Fashion Laundry Tips: How I Keep My Clothes in Tip Top Shape

Although I love buying new things and have a total shopping problem, I also am an advocate of using what you have in your closet. Since I tend to buy classic and traditional pieces that I can wear for years, I do not feel the need to always sell my old items and constantly buy new ones, especially for functional items, like dresses, pants, and skirts, that I can wear over and over again.

Since I keep items for seasons and for years, it is essential that I take great care of my items so they last. I have a tendency to wash many of my clothing items after wearing them once! This is not the case for dry clean items or thicker sweaters, but if I’ve worn jeans, pants, skirts, or leggings all day, I want to wash them to get the tight fitting feeling back! Knowing how to correctly wash your clothes is key to making them last like new for as long as possible!

1) The products you use matter. My Instagram post was sponsored by Tide, and like I always say, I’m not promoting products or companies if I don’t use them or like them (integrity matters, people). My mom taught me to use Tide, and I’ve been using Tide ever since I went off to college! I’m loving the Tide Pods, as I can get all my favorite products to use in one! I am a fan of Downy and Bounce too. :)

2) Never wash dry clean clothes. I’ll explain how I wash my “hand wash only” clothes here in a minute, but I always follow the directions for these clothing pieces. If you don’t, you will regret it!

3) How I wash “hand wash only” clothes—thankfully, I’m noticing more and more items that are machine wash only, allowing it easier to wash clothes and keep them longer. When I do come across a “hand wash only” item, I do not hand wash it. After trying this several times, all I have learned is that it gets your items SUPER heavy and wet, they take forever to dry, and the heaviness of the water in the clothing item can allow it to get misshapen. Instead, I’ve found washing these items in the washing machine, with cold water on delicate is just as effective!

4) I NEVER put my clothes in the dryer! The only time I do this is to shrink an item OR to dry pockets on my jeans and to bring a little tightness and softness back to my denim. Otherwise, everything gets air dried!

5) Wash with cold water—I NEVER use hot or warm water on my clothes.

6) Lay some clothing FLAT to dry. I find this works best with stretchy items or sweaters! Hanging them can lead them to stretch out too much in the length and get all weird. Laying flat allows you to situate the item to bring the original shape back. This also leads to less wrinkles. Many times I do not even have to iron them when I wear them again! This can take up space in your laundry room and house, but it’s totally worth it.

I realize some of this boring or basic, but I find that way too many people dry their clothes in the dryer (this shrinks them and just gives them a “worn” look) or hang them to dry! They don’t use cold water or wash them on the correct cycle. This is all important to ensure your clothes last and look like new!

Scroll down to shop my outfit and my Tide!