12 Things you can do to keep your clothes looking new longer

Taking care of clothes is not always a simple task. After all, there are numerous instructions for washing, how to store and cleaning products available on the market. Because of this, we don’t always get it right, and some common habits at these times end up reducing the useful life of the parts. After all, who has never come across a piece of clothing that has been stained or has lost its shape? Because know that you are not alone in this and we have been there too.

Thinking of helping you, the awesome.club separated some of the most interesting and little-known tips that our readers shared with us, that help them keep their clothes looking new for longer. Check out!

Have you ever been through the situation of washing a dark outfit and seeing it fade to a strange color in the first few washes? So know that this can be avoided with a very simple trick that uses a cheap ingredient that we all have at home: salt. That’s right, adding kitchen salt to the water prevents the fabric paint from dissolving. The result is a brighter color for longer.

The softener can even leave that nice smell on the clothes, but using it mainly in colored or black clothes contributes to them spoiling faster as it wears out the fibers. The good news is that you can have smelling and soft clothes without resorting to this product and spending much less, with the use of transparent vinegar when washing or rinsing. This method is great for clothes that will be put away, like coats, for example, because it also prevents them from getting that musty smell.

Leaving clothes, especially colored and black ones, in contact with the sun can end up fading the color over time. This is even worse when they end up with traces of soap or fabric softener after washing. Therefore, the ideal is to put them inside out and always dry them in a shaded and ventilated place.

Clothespins are very useful, but they can shorten the life of your clothes as they stretch the fabric fibers. Who has never seen a shirt with the collar or hem frayed after taking it off the clothesline, right? To avoid this and ensure that your pieces will stay intact for years, the tip is to put them on hangers to dry, so they don’t lose their shape. What’s more, it helps save space, as they stand on their sides, and they dry even faster.

A crease-free outfit is great, but using the iron frequently can be harmful to the pieces, which end up spoiling faster. This happens because of the heat, which can damage the fabric if it is excessive. But if you really need to use an iron, it’s best to choose a very low temperature and never on delicate items. These should be stored on hangers so they don’t knead.

Light clothes tend to turn yellow if they are stored for a long time. This, however, can be avoided in a very simple way: just store them, folded or on hangers, inside plastic bags. There are some specific ones for clothes, but any blue or transparent bag found in supermarkets does the job well.

We don’t always have the time or inclination to fold all the clothes as soon as we take them off the line. However, they shouldn’t be stored anyway, as this can cause damage to the fibers. In this way, the pieces can become more fragile and still require the use of an iron. Therefore, the best thing to do is to fold them all immediately, so they don’t wrinkle and stay looking new for longer.

Some items, such as delicate clothes that we wear a few times or jeans, do not need to be washed as often, as they lose color or shape, reducing their useful life. For example, if you went out quickly and didn’t get dirty or sweaty, usually just put them on a hanger and leave them on the clothesline in a ventilated place for a few hours. This helps eliminate microorganisms that can cause a bad odor after storage.

Knitted or knitted items tend to get a lot heavier after getting wet and are more delicate. Because of this, when placed on the clothesline, even on hangers, they can end up deforming. A tip given by readers of Incrível.club was to dry them lying flat on a sheet, horizontally. With that they keep the same shape as when new.

Did you know that every time you twist or spin a piece of clothing, you could be fraying its fibers? Yeah, and that happens mostly with more delicate fabrics. Therefore, avoid using this washing machine function or wringing them if you prefer to wash them by hand. Just squeeze them to remove excess water. Yes, they may come out dripping, but they usually dry quickly and you don’t risk ruining that favorite piece of yours.

Many people use bleach or any other type of chlorine-based bleach to remove stains or yellowing from white clothes. This habit, however, has the opposite effect and can make them “grimy” over time or damage them, because chlorine is abrasive. In light pieces, in several tips given by our readers, the recommendation is to use indigo (a little blue block that was very popular with our grandmothers) or leave the pieces “warming” in the sun for a while. Then just wash normally.

Have you ever had the experience of, when you finish washing your clothes, realizing that they are full of little balls? This can happen after they rub against each other during the process, but it can be avoided in a very simple way. Just turn the pieces inside out before putting them in the machine, as even if balls form, they won’t be visible.

And you, do you know any other homemade tips, which are not well known, but help to make clothes last longer? Share with us in the comments!