How to Extend the Life of Your Clothes? Care For Your Clothes With These 9 Simple Tips

Hoping to extend the life of your clothes in order to save money and the earth?

This post will teach you all the top ways to clean, store and purchase clothing that will last you a lifetime.

Whether you are a minimalist working with a limited closet or a fashionista that is clothes obsessed you will walk away from this post confident in your skills to preserve your clothing so it doesn’t end up in the landfill after a few wears!

This post is all about the best tips for taking care of your clothes.

clothes air drying in an apartment in order to not ruin them in the dryer and extend their life

How to Extend the Life of Your Clothes

1. Invest in high quality clothing

The better quality clothes you own, the longer they will last. It seems obvious but it is always a good reminder to save up and go for the high quality items.

It is easy to buy cheaper items like $5 flip flops (or other seasonal items!) but by the end of the summer, they will most likely be faded, sole less, and maybe out of style.

Opt for durable items made out of natural fibers for your capsule wardrobe.

Of course, this is a complicated topic because high quality clothes come with a higher price point! The trick to fitting high quality clothes in your budget is to go for second hand!

Personally, I have found tons of great clothing from the online secondhand shop Poshmark.

Not only will these clothes last you longer, it also helps to minimize the number of clothes that end up in the landfill!

2. Learn how to mend clothing

a woman mending her clothes rather than throwing them out

Did you take Home Ec in highschool? No worries if not!

There are plenty of tutorials online or probably even local classes in your area that can teach you how to repair your clothing.

It is not super common for second hand shops to repair clothes. So if you drop off your used and broken clothes to these places they will throw them in the trash.

Also, don’t be overwhelmed, learning how to patch up your clothes doesn’t need to be your whole identity. It is a pretty simple skill but having this skill in your toolkit can help you, your family, and even your friends from dumping stuff into the earth.

3. Have a decent size wardrobe

This might be a surprising tip since sustainable living and minimalism go hand in hand.

But!

If your wardrobe is too small, your clothes will wear out much sooner than if you have a decent size wardrobe and can spread out the wear and tear.

If you are a hardcore minimalist you may have already run into this problem.

Buy intentionally but don’t be afraid to expand your wardrobe to extend its overall life.

4. Invest in tailoring services

a container of mending items including buttons and sewing materials

If you have 0 interest or time to mend your own clothes, there is always supporting local businesses through getting your clothes tailored!

Also, you don’t have to wait until your clothes need some TLC to bring them to a professional. If you find a high quality item like a cute pair of jeans from Reformation (check them out if you haven’t heard of them!), bring them to a tailor to get them fitted perfectly for you.

Wearing clothes that you look great in will help you to stay in love with your current wardrobe. Create a tailored a wardrobe you look forward to wearing and that you can maintain for years to come!

5. Learn the correct way to wash items

This tip could be an entire post by itself but be sure to learn how to properly wash your clothing, especially if you have a mix of different fabrics (which most of us do!).

I know it is annoying but separate your lights from darks. Don’t wash your clothes with cleaning rags. Hot water is not necessary for all laundry. Use a separate bag for delicates. And lastly, check the tag on your clothes, get to know them, Google care instructions, or phone a friend.

Our washers and dryers are meant to keep our clothes clean but they can damage our clothes and cause unnecessary wear and tear if done incorrectly.

6. Have designated clothes for specific activities

This also might be a niche recommendation to other minimalists but unless you are traveling the world and living out of your suitcase, have designated clothes for designated activities.

For example, set aside old clothes that you can paint and do yard work in. Have athleisure for the gym and loungewear/athleisure for relaxing in.

All in all, wear what you want wherever you want but if you want to extend the life of your clothes be mindful of the fact that certain fabrics will wear more quickly while doing certain activities simply because they’re not designed for that task.

7. Hang dry clothes when possible but be mindful of sun exposure

This may be a controversial take but dare I say, you don’t really need a dryer? Of course, dryers serve their purpose, especially if you live in a rainy/cold area. They are convenient, save time and ensure your clothes and bedding are fluffy.

But there really is nothing like air and sun-dried clothes and bedding.

Dryers use sooooo much energy. I don’t have specific numbers on how much but compare your energy bill on weeks you line dry verses use the dryer more and you will get the idea.

Save some money, reduce energy use, and spend some time in the sun frolicking through your fresh laundry.

Skipping your dryer will ensure that your clothes aren’t being tossed around in the heat on a weekly basis as well!

*note! The sun is incredibly powerful so be mindful of how long you leave your clothes on the line because their color could start to dim.

laundry on a line outside in the sun rather than using a normal laundry routine for cleaning clothes

8. Store seasonal clothes properly

Nothing is worse than opening your clothing storage bins for winter and seeing that bugs or mold have ruined your clothes!

To extend the life of your seasonal clothes try to keep them in temperature regulated areas and keep them tightly sealed so no air or critters can get inside.

9. Dry clean when needed

If you are a DIYer like myself you may roll your eyes at a service like dry cleaning. Why not just do it at home?

But sometimes we just have to trust the professionals. There is no use ruining your beloved piece of clothing by trying to DIY clean it when dropping it off and letting someone else work their magic will get it returned to you in one piece looking brand new!