How to make your clothes last longer

There is nothing more sustainable than taking good care of your clothes so that they last as long as possible. In fact, the most sustainable garment ever is the one we already have. In this post we will give you some tricks to make your clothes last as long as possible so you don’t have to immediately throw them away contributing to the textile waste that is invading our planet.

Storing

Keep knitted items folded because they lose their shape when hung. When they start to pill or fluff you can remove it with sticky tape. Do not overfill the closet. Creases will increase (and therefore the need to iron clothes) and clothes may stink. Clothes should be aired and have space inside the closet

Washing

Many people wash clothes more often than necessary. In reality, they should only be washed if strictly necessary, if the clothes are very dirty and cannot be worn further. Jeans, for example, are garments that should be washed very rarely to keep their quality intact, but washing less our clothes also has an environmental impact because with every wash you release Co2 and microplastics if you wash polyester garments.

If you really need to wash your clothes try to use low temperatures to save the energy that the machine uses to heat the water. Furthermore, use only eco-friendly detergents that are not toxic to the environment.

Do not use the dryer, which besides contributing to the early deterioration of clothes, it wastes a lot of energy.

Iron free

Don’t buy clothes that crease easily. A lot of energy is used for ironing (as well as being time consuming). Iron only those clothes that you couldn’t wear not ironed: the clothes will last much longer if not subjected to constant ironing

Repairing

Repairing clothes when they are broken is an extremely sustainable action. Learn the basics of sewing so you can make minor repairs if your clothes lose a button or have a small hole.

For the more difficult repairs, take the garment to your local tailor; an excellent solution also to make style changes to clothes that you don’t wear anymore because you don’t like them anymore. With a few modifications, that garment could again become one of your favorites.