The Art of Caring for Clothes Is Dead…
Well - it's dying, anyway. Of course fast fashion isn't helping, churning out pieces that fall apart before it even matters how you're tending to them.
There is a real beauty in keeping clothes for a long time. The more you wear them, the more they somehow become intrinsic to you and your personal style. Even the fit begins to adjust to your shape over time. The problem comes when you have finally found your personal style and started collecting nicer pieces - ones you genuinely hope to wear for decades - without the know-how to actually make them last!
So how do we take better care of our treasured items?
Here are a few tips and tricks for making sure your investment pieces survive more than one season.
1. Jeans and the washing machine aren't exactly best friends. Sure, every once in a while they need a proper wash - but in between, let them hang in the fresh air, give them a good iron to kill bacteria, and spot clean any particularly dirty areas. This keeps them fresh without washing them more than necessary.
2. Cleaning fur sounds like a joke - but it isn't. Bury your fur in the snow, leave it for one to five hours, then shake it out and hang it somewhere warm to dry. This cleans the fur without damaging those (hopefully) vintage fibers. After all, who is buying new fur in 2026?
3. We love just hanging out but your sweaters don’t. Especially those made from natural fibers - hanging them is a surefire way to stretch them out and lose their shape entirely. Instead, fold them loosely and store them with mothballs for a little extra protection.
4. Sometimes grandma was right - actually, quite often. Next time you spill wine or sauce on something while dining out, ask for soda water straight away. The bubbles help lift the stain far better than still water. For something more stubborn, rub in a little table salt as well.
5. When it comes to delicates, hand washing is a love language. Lingerie and finer fabrics are called delicates for a reason. If you are investing in pieces made from real silk or lace, they need to be treated with a little more care than you might think. There is something genuinely lovely about tending to them gently - they are, after all, something distinctly for you.
6. Detergent matters more than most people realize. Liquid detergents work best for grease and oil stains, perform well in cold water, and are a good choice if you live somewhere with hard water. Powder detergents are great for genuine dirt, but may not dissolve fully in cold water - something worth keeping in mind.
Which detergent you use also depends on what you are washing. Everyday fabrics and cottons are fairly easygoing and do well with standard liquid detergent. Delicates, wools, silks, and similar fabrics - which would prefer a hand wash anyway - respond best to pH-neutral, gentle detergents, often labeled non-bio or Free and Clear. Regular detergents can quietly damage these fibers over time.
Flash Round: Quick tips, no explanation needed.
- Wash clothes inside out.
- Make sure everything is zipped and buttoned up before washing.
- Use laundry bags for knits, silk, and delicates if you aren't hand washing them.
- Skip the dryer.
- Wash as cold as possible - unless something is very dirty, and if so, check whether the fabric shrinks with heat (cashmere and wool, we're looking at you).
- Steam rather than iron, unless ironing is truly necessary.
- Upgrade your hangers from plastic to wood or velvet, with a soft sloped shape.
Caring for your clothes is easy once you know the rules - but in today's fast-paced world, most of us were never taught them, and for a long time didn't have pieces in our closets worth learning for. If you are starting to collect staple or investment pieces, receiving vintage hand-me-downs, or thrifting natural fibers, then hopefully this guide helps with the care and keeping of these more particular pieces.
When you take care of your clothes, they take care of you for longer - and you can wear them out with confidence.
Feel free to DM us with any clothing care questions and we will get back to you with our best advice. And if you need help styling these bespoke finds, come meet us on WearItOut any Saturday that works for you - we are always here to help!
Xoxo, WearItOut
Written by: Weslee Kate