1. Buy Consciously
First of all, buy good stuff, because what is not beautiful cannot remain beautiful. Be sure to read the label: what materials is your new love made of? Can you wash it yourself or do you have to add the dry cleaning costs too? Before you go to checkout, also think deeply about how often you will wear this item. Do you have at least three other pieces to combine it with? New? Let it hang. Whether it’s something you can wear almost every day (black pants), or a timeless classic (a trench coat or white shirt), it’s worth an investment. In short: buy less, but better.
2. Store it wisely
And there it is, that carefully curated wardrobe of beautiful, high-quality and timeless pieces. Make sure it doesn’t get cluttered in your closet, and keep it organized by hanging sort by type and possibly color by color in rainbow order. Never again the question: where was that green blouse again? Because you know: it hangs by the blouses, between the yellow and the blue! You hang your trousers, possibly vice versa, on hangers. Jackets and blazers deserve hangers with broad shoulders, delicate blouses are honored with upholstered boys (you can also make them yourself).
Jeans can safely be folded in stacks. It is better not to stack undershirts, T-shirts and sweaters. Fold and roll them into packages and then place them next to each other in a drawer – like new colored pencils in a box. Check out how cleaning guru Marie Kondo does this on YouTube.
3. Don’t wash too fast!
Do your clothes, the environment and your wallet a favor and stop wasting unnecessary laundry. Hang your clothes to air or – in case of smoke or food smells – in a warm room near the heating, or treat the piece briefly with a hand-held steamer. Definitely a must-have, that hand steamer, because you are quickly wrinkle-free without an iron and board – also super handy when traveling. Tip: take off the clothes first; Steaming a dress that you are already wearing is not convenient, and steam is very hot.
Perspiration odors are less easy to dispel or mask. Odor-closing sprays actually only make it more unpleasant. Rather invest in good undershirts (from Uniqlo, for example) that are easy to wash, or use sous-bras, which can be bought at the haberdashery store or via bol.com.
4. Wash and dry with care
If you really do have to wash, because my mother definitely doesn’t allow us to leave the house with stains: a washing label is there for a reason. Now it often has a lower temperature than a piece of clothing can actually handle, but in the case of beautiful, valuable clothes: better safe than sorry† Read the labels carefully, turn your garments inside out, use a stain spray or ox bile if necessary and check the possibilities of your washing machine: there are machines that can steam, there are excellent machine wash programs, there are dryers that can make wrinkle-free. Above all, choose a detergent that is suitable for the task.
Whatever you do, don’t be lazy! If something really has to be done by hand, it should be handled carefully. Never wring out wool and precious, delicate stuff. Rolling in a towel and dabbing is the motto. Never dry wool on a hanger, but lying down. And pay close attention when loading the washing machine in a hurry or in the dark. I can’t be the only one to fish an accidentally piggybacked sweater out of the machine five sizes smaller and twice as thick.
5. Repair with care
Throwing away clothes if they have a hole or insoluble stain? Shame! There are many options for repairing or masking them. With the help of patches, elbow patches or darning wool and a darning mushroom (ask for it at the haberdashery store) you can neatly patch up socks and sweaters. And who is not so skilled, can always say that he is on visible mending is doing. That’s a trendy term for gnarled clutter, and whole Instagram accounts and clubs have been devoted to it.
Not in the mood and/or two left hands? There are plenty of tailoring workshops that they can handle, or cut a spotted or broken sleeve shorter and finish it neatly. Finally, pilled sweaters can be cleaned up with a special pill comb or lint extractor. Good luck!