Taking good care of your clothes has never been more important. Keeping your clothes for longer can help to dramatically reduce your carbon footprint as well as the emissions that occur during a garment’s life cycle, the longer a garment lasts, the better it is for the environment. Extending the life of a piece of clothing by just nine months can significantly reduce its environmental impact, sounds pretty good, right? Keep reading to learn some of the best tips to prolong the life of your wardrobe.

Buy garments of high quality fabrics

Having a sustainable closet means having a variety of durable fabrics included among your gems. Buy fabrics that are naturally strong and require little care, such as linen, hemp, natural silk, denim, rayon, alpaca wool and good quality cotton.

Wash less frequently

Try to wash your clothes as less frequently as possible, the more you wash them, the more they lose their quality. And do not forget, when you wash a garment made from synthetic fibers such as acrylic and polyester, these fibres detach from our clothes during washing and go into the wastewater, not good! Remember to use an eco-friendly laundry detergents with both safe ingredients and mindful packaging, better for your clothes, better for the environment!

Fold your clothes along the seams

To avoid unwanted wrinkles and creases and to maintain the shape of the garment.

Air it out

Instead of using the washing machine, hand wash stains and let it dry in the fresh air. You can also steam the clothing (this will open up the fibers) and let it hang outside. Another great hack is to let your clothes rest in the freezer overnight, this removes smell and kills bacteria. You can also leave smelly clothes on a hanger while taking a shower, it will work as a natural steamer.

Learn basic repairs

Learning to do basic repairs on your clothing, such as replacing a loose thread, a missing button or fixing a hole, can make them last way longer and save you a lot of money.

Avoid Ironing

We know ironing is one of the most effective ways to straighten fabrics, but we highly suggest you choose steaming instead of ironing. Invest in a good steamer or use the hack we mentioned by steaming your clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower.

Empty your pockets

Make sure to empty out pockets of tissues or other things which can make a mess of your laundry and damage the washing machine.

Close zippers and open buttons

When your laundry is about to go for a spin in the machine, make sure to close zippers and unbutton all buttons. Open zippers may cause snagging and ripping other clothes while closed buttons make buttonholes bigger. Also, loosely tie strings and sashes to prevent tangling.

Avoid the dryer

Researchers found that repeatedly drying cotton garments led to cracks in the clothing, which reduced fabric strength by 25% or more and also caused pilling. Tumble drying may also shrink clothing yet stress the fabric. Invest in a laundry hanger and let the laundry dry naturally. It may take longer but it’ll definitely prolong the life cycle of your beloved clothes.

How to look after your clothes