Caring for Clothes
W
hen you build a wardrobe of qualitatively good pieces, you need to care for them properly to ensure they last as long as they possibly can. If it really is of good quality and you take care of it properly, there is no reason that most items shouldn’t last for decades.
Picking pills
For your knits, whether natural or synthetic, a fabric shaver is a must. Knits often produce pills because of the friction that happens during wear, but by running a fabric shaver over it every now and again your sweater will look as good as new. And trust me, it is much neater and quicker than picking them off one by one. This inexpensive tool is definitely worth it.
Wrinkle free
Personally I am terrible at ironing. I often find that heavy clunky thing far too large to get into the corners I need to get it into, creating more wrinkles in the process. For most things I have found a perfect alternative; the hand steamer. Inexpensive, quick to use and easy to transport if necessary; the ease of use has everyone I demonstrate it to completely converted.
A wardrobe’s worst enemy
Can you guess what it is? Most people don’t think of it until it has happened to them: Moths! It’s a terrible feeling to find your beautiful cashmere cardigan suddenly full of little holes. Their larvae have an expensive taste and eat natural animal fibre, so mainly wools and silks.
They used to make wardrobes out of cedar wood for a reason - the scent of this naturally fragrant wood is a moth-repellent. Nowadays one must be hard-pressed to find a new wardrobe made of cedar wood. But luckily there are an abundance of anti-moth products that you can place, hang or stick to your wardrobe to prevent the favourite-sweater-destroyers from nesting in your clothes. Some (especially moth balls) have a very unattractive strong scent but there are plenty of alternatives. I use sticky moth traps and have a few fragrant cedar wood chips scattered in my drawers.
Cleaning out your wardrobe every once in a while also goes a long way to deter the little bugs.
It’s the little things
A lint roller is one thing that always comes in handy, sooner or later you’re going to wish you had one, and if you have any furry pets it’s a staple. And then comes the sewing box. I found this lovely tea box at my favourite antique shop and the four square compartments inside have just enough space for a little assortment of coloured threads, pins and needles. Buttons are very easy to replace and it comes in so handy to be able to mend small holes and tears. Ask someone you know can sew to teach you to do these little mendings and you have a skill for life.
An old theatrical trick
Clothes get a little smelly over wear, but (with the exception of underwear and t-shirts), it’s not necessary to throw your clothes in the wash after a single wear. That’s where this little trick that they used to use in the theater and ballet comes in handy. It’s a little spray bottle filled half with vodka and half with water. After wear, hang your item on a hanger and spray some of this vodkawater around the armpits (or mist it all over if a cooking scent is the culprit). Leave it to air dry out overnight and by morning the smells should be gone or at least greatly diminished.
