How to Make Your Wardrobe Look Like New Clothes Again

“Building a proper wardrobe is like building a home. Indeed, you should think of it like a home, because it is something you’re going to live in. It must be comfortable and suit all your needs” – Edith Head.

Clothing is important in the modern world as it is no longer just a comfort option for everyday wear in a city walk or traveling in extreme climatic conditions. It is also a way of self-expression and an element of art. An excellent-built capsule creates your style and saves time from unnecessary shopping. It is important to know how to care for costumes. This guide will share some tips for brightening your wardrobe and making it look like new clothes – fresh, clean, and stylish.

How to Make Clothes Last Longer

The main secret of how to make clothes last longer is following care instructions.  Check the label on the item regarding the composition of the fabric, and recommendations for its care to extend the service life of your favorite item. Try not to wash things often, but as needed, at low temperatures, sorting them by color, putting them inside out into a mash hag, drying and storing them correctly, and repairing them when possible. Contribute to an eco-friendly lifestyle – give preferences to organic – purchasing items from natural, linen, or cotton fabrics and eco-detergents (without aggressive components for nature).

 
Many things can be reused, slightly giving them a new look – eco-friendly leather products can be dyed, and textile products can be customized (by re-stitching, adding patches, embroidery, or buttons). Vintage things can be combined with trendy ones, creating a new interesting look with longer living clothes.

Old Clothes to New Clothes: Ideas for a Refresh

A sudden coffee smudge on your favorite shirt, a failed dry cleaning of your favorite vintage trench coat, or shrank after laundering a new pair of jeans (recently bought from a new seasonal collection) can make an essential item of your look scruffy forever. A stained garment is not a reason to throw it away. There are so many ways how to make old clothes look new.

Of course, with spills on fabric, it is important to treat the blemish as quickly as possible to prevent them from setting in. One of the most unpleasant spots is traces of grease. You do not need to buy expensive non eco-friendly products, because you can find effective helpers in every home in the kitchen. And of course, before using them, it is recommended to test on a small area of the item – to exclude a change or bleaching in the color. Anyway, don’t worry about it! A few tips for transforming old clothes to new clothes ideas are given below.

 
woman ironing her husband s shirt

Does vinegar restore color in clothes?

White vinegar can help get rid of old greasy stains. The most effective ways are pouring onto the spills, or soaking in a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part acid. Next, soak the stuff in this solution for 15 minutes, then wash and dry. Apply a brush for scrubbing if necessary.

Will salt revive the color of faded garments?

A similar low-budget option is sprinkling the salt layer directly onto the blemish and it will absorb all the fat, or also make a solution and soak the thing in it, wash and dry the thing. The formula of hand-made detergent is for each gallon of water you need 600 grams of salt. It can also brighten fabrics by adding half of a cup of salt directly to the washing machine and turning on the rinse mode.

How to Make Dull Clothes Bright Again

Quantity does not equal quality. Use only the amount of detergent recommended in the instructions, because an overflow of detergent can remain in the fibers of the garment, making it dull. Here are some efficient methods on how to make dull clothes bright again: rinsing with the aforementioned salt and vinegar, as well as baking soda, citric acid, hydrogen peroxide, or professional bleaches, using fabric tissues to keep the original color and absorb loose dyes.

How to restore faded dark clothes

To restore the dark shade, you can use a special dye for home dyeing – you need to dissolve the dye in water according to the user’s instructions, but for the paint to be distributed in an even layer, be sure to completely wet the item in clean water. Fully immerse the item in the dye solution and wait for the specified duration. Then, rinse it first with hot water and follow with a rinse in cold water to set the color.

What Clothing Material Lasts the Longest?

Bamboo, cotton (organic or recycled), linen, hemp, and felt are representatives of naturally derived eco-friendly raw, with zero hazards to ecology, long-lasting usage. Recycling these products extremely reduces carbon footprint and doesn’t require resource overuse. The items made of such materials are cozy, lightweight, strong, breathable, and smooth to the touch.

It is also environmentally friendly to wear outfits made from reclaimed fabrics – as a rule, made from unused material.

Clothing Brands That Last Forever

We would like to present the list of the best brands that manufacture clothing material that lasts the longest. They don’t maintain fast fashion trends and offer followers high-quality longer living clothes.

 

They are Birkenstock, Levi Strauss & Co., Lands’ End, Ralph Lauren Corporation,  Pendleton, REI, Red Wing, and Duluth Trading Company.

How Long Should I Keep Clothes?

There are no special rules. Everything depends on your style, lifestyle, and preferences. Try to periodically sort what you wear and what you haven’t worn for a long time. Carefully take care of the wardrobe items you use constantly, create a basic set, and buy the missing units. Ask yourself how can I like my clothes again? If you haven’t figured out how to give a second life to the things in your wardrobe, then sell the things you need, give them to charities, or take them to a collection center.

All things tend to lose their appearance over time. Depending on the tidiness and rules of care for things, some wear costumes longer, while others wear them out very quickly. For your favorite wardrobe element to keep its pleasant appearance for a long time, you need to follow the basic rules: proper storage, washing, drying, and know a few life hacks on how to make items like new clothes again. It doesn’t require much effort.

 

Author

Anna Smirnova author

Anna Smirnova

Former chemist, content writer on https://rythmoftheworld.com
From my career as a chemist, I brought the skills of discovering, analyzing, filtration, separation, distillation, and explanation. I adore art, photography, traveling, hiking, and winter.

modern electric fabric shaver and wool sweater