Most people want the clothes in their wardrobes to be more than merely functional. They want to feel stylish and attractive when they get dressed, whether it is to go to work or for a night on the town.
The clothes that make us feel that way tend to require a bit more looking after though. They often feature detailed designs or are made of delicate fabrics.
Getting it wrong can mean permanent damage and there is nothing worse than ruining your favorite clothes. That is why you should read this guide to protecting the fashionable pieces in your closets.
Why it matters
The clothes that you enjoy wearing the most are the ones that make you look and feel good; that chime with your personal sense of style. They transmit important information about your personality to the people you meet and they help to make you feel positive and confident about yourself.
Therefore, looking after them so that they will last is very important. Keep reading to find out how to do just that.
Cleaning
The first step in making sure that you look after your best clothes comes down to knowing the correct way to clean them. The label found inside each item of clothing should contain laundry symbols indicating the right cleaning method for it.
Here in the US, the symbols that look like washtubs tell us whether the garment should be washed in a machine or by hand. There will also be a number within the tub symbol, with this indicating the correct temperature to wash the piece at.
There may be a triangle symbol too, either with or without a cross through it. No cross means that it can safely be bleached, while a cross means that no bleach should be applied.
If the iron symbol has one dot in it, this means it must be ironed at a low temperature. Two dots mean medium temperature ironing while three means iron at a high temperature.
Then there is the circle symbol, which is to do with dry cleaning. If this has a cross through it, the garment should be washed at home, but if not it should go to a professional dry cleaner. Certain fabrics and styles should always be dry-cleaned. They include:
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Embellished pieces
This means items with printed patterns such as graphic tapestry pants or ones with studs, beads or sequins on them. A standard washing cycle is almost certain to cause damage to those embellishments.
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Suits
A suit will last a lot longer if it is dry cleaned and suits made of wool must always be cleaned in that way. The process will also ensure that they are left crisp and well-pressed for wearing.
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Some fabrics
Chiffon and rayon both tend to shrink during a standard washing process, which makes dry cleaning a safer option for taking care of them. Silk clothes in dark shades should also be dry-cleaned at all times, because wet washing will cause the color to bleed into the rest of your wash.
Suede and leather also fare better when dry-cleaned. Trying to wash a beloved jacket made of either fabric at home can lead to it shrinking or even cracking.
Storage
After cleaning, the other key factor in looking after your favorite fashionable garments is storing them properly. Good clothes should always be hung up in closets, rather than folded up in drawers, as the latter leads to creases.
If you are going to store them for long periods, never use bags made out of plastic. These will trap moisture and that can cause the clothes to become mildewed or moldy. It is hard to remove this once its set into the clothing fibers.
Bags of this sort also lead to silk and woolen clothes becoming shapeless. It is better to allow your clothes to breathe.
Protecting your best clothes is all about careful cleaning and storage.