This is not only a waste of money but also contributes to fast fashion and harms the environment due to excessive use of water, electricity, and detergents. You can keep your wardrobe and the planet more sustainable by adopting small habits when doing laundry. Here are some suggestions to make clothes last longer:
1. Pay close attention to washing instructions
Some fabrics require water at specific temperatures to preserve color, sterilize, and remove heavy stains and dirt. Generally, use heat to remove germs, then cool to gently clean delicate and light-colored clothes.
Read the care labels on each piece of clothing; you’ll know the information you need to choose the appropriate water temperature and wash cycle type. To make clothes last longer, it’s essential to comply with the recommendations shown on the label.
2. Sort dirty clothes
After reading the label, separate dirty clothes by color, fabric weight, and wash temperature. If you wash similar types of clothes together, you’ll get much better results in removing stains, preserving colors, and protecting delicate garments.
You can sort clothes into whites, light colors, dark colors, and dry-clean items.
3. Remove stains immediately
Don’t let stains set on clothes. The longer you leave stains, the more likely they are to stay on the clothes. This can be avoided by removing stains immediately using natural stain removers. Simply use vinegar to saturate stubborn stains, then rub the area with a paste of equal parts vinegar and baking soda, then rinse it in the washing machine on a cold cycle.
You can keep a stain removal pen in your purse for when you need it. This may prevent stubborn stains like red wine or food stains from ruining your favorite clothes.
4. Wash less often
Not every piece of clothing needs to be washed after every use. Jeans and jackets can be worn many times before washing them because constant friction and frequent exposure to water increase the likelihood of damage.
You have to decide if you’ve sweated in them or how long you’ve been wearing them outside. If not, you can pull wet heavy clothes out of the washer, as well as clothes that are well-maintained to last longer.
5. Don’t overfill the washing machine
Starting a wash cycle before the machine is full wastes water, but cramming your entire wardrobe and overloading the washer is not healthy for your clothes either. Not only will the clothes not be washed well, but they will rub against each other, which causes damage and color fading. The detergent will not be rinsed well.
6. Choose the right wash program
If the water-to-cycle-time ratio is incorrect, it can cause your clothes to wear out faster, consume more energy, and consequently harm your wallet, your wardrobe, and your environment. This can be avoided by using Frigidaire side-loading washers equipped with AutoSense technology, which automatically adjusts the time, water, and energy according to the load size for the best possible daily care for clothes.
For best results, please see our guide titled How to Operate Your Washing Machine Correctly
7. Avoid using large amounts of detergent
Excessive use of detergent results in excessive suds, which may have the opposite effect of what the soap was designed for. Using too much soap can prevent clothes from getting clean, and even worse, they may become dirtier than they were.
Tip: Maintain the freshness of your clothes for longer using Frigidaire’s UltraMix technology. This technology ensures that detergents dissolve before entering the wash tub. This means you can wash your clothes at low temperatures without the fear of re-washing.
8. Control the ironing process
Ironing is an essential process for many clothes, especially work clothes, as they must be kept in excellent condition, but many problems can occur during ironing.
Learn how to care for your clothes by following the basic ironing steps as outlined below:
- First, read the care label on the clothes to see if they can be ironed;
- Then read the product user manual that came with the iron or steam ironing device for correct usage instructions.
- For your regular clothes, read the care label when washing to determine the appropriate ironing temperature.
- Finally, arrange the ironing steps to simplify the work; you can start with the collar, then the sleeves, then the rest of the parts.
Tip: Save your effort with Frigidaire’s steam care technology. This technology quickly smooths wrinkles on your clothes by heating them with a small amount of water while maintaining their size, so you get new, wrinkle-free clothes in less than 30 minutes and the clothes don’t need much ironing. See Frigidaire washers equipped with the steam care program as shown below: