6 Tips You Shouldn't Ignore About Taking Care of Your Clothes

Section: Tailoring and Clothing Maintenance - Blog

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You’ve invested some serious bucks in building an impressive men’s wardrobe. However, if you don’t store and maintain those garments properly, you’ll lose money on your investment, and your appearance will suffer. Here’s everything you need to know from the best hangers to the importance of shoes trees to valuable clothing care tips.

1. Storage Tips

The ideal storage environment for clothing and footwear is:

• Cool
• Dark
• Dry
• Clean

The combination of these four factors retards bacterial growth, discourages insect infestation, and prevents UV damage or colour fading. If you plan to hang clothes for longer than a month, place them in breathable garment bags to prevent dust and lint accumulation.

2. Best Hanger OPtions

Using wire hangers to hang your woollen clothes may cause permanent damage. Why, you may ask? Because hanging woollen clothes on wire hangers creates unsightly creases, which are difficult to remove.

Avoid this issue by using wooden hangers. While they may cost more than wire hangers, wooden shirt hangers will not damage your expensive suits and shirts. Shirt hangers should be at least ¼ inch thick; suit hangers should have a thickness of 1+ inch at the shoulders. With the cost of a suit jacket hovering around $500+, it makes sense to invest in a $5 wooden hanger to prolong the suit's life, doesn't it?

3. Shoe Trees

Shoe trees help your shoes last longer and should be a mandatory item in your wardrobe budget. They maintain the shape of the shoe and prevent the leather from warping so there won't be any premature cracking.

Additionally, they absorb excess moisture in the soles and the leather.

4. Protecting Woollens

As a luxury fabric, wool possesses amazing properties and a long, useful life. However, it's expensive and prone to damage if not cleaned or stored properly. Before you seal and store your woollens, have them cleaned professionally. The dry cleaning chemicals kill any microscopic insect eggs that might be present. Another option for protecting your woollens is to vacuum seal the clothes, and then freeze them for 72 hours to kill any potential insect eggs.

Never mix dry cleaned woollens with those that haven't been dry cleaned. The dry cleaning process kills the eggs on the garment; but doesn't provide any protection against infestation from other sources. Mixing the garments can lead to disastrous results in your wardrobe.

Moth balls are common insect deterrents, but they are a harsh option, which may transfer an unpleasant odour to the clothes. Consider using natural alternatives such as cedar, lavender, rosemary, cloves and so on. While not as effective as moth balls, they do not contain paradichlorobenzene.

5. Protecting Cotton Clothes

Although you don't have to worry about moths damaging cotton clothes, prolonged exposure to moist conditions can be harmful. Mildew, for instance, will digest the cellulose fibres and cause permanent damage.

Also, don't discount manmade damage just because of cotton's reputation for durability. By overexposing cotton fabrics to alkaline bleaches, or not treating acidic stains caused by juices, cotton can be damaged. While cotton is sturdy, it is not indestructible.

6. Space Saving Closet Organization

The size of your home dictates how much storage space you have. If there isn't ample space for your clothes, how do you work around this physical constraint?

An easy solution for limited storage space is to rotate your clothes. Segregate your clothes into categories such as those you plan to wear this month and others to be used later.

Store the latter group. Fold the clothes, pack them in an appropriate storage container, and mark the container so you can find it later. Done deal!

Once you organise your storage area, you have sufficient space in it to store your clothes properly. As necessary, rotate in the clothes appropriate to the season or climate so you avoid an overstuffed closet where you can't find anything. For best results, allow a ½ inch of space between clothes for airflow and ease of selection.

Once you have your closet tidy and evaluate your wardrobe, you may discover a few gaps. A shirt here, a tie there, and a couple of pocket squares just in case may be all you need, or you might discover you need a new blazer,sports coat or some odd trousers. Whatever your clothing needs may be, you'll find a full range of men's suitings and accessories when you visit our Sydney showroom.

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