It’s fairly easy to maintain cotton clothes, you only need a few tips to save a couple of years on a wardrobe change.
To begin, it’s worth noting that cotton is the basic fiber for 99% of our clothing, – well if you’re not one of our more edgy readers – then maybe you wear more leather, lycra, and the sorts. Regardless of favourites, every item of clothing deserves proper care and maintenance, don’t just throw them in the washer, tumble dry, and hang – don’t have a ‘one-size fits all’ technique for maintaining your clothes either!
Now you’re wondering what you should do to maintain your cotton clothes if not just tumble and hang. Here are a few tips.
When Washing Cotton Clothes
Shrinking or stretching are the lasting problems cotton clothes have. Once they take a dip in water, they become three times smaller or bigger. To solve this problem,
- Hand wash 100% cotton clothes in cold water. Cold washing reduces shrinkage of cotton fibers and also helps to contract stretched out cotton fibers.
- If you must use a washing machine, cold wash in a delicate cycle at 30°C or below.
- For tough stains, pre-soak the particular spot on the cloth in a basin of soapy water for 15-30 minutes. Make sure to use effective laundry detergents like Persil. Proceed to wash as above.
- Make sure to stretch them a bit with your hands after rinsing in cold water before drying.
- Spread out to air dry out of sunlight. If hanging out to dry, use strong wooden hangers as plastic hangers stretch the already prone to stretching fabric, and metal hangers leave rust on damp fabrics.
When Ironing Cotton Clothes
Clothes made from cotton fibers occasionally need ironing to remove creases. Therefore, when ironing cotton clothes, make sure to,
- Iron them when they’re a bit damp or use a steam iron.
- Forego ironing entirely by folding neatly or hanging them in your storage space immediately they become dry.
When Storing Cotton Clothes
When they become dry, make sure to,
- Fold neatly and keep in a clean, dry storage area. However, plastic is the best storage space, as cockroaches and mothballs love wood.
- Alternatively, you can hang them up on a rail to allow air through the fabric and prevent damping. Like we said before, opt for wooden hangers.
- We still can’t figure how dust finds its way to the most unimaginable places, but to be safe than sorry, bring out your clothes periodically to clean the storage area. You’ve probably experienced planning an outfit to wear out, only to bring it out and find some unexplainable stain on it.
- Finally, stock up on camphor balls, hide them in every corner of your wardrobe. They’ve been tested and trusted to combat clothing pests!
If you’re looking for ideas on how to mix up your cotton clothes, then this is for you.
We hope these tips help you maintain your cotton clothes to last longer!
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