7 Secret Ways to Make Your Clothes Last Longer

When it comes to clothes, quality & price aren’t everything.

Sure, you can drop some serious coin on great looking, great fitting, quality pieces, but if you don’t maintain them the right way, they’ll lose their shape and color faster than you would believe!

I am a huge advocate of taking care of your clothes, especially since I’ve developed an addiction to Stitch Fix, because not only does taking care of them save you money in the long run, maintaining pieces that you love to wear – and that look GREAT on you – will save you more money in the long run than you realize.

{Need more money-saving solutions than just taking care of your clothes? Check this out}

Case in point: I’m a huge fan of Stitch Fix, and even though the clothes I get from them are more expensive than my normal Kohl’s clearance rack fare, I’ve been buying fewer clothes, and wearing my Stitch Fix pieces more because of how great I look and feel in them. Even my husband, who was very hesitant to spend money on great clothes, has noticed the difference in my confidence, as well as our clothing budget.

Making your clothes last longer isn’t actually that hard, and with a few of my favorite tips & tricks, you can get your clothes looking better and lasting longer than they ever did before.

Hang Sweaters The Right Way

Sweaters are fragile. Between their miraculous ability to stretch to unheard of lengths and develop piles when they haven’t touched a thing, sweaters are tricky. Folding them for storage isn’t exactly optimal, but hanging them isn’t great either.

Try hanging them with this cool trick to keep them in the best shape.

Wash Less Frequently

Recently, and article made that rounds quoting the Levi Jeans CEO saying “You should never wash your jeans.” This might be a bit extreme, but if you wear your jeans a LOT between washings, then you should feel good about your habits!

According to WhatToWear.com, you do not need to wash a new pair of jeans before wearing them. In fact, Almost all jeans have been washed as part of the fit process. If you are buying a rigid or raw jean, wearing them in from a rigid state is the best way to get them to form to your body.”

In regards to how frequently you should was jeans that have already been worn, here is the golden ticket:

“Most jeans stretch and have such great extension that it’s no longer necessary to wash your jeans to get them to shrink back up again. Don’t wash them every time you wear them. There are optical brighteners in most laundry detergents, which will change the color of your jeans too quickly. I think it’s best to wash them every four or five times.”

And, when you do wash them, make sure to turn them inside out and set the washer temperature to cold to protect the color and integrity of your favorite pair.

Use Wooden Hangers

Not only are wooden hangers less likely to snag and tear clothes, they’re thicker nature helps keep shirt shoulders in the correct shape and avoid those “hangar marks” on the shoulders. Plus, looking into a closet full of nice-looking wooden hangars looks SO much better than different – colored plastic ones.

Waterproof Your Shoes

Waterproofing spray is readily available at your favorite retailer (Walmart, Target, and Amazon to name a few) and will make nearly any type of shoes last so much longer. To use most waterproofing sprays correctly, clean you shoes really well, then find a piece of cardboard or newspaper to set them on (think backing for spray painting). Spray them with 2-4 light coats, and then let them sit overnight to dry completely. Repeat every 6 months to keep them waterproofed. Not only will your shoes last longer, they’ll look better too.

Pro Tip: Waterproof your shoes to make them last longer and look better

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Hang Clothes Dry

This trick will save you money in a couple of different ways. First, you’ll save wear and tear on you clothes, meaning you won’t have to purchase new clothes as often. You’ll also save on electricity costs not having to dry your clothes in the dryer. Finally, you’ll save on Central Air costs since you dryer won’t be heating up the house because you’re not using it.

Sure, drying clothes on a line can be a little more work, but think about how great they’ll smell when they’ve dried outside.

Wash Delicates In A Pillowcase

Don’t have the time (or patience) to handwash your delicates? Throw them in a pillowcase on a gentle wash and let your washer take the place of a sink wash. The pillowcase will keep them from getting stretched out, tumbled too hard, or coming apart. Plus, the gentler wash will help them retain their color and shape better. I do suggest using a gentle or homemade detergent to make sure that the was is as gentle as possible.

Make clothes last longer by washing delicates on a gentle cycle & in a pillowcase. Problem solved.

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Clothes, especially good clothes, are expensive. When you buy cheap clothes, you’re not necessarily getting clothes that are going to last as long as pricier clothes. But when you’re able to budget enough money to buy quality pieces, it’s important to take care of them.

Preserving the shape and color is important to keep those pricier pieces in a shape you want to wear them in, so you can wear them as often as you want – and feel great in them while you do!