All You Need to Know About Clothing Care

The True Value of Clothing

Regardless of whether your go-to is jogging pants, (loud, colorful, printed) dress shirts, or the good ol’ t-shirt and jeans combo, good style and well-put together outfits will always stand out.

A study by Quartz revealed the increasing trend in men’s online shopping habits over the recent years, with the most sought after product being clothing.

Clothes trumped groceries, beer, and computers, so that’s saying a lot!

Surprisingly, it has also been discovered that men spend more on clothes than women.

Since we’re changing clothes like we change underwear, it might be time to step aside and pay attention to the aspect of the fashion industry aimed at preserving these fabric masterpieces we call clothes: the art of clothing care.

What is Clothing Care?

 

Why is Clothing Care Important?

Did you know that the increase in the amount of money spent on clothing each year isn’t due to the ever-changing world of fashion?

It is due to the need to purchase new clothes to replace old, worn-out looking ones.

If you:

• like your current wardrobe
• have a favorite garment
• own a limited edition fashion piece

then explaining the reasons why you might want to preserve the lifespan of your clothes will seem a bit redundant.

For those who need further reinforcement:

You'd save a ton of money.

A report on the fashion segment by Statista found that the US clothing industry was the largest in the world, valued at 359 billion US dollars in 2015.

A more recent report on the fashion industry revealed:

• $195,166 million – The market volume of the US fashion industry (or the total number of sales transactions in a given time frame) comes in second to China.
• $103,019 million – Is the expected revenue generated by the fashion industry in 2018.
• $449.21 – Is the average amount a person will spend on clothes in 2018.

$449.21 may not sound like much, but that money could totally go to your new computer fund, to a roundtrip ticket of your choosing (especially during seat sales), or to whatever else floats your boat!

You’d Be Saving the Environment.

• The process by which synthetic fibers are manufactured require large amounts of energy, consequently leading to pollution.
• Non-organic cotton and cotton crops are pumped with GMOs, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers.
  • Some of these chemicals have been found to be carcinogenic.
  • The surrounding area and wildlife are are affected by the chemicals applied to the cotton crops.
• Lesser laundry days means you’d be cutting costs on your electricity bill and saving the environment by conserving energy and decreasing your carbon footprint!

Clothing Care Hacks

1. Skip the Wash - Some types of garment don’t require regular washing like denim, or super delicate fabrics that needs to be hand washed. Continuously subjecting your clothes to water, chemicals in detergent, and rigorous friction during the wash cycle, can damage the fabric composition of your garment. Substitute washing with clothing care enhancers like clothing fresheners.
2. Mind the Dryer - Your dryer is one of the two most hazardous clothing care tools at your disposal. Throwing your garments in the dryer is a simple (not to mention overlooked) luxury, but if done haphazardly, this can lead to dire consequences for your clothing (including but not limited to) fading, shrinkage, and formation of lint balls. Mind the temperature, heat setting, and time, when throwing your clothes into the dryer to save yourself some trouble –and your clothes from the consequences of heat damage!
3. Iron Gently and Carefully - An iron is the second most hazardous clothing care tool you own. The heat released by an iron can make or break your clothes, resulting in stains or worse – burns. To avoid this, you can follow the general guideline for the heat settings of different types of fabrics listed below:
   High heat: Cotton, Linen
   Medium heat: Wool, Cashmere, Flannel, Silk
   Low-Medium heat: Polyester
   Low heat: Nylon, Acetate, Acrylic
4. Store Your Clothes Properly - You remember when your mom used to tell you to “Put your clothes away,”? Listen to the woman, she knows what’s up. Believe it or not, how you store your clothing can affect how long they can keep their natural state. If you leave them lying around, expect your garments to lose their shape and consistency in no time, in addition to possible stain damage and puncture marks sustained from any nearby sharp edges.

Blog post via Live Frey

---

Also in The Journal