With a little TLC, you can greatly extend the lifecycle of your clothing, shoes, and undergarments.

« Previous |  1 of 4  | Next »

Clothing

Anybody who's adopted a "do it yourself" spirit and shrunk a beloved dry-clean-only sweater knows that proper care of your clothes is paramount to getting the best and most wear out of them. Here, we've gathered expert opinions on the cleaning, storage, and repair dos and don'ts for every type of garment in your closet.

Cleaning

Reading clothing care labels is the first step to preventing accidental shrinking, fading, and wrinkling. If you think that a "dry clean only" tag is merely a suggestion, don't be surprised when you pull a rumpled, doll-sized blouse out of the wash. Fabrics like rayon, silk, and wool react adversely to water. However, if you're not a fan of playing "Beat the Clock" to make it to the cleaners before closing time to pick up your laundry, do-it-yourself home dry cleaning kits, like Dryel ($13 for up to 16 garments), are effective, easy to use, and drastically cut down on professional dry cleaning costs.

"Bright colors and black should be dry cleaned to prevent fading. Wool jackets and pants should be dry cleaned, but any unstructured, unlined garment of cotton or silk or linen can probably be hand washed in cold water," says Mary Gehlhar, Fashion Director at arts showcase Gen Art and author of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide. "I generally handwash delicate items such as sweaters and lingerie."

Storage

All knit sweaters and crochets should be folded and put in a drawer to avoid accidental pulling and stretching. Other items, particularly coats and shirts, should be hung on wooden hangers. "Plastic or plastic-coated wire hangers are fine for other items, but I recommend never using wire hangers. They can cause clothing to lose its form, flatten, and cause creases in the shoulders and pant legs," says Gehlhar.

Don't know what to do with your winter jacket once spring hits? Dry clean it, then store it in a linen or canvas bag or box. Never keep garments in plastic dry cleaner bags, as that can encourage yellowing or streaking. All seasonal items should be dry cleaned before you zip them up to deter moths and to also prevent any missed stains or sweat marks from setting permanently into the fabric.

Repairs

Moth holes in your favorite sweater? "Cedar is good for deterring moths," says Gehlhar, "but it won't help once the moths are there. The best thing is to keep your clothes clean." This means proper dry cleaning and storage.

Stains, on the other hand, can usually be remedied if you take immediate action. If the stain is from a liquid, like red wine, seltzer will work as a temporary fix. If you've accidentally knocked an entire glass onto your skirt, immediately dab away the excess, then cover the stain with coarse salt to soak up the wine and run hot water through the fabric. Once you're home, use a prewash stain remover, such as Shout ($3.49), and toss the garment in the wash. Wash white garments in hot water and color garments in cold.

With a little patience and skill, simple tears and unraveled hems can be fixed at home with needle and thread. And if there's a hole or stubborn stain that's not too large, remember that a strategically placed brooch or pin can close or cover an unsightly blemish.