Everything You Need to Know About Caring for Your Clothes

In Japanese culture, there is a belief that all objects, animate or inanimate, possess a spirit. This reverence extends even to the most ordinary items.

Similarly, I view my clothes not merely as transactional garments, but as objects with a spirit that deserve care and nurturing. In the age of fast fashion, we often treat our clothes as disposable. Instead of properly maintaining them and repairing them when necessary, we discard them and buy new ones. This is a wasteful approach. I encourage people to adopt a more mindful approach to their clothing. Buy less, but invest in higher-quality pieces.

Take care of your clothes and they’ll take care of you. Over time your clothes will age gracefully, fostering a deeper attachment. By nurturing our clothing, we can honor the spirit within each garment.

Here are a few tips for taking care of your clothes:

Washing

• We tend to wash our clothes too frequently. Excessive washing can cause them to deteriorate more quickly. In most cases, there’s no need to wash your clothes after a single wear. Here’s a general rule of thumb of how often to wash your clothes:
  • Tees, underwear, and socks - 1 wear
  • Trousers - 4 wears
  • Jeans - Once a season but more frequently in the summer
  • Knitwear - Once a season
  • Buttoned shirts - 1-2 wears
  • Outerwear - Dry cleaned once a season
• At the minimum, separate your whites and colors. For colored clothing, use a gentler wash: cold water and slower cycle speeds. For whites, use warmer water and faster cycle speeds.
• Always check the care labels before washing your clothes. Delicate fabrics like wool or linen often require special handling, such as washing separately or by hand. To protect these garments in the washing machine, place them in a mesh bag and use the delicate cycle.
• When washing your clothes, turn them inside out, especially your pants. This helps keep the exterior looking newer and cleans the accumulated sweat and dead skin in the interior.
• Spot clean stains immediately. I keep a Tide pen stain remover stick in my bag to treat any spills on my clothes right away.
• (Optional) Skip the dryer. Dryers damage your clothes over time, as evidenced by the lint accumulating in the filter. This lint is composed of small fibers from your garments that have deteriorated. Instead, opt for air-drying your clothes on a clothesline or drying rack.

Storing

• Fold your knitwear. Hanging your knitwear will cause it to stretch out and lose shape over time.
• Hang clothes with space between each hanger. This allows your clothes to breathe and drape properly.
• Before storing clothes for a different season, clean them. It’s also a good idea to have fresh, clean clothes ready for the new season.
• Thin plastic hangers are fine for lighter clothing like button-ups, but they can damage heavier garments like outerwear by disfiguring the shoulders. For heavier items, use wooden hangers instead.
• Using shoe trees, especially for leather footwear, helps preserve the shape and wick away sweat and moisture.

Maintaining

• Rotate between your pieces to give them a break between wears.
• Pro-tip: you can also hang a shirt in the shower to steam your clothes.