Diamonds last forever.
Clothing doesn’t.
At LNO Greek, we design our Delta Sigma Theta apparel to stand up to wear and tear and keep you repping your sorority in style for years to come. But no matter how well-made a piece of clothing is, it can degrade over time–especially if it’s not given the proper care.
In this article, we’ll share some tips for giving your wardrobe the love it deserves and maximizing your clothing investment.
- Keep your clothes in the dark. Over-exposure to the light can decrease the life of your clothes.
- Stop hanging your sweaters. Your mom may have gotten after you for leaving your sweaters on the floor and not hanging them up, but you may have been doing your sweaters a favor! Hanging sweaters or other heavy garments can stretch them out and damage them. Instead, opt to fold your sweaters and store them on a shelf.
- Keep your clothes dry. You don't want your clothes stored anywhere damp or moist. This could cause clothing to mold and become damaged.
- Buy the fancy hangers. Plastic and wire hangers might be inexpensive, but they take a heavy toll on your clothing. Wooden hangers are much easier on your wardrobe.
- Give your clothes room to breathe. Having your clothes jammed too close together can cause them to rub excessively on each other. Too much rubbing on the fabrics will cause them to wear out unnecessarily and will increase wrinkles.
- Use lavender to prevent moths. Do you pull out clothes from the previous season to find moth holes in them? Putting clothes away with lavender or cedarwood will work more wonders than mothballs.
- Wash less frequently. Each time your clothes are washed, they rub against other fabrics for a long period of time. This friction causes wear, and it will cost your clothes their colors and elasticity. Unless soiled (and excluding underwear), clothes can be worn at least three times between washings. Think of all the time you just saved on laundry.
- Dry less frequently. When possible, a drying rack is a better choice than a dryer if you want to extend the life of your clothes. Dryers will shrink and fade your clothes. If the garment has silk-screened designs on it, drying them is especially damaging. Your electricity bill will thank you, too.
- Dry clean less frequently. Are you noticing a theme here? Dry cleaning can be done less frequently than you would expect, too. The harsh chemicals used in the dry cleaning process are bad not only for the fabrics you're dry cleaning but also for the environment. An easy alternative is to hang something you want dry cleaned in the bathroom while you shower. The steam can give the outfit a quick (chemical-free) refresh.
- Wash in cold water. When you do wash your clothes, using cold water helps protect the fabric better than hot water does.
- Use less detergent. Excessive amounts of detergent can actually cause a buildup on your clothes. Replacing half the recommended amount of detergent with 1/2 cup of baking soda will keep your clothes in better shape.
- Don't overfill the washer. The more you can cram into the washer just means fewer loads, right? Maybe, but it can be hard on your washer and also shorten the lifespan of your clothing. If you are washing your clothes with too many things in the washer, you are subjecting them to a lot of friction that can wear them down.
- Wash it inside out. Washing colors and darks inside out can help prevent fading.
- Use a delicates bag. For your intimates and any other fragile items, try a delicates bag. It prevents these items from getting too roughed up in the washing machine.
- Separate the laundry. You may already know to keep your whites in their own laundry load, but did you know you should separate your laundry based on how soiled it is as well? It makes sense if you think about it. Throwing muddy pants into the machine with a lightly soiled top will make that top dirtier and cause more wear than if it were washed separately.
- Treat your stains ASAP. A stain is only a stain if you allow it to set. Your best bet at preventing it from setting is to treat any potential stain as soon as you can.
- Buy quality. When it comes to what you wear, you often get what you pay for, and quality is worth it. Let’s say that you find a pair of shoes that costs $50, but you don't want to spend that much. Instead you opt for some $15 knock-offs. You might find those $15 shoes only last one year, and you have to spend $15 every year to have functioning shoes. The $50 quality pair, however, would have lasted five years. That ends up being $10 per year instead. So while some pieces in your wardrobe might cost more upfront, they can be a worthwhile investment if they are of higher quality. Think about the pieces you wear frequently, season after season. Investing in quality for those pieces first will be a good place to start.
- Mend it. Learning basic mending can help keep clothing in good shape for longer. If you have been known to toss a top if a button falls off, this tip is for you. There are all kinds of online tutorials to help you learn basic clothing repair in no time. A minor tear will have nothing on you.
These little steps may seem simple, but if you implement all of them, you will be well on your way to extending the life of your wardrobe. Not only does this mean you get to wear your Delta Sigma Theta shirts longer, but extending the useful life of your wardrobe is better for the environment as well. Way to do your part!
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Delta Sigma Theta clothing from LNO Greek is made to withstand stains and abrasions so you may continue to represent your sorority in style for years to come. But regardless of how well-made a piece of clothing is, it can deteriorate with time—especially if it is not given the right care.
