Five Bad Habits Sabotaging Your Wardrobe

I am big into owning your clothes a long time since this saves both time and money and also helps hone your personal style. The process of owning your clothes over time include three main parts – choosing styles that are mainly trend-proof, choosing quality clothes that will last year after year, and maintaining those clothes to the best of your ability. We often overlook this last part because we think owning classic, quality clothes are enough. Taking good care of your wardrobe is a huge part of clothing maintenance that will help you get the most out of your clothes. Below are five bad habits that could be sabotaging you from maintaining your wardrobe:

1. Not taking care of footwear in order to keep it in the best condition. This includes when you let dirt sit on it over an entire season (or two), keeping cotton laces tied (this wears them down), and not waterproofing them properly. When I put my shoes away for the season, the lazy side of me just wants to shove them into storage and not think twice about them. Taking the extra time to wipe down any access dirt and store them properly could mean the difference of the amount of years you are able to own them. Also, when you think you’ve gotten all the life out of a shoe, taking it to a shoe repair shop and seeing what they can do may be worth the trip. Usually it costs $10-15 and they’ll come out looking brand new.
2. Washing your clothes too often is a big mistake people make. The only clothes you need to wash after every use are underwear and workout clothes. Unless you sweat in them or get them dirty, your everyday clothes can go a few times between washes if they’re in great condition. This rule especially applies to pants. You also want to make sure you are not over drying your laundry as it can wear on the fabric and possibly misshapen it. When in doubt, wash on cold and air dry.
3. Hanging fragile items is also a mistake many people make. Sweaters, for example, should mostly be folded and stacked, not hung on a hanger. When hung, the hanger rubs against the shoulder area and it’s hard to work it back into shape (although not impossible). Even some tops may be too fragile for hanging unless you use a fabric hanger.
4. Not taking care of stains ASAP is a mistake I’ve regrettably made. Although laundry care has come a long way and products exist that can take stains out, this is not always the case. Putting a stained item in your hamper only to be washed later that week is just allowing time for the stain to seep into the fabric. Take care of stains sooner than later and you’ll thank yourself.
5. Lastly, storing purses incorrectly is a common mistake many people make. I will stuff purses with old t-shirts so they keep their shape over the season when not in use. This helps keep the material upright so there are no unwanted creases, wrinkles, etc. that can happen on any handbag even leather.

All of these habits come out of mistakes I’ve made over the years and learned from. Which one do you struggle with the most?

April 8, 2019 by thedressdecoded | 4 Comments