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Today I’m going to go over how I take care of my clothes. I get asked all the time how to keep the clothes from my shop looking great. Through owning my boutique, Olive Ave., I’ve learned some things about the do’s and don’ts of fabric care. I’m excited to share them with you today.
When it comes to fabric care, there are a lot of things to take into account. The biggest thing to be aware of is the type of fabric you are caring for. Each fabric has its own quirks and needs. My number one tip I share for how I take care of my clothes is to read the labels!
I personally always wash everything I have in cold water. I like how washing my clothes in cold water helps my clothes last longer and keeps the colors from fading. I also hang all of my clothes to dry them. I don’t use my dryer for my clothes very often. In fact, I pretty much only use my dryer for underwear! I want to protect my clothes and have them last a long time.
A good handheld steamer is life changing for almost all fabrics out there. I keep mine in my closet so I can easily steam out any wrinkles when I choose my clothing for the day. It works great for dresses, rayons, cottons, almost anything can be steamed. My steamer has replaced my iron!
When rayon comes in contact with heat, it shrinks up. So when you see an item with rayon in it and it says ‘hand wash’, there’s a good reason you should listen to the wording on the label. Rayon and heat are not friends.
This fabric is great because it is really soft and it doesn’t shrink like rayon. They do recommend using lukewarm water when you wash clothes made out of Polyester and Spandex. I also say that you should either air dry or do a gentle tumble in the dryer after washing. This fabric does wash well, though, and makes a great fabric for t-shirts because it lays really nice against your skin.
I highly recommend that you put your jeans inside out before washing and always wash them on cold and air dry them. I never dry my jeans in the dryer. They will last longer and the dyes will hold better in the fabric if you air dry your jeans.
If you have an item with distressing on it that you want to take good care of, I recommend two things. Turn the clothing item inside out and wash it separately from other clothing items so you don’t have any other items or buttons getting caught on or snagging on the distressing.
For my last tip on how I take care of my clothing, I want to share how I keep my dark clothes dark. This is probably one of the biggest questions I get when I talk about how I take care of my clothes. So, here’s my secret tip for helping your dark clothing retain its color for longer-- Soak them in a cold vinegar bath before wearing them for the first time.
Here’s how to do it:
Put 1 cup of distilled white vinegar in the sink or bathtub filled with cold water. Place your dark clothing in the solution and let soak for 1-2 hours. Get the excess water out of the clothing and let them air dry.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Who wants clothes that stink like vinegar?” But, don’t worry about the vinegar smell. Once your clothing has dried, the vinegar smell will go away. From this point on, you can wash and dry your dark clothing as normal. This vinegar bath process will help to lock in the dyes onto your fabric.
If you have black jeans and you want to really lock in that black color, do a vinegar soak before you wash them for the first time and you will love how they stay black longer!
This tip will work with anything that is dark colored or black where you may be worried about the clothing fading over time.
These tips are simple and easy to follow. I have more tips and tricks on my Instagram feed for how I take care of my clothes that you should check out. And if you love the clothes you see, be sure to visit my shop Olive Ave.! We have new releases all the time.
