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akohhh t1_j59oj5s wrote

Learn to store and launder stuff appropriately to help make it all last. Even great quality goes to shit quickly if you don’t look after it well.

Water temperature: hot washes aren’t usually necessary but sometimes they’re appropriate

Type and amount of clothes in the machine: overloading, not shaking out items prior to loading, mixing towels with clothing, mixing colors can all reduce life

Amount of detergent used (and which one—some are useless): too much detergent makes clothes gross and dingy, and fabric softener leaves residue which isn’t great for many fabrics. A hygiene rinse like Lysol or dettol rinse keeps clothes fresher.

Drying: dryers are really hard on clothes, if you can line dry it’s way better for longevity. I moved from circumstances where I line dried or used a clothes horse in winter; now I have to use a dryer and I’m noticing how much faster fabrics deteriorate.

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TrishaThoon t1_j5a6pvy wrote

Agreed. I have some cheaper clothes from fast fashion places that have lasted for years. I usually wash cold and air dry. But to be fair (to be faaaaaaaiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr) I am not too hard on my clothes.

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hbHPBbjvFK9w5D t1_j5dqzzp wrote

Amen on the detergent. When I go to the large laundromat down the road, I usually wash the first loads without any detergent at all. Reason - most people seem to pour detergent like it's the Salvation of the Clothes (it's not). The end result is they usually leave enough detergent residue behind in the washer drum that adding more detergent will just transfer the extra detergent onto my clothes even after rinsing - why waste my money and end up with itchy clothes?

My trick when I have to use the dryer is to run it only to steam the wrinkles out of my clothes. I then put them on hangers and stick them in the closet, well-spaced, with a fan in front to finish the dry.

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Forsaken-Piece3434 t1_j5aqa1w wrote

Something I do with more delicate clothes is use the coolest part of my coolest dryer cycle for short periods of time and then open the dryer door for a bit to partially cool them down. Line drying became impractical but the clothes are holding up well this way. Just takes a bit longer x

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