid and an old toothbrush works really well’
How to know how best to wash an item?
It sounds obvious (and it is) but following the washing instructions on the label will obviously help care for your clothes. You can log washing instructions for different items on Whering, so you don’t have to keep labels on if you prefer cutting them off, or if you’d rather check your phone than the item before throwing it in the washing machine.
Now we’ve got washing covered, let's move on to alterations and repairs.
Is it worth going to your local cobblers?
No one wants to say goodbye to that pair of docs you finally managed to break in that you’ve been wearing for the last 3 years. Well, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to! There are so many cobblers that can replace soles, laces, zips, shoe lining and more. You’ll have a pair of shoes looking good as new for a fraction of the price of a full new pair.
Doc Martens also offer their own repair service, just ask Sian who sent off her DM’s to their store to get the zip fixed. It took two weeks and cost £33 including postage and the repair. Not too bad!
Did you know you can also mark items as in need of repair/altering on Whering? This makes it super easy to know what you have available when planning an outfit on canvas.
Can I get something repaired/altered on Whering?
We’ve partnered with alteration and repair brands, Sojo and The Seam, to help your loved items last. Browse your digital wardrobe and find an item that needs fixing, then locate our repair services directly in the app to organise your alterations. It’s that simple.
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