Clothing Maintenance

This may not be the most exciting topic, but it's a very important one. Clothes that look good can be ruined by bad maintenance. No one wants to see wrinkles and dog hairs all over your clothes, so here are some tips to help you treat your clothes right.

Dry Cleaning
Want clothes cleaned all the way through? That means dry cleaning is for you. It may cost a bit more than just washing your clothes, but it will get every stain out. Dry cleaning is usually used for suits, and buttons downs. It will be like it's brand new when you get it back!

Washing
Washing clothes is especially important. Not only does it remove visible and unappealing stains from your shirt, but it also makes your worn clothes smell and feel fresh again. Oftentimes, people don't know how often to wash clothes so here's a quick guide.

• Underwear: After every wear.
• Socks and stockings: After every wear.
• Sportswear and swimwear: After every wear.
• Jeans: Five to six wears. 
• Tops: One to two wears.
• Pants and shorts: Three to four wears.
• Jackets and blazers: Five to six wears.
• Coats: Once every two months of wear.
• PJs: Three to four wears.

Ironing
Ironing is one of two options that you have to make sure your clothes aren't wrinkled. Make sure you know how to do it before you try though. You can end up doing more damage to your clothes by creating creases. Here is an easy manual for ironing a shirt.

Steaming
Steaming is the second option for making sure clothes aren't wrinkled, which takes less skill because it doesn't have the possibility of creating creases. The process is similar to ironing, but rather than pressing out the folds, you simply allow them to fall out under steam.

Hanging
Hanging, while underrated, is an important factor in how your clothes look. Even if you iron them, leaving them wrinkled on the floor can cause more creases in the clothing.

Folding
If you don't hang your clothes, its important to fold them, and fold them correctly. Folding them incorrectly can also cause more wrinkles. Not only this, but taking the time to fold your clothes can help the organization of your closet and make it easier to find clothes when you need them.

Lint rolling
Lint rolling is especially important for dark clothes where hair and dust are very visible. Simply take a lint roller or brush and pass over the clothes a few times. It isn't very difficult and greatly increases the perceived quality of the clothes.

Collar Stays and Oxford Buttons

Keeping your collar down, especially after you iron or steam your shirt, is very important. If there are buttons on the collar button them, if not, insert collar stays into the pockets under the collar. It is important to note that some shirts have sewn in collar stays.

Have any questions or concerns? Comment on this post or email us at suityourselffashion@gmail.com

-Quinn and Mike