How to Care for Your Clothing Series: How often do I need to wash my clothes?

Common questions I regularly hear from Hendricks Park clients are "how should I wash this?" ..."does this need to be dry cleaned?"..."how can I prevent wrinkles?" and "will this shrink a lot?"  This week, I will offer my best answers to these questions and recommendations to help your clothing look it's best.

How often do I need to wash my clothing?

Washing, and especially drying in a dryer are probably the most damaging wear and tear your daily clothing receives.  The less you wash and dry them (in a dryer), the longer they last, and the better they will look and feel. 

For clothing you love; for nicer pieces you own, if it says it's machine washable, the best bet is to launder it it in the machine in cold water and then hang it to dry.  If you don't like ironing, you can take it to a professional dry cleaner and ask them to press it for you (or dry clean it for you). 

Regardless, just because you wore it, doesn't mean you have to wash it.  For items you wear close to your skin all day, especially where you perspire, please wash them after each use (namely underwear, undershirts, and socks). 

However, for jeans, shorts, pants, shirts, sweaters, jackets and the like that are worn over an undershirt or underwear; you can prolong the life of these items by hanging them back up in your closet after you wear them.  If you are a sloppy eater, have a muddy dog, or sticky child, this probably isn't going to work well for you.  For the rest of you, go home after work and change out of your nicer clothing (before sticky child attacks).  If it looks and smells fine at the end of the day, hang it back up and wear it again before you wash it.

A special note: premium denim can be worn an average of five times in between washings.  Once it's broken in and knows your shape, it will look great, wear after wear without needing a wash and dry after each use like many lower quality denim jeans do.  However, you must make sure you are buying the right size premium denim to begin with since some brands, like Seven For All Mankind, stretch considerably when you break them in (but won't necessarily shrink back to original size even with a spin in the dryer).

How often do you need to dry clean?

Suits and jackets usually don't need to be dry cleaned until they become soiled (by food, mud, etc.) or if they smell bad (smoke, perspiration, etc.).  For you tidy guys, this may mean you only dry clean your suits and sport coats once or twice a year.

Slacks and trousers should be dry cleaned every four or five wearings or when they become soiled. 

ALWAYS dry clean your suit; jacket and suit pants together; even if only one of the pieces needs cleaning.  You want the suit to perfectly match so you must dry clean them together so inevitable fading is done in tandem and unnoticeable.

Tomorrow I will have advice on what needs to be dry cleaned and what doesn't and ways to save you money at the dry cleaner's.

A few last tips: 

• A napkin is not a mop to clean up messes; it's designed to prevent them.  Use it accordingly.

• Re-train the 8 year old inside you to wipe or dry your hands on a towel or tissue; not your pants.  Achoo!...wipe.  You know who you are.

• Smell the floor of your bedroom and bathroom.  If you don't like the smell, don't leave your clothes on the floor when you take them off.  If they can be worn again, please hang them up yourself like a man and enjoy the fact you can wear them again with minimal to no ironing. 

• The less frequently you wash your clothing, the longer it lasts.  As an added benefit, you will reduce your carbon footprint and help support a greener world.

-Lisa Bruckner, Hendricks Park

Comments

[Martin Lindeskog]

Lisa,

Very thoughtful post. I get "flashback" memories from the college campus and the washing and dryer machines that literally "ate" the clothes... ;) When I was working in Troy, OH, I used a laundry service that took care of my clothes and delivered it to my home.

[mensredtags]

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