The ultimate clothing care Kit
Why don’t we dress up for daily life any more? Why do so many people default to buying their clothing in dark colors like navy and black instead of enjoying white or baby blue? Why do we wear T-shirts and leggings instead of blouses and trousers? I think a huge contributor is being scared of damaging the clothes that are likely also expensive. While the cost of ‘nice’ clothing is more expensive typically, you are also more likely get more wear out of them than cheaper options. Beyond this, though, leggings, sweatshirts, and running shoes are what America wears so that is what stores sell and more importantly, that is what stores sell at all price points. Now you can get expensive leggings, t-shirts and running shoes.
While the price and styles of clothing sold in the US is a topic for another post, if you are interested in dressing up a little more without the typical price tag of doing so, I would recommend you possibly look overseas. Specifically, South Korea has a culture of fashion and dressing well daily and what that means is that beautiful, unique pieces are made at all price points, since they sell. That means you can find them cheaply and at very reasonable prices. They likely wont last as long as but they will get your foot in the door to experience new clothing types, cuts, and finding a style that makes your heart sing. You also won’t worry as much about them getting stained, therefore you will be more likely to wear them daily!
Another good tip is shopping at thrift stores that way you can get unique pieces that also may be well made, but still at an affordable price. Obviously thrifting can take a lot of time and energy, but if you have that then it can be a great option!
Anyway, once you have pieces you want to take good care of so that you can wear them daily, you’ll want a care kit! Being prepared to clean and maintain your curated items will take a lot of stress out of dressing well regularly!
Ultimate Clothing Care Kit
Clothing Care:
A Good Clothes Steamer
- A steamer with multiple settings may be nice but as long as its high-powered enough you can always hold the steamer further from the garment to reduce the steam’s effect. A machine with less options could last you longer!
- Bonus: they can be used for steaming curtains, table cloths, sanitizing/deodorizing couches and pet beds, etc.
A Lint Shaving Tool
- Either an electric lint shaver or a lint comb
- These will remove lint balls that are formed on items like sweaters and wool coats, but can even be used on other items like couch cushions and ottomans. You will be truly amazed at how much better things look after being de-bobbled!
- I purchased a cedar lint comb from Amazon and despite the good reviews, I have a hard time getting it to work without also stretching the fabrics of what I am working on so I am hoping to get an electric shaver in the future!
- Be sure to be careful with electric shavers because they can shave off more fabric than you intended! Just lightly hover the shaver over the bobbles, only lowering it until they disappear.
Stain Removing - travel and at-home versions
- I have stain removers like Shout towelettes and Tide sticks in each purse, in each car, and in my suitcase. Its a small price to pay for piece of mind and will usually last a while.
- I keep a large bottle of Shout stain spray, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a bottle of Isopropyl alcohol, a bottle of no-splash bleach and blue Dawn dish soap in the house at all times!
- Learning what stains can be treated with what type of agent can be super useful and laundry kits can be purchased online with multiple stain-specific agents, but Shout and blue Dawn dish soap have personally served me well so far!
Laundry Bags
- Laundry bags are great at protecting different clothing items from getting banged up and stretched in the wash. Multiple different sized and shaped bags can be purchased for various items!
- For example, I use individual bags for each of my bras and a larger bag for each turtle-neck sweater which I found are prone to being stretched while the drum spins.
Drying Rack or Clothes Line
Heat is the enemy when it comes to washing and drying clothes. Using a laundry line or drying rack to dry your clothes is better in every way, if you have the time for it!
It saves the environment by reducing energy usage, it saves you money from the same decreased energy usage, it protects clothing by reducing the heat and abuse it is subjected to by machines, and it gives the caretaker another chance to catch anty stains that did not come out of the first wash. Once a stain is subjected to significant heat it can be much harder to remove.
Drying clothes on an indoor rack in winter will also add likely much-needed water into your home’s dry air.
Shoe Care:
I’m including a bunch of links below this section of fun products that double as decor!
Also referred to by the popular brand, Magic Erasers, melamine sponges are fantastic for getting rid of scuffs and keeping white shoes white! You can also use them all around the house for cleaning and scuffs as well.
Shoe Trees can actually be found cheaply and can be used to prevent or minimize wrinkles in the toes of shoes. I use them especially in my Ugg boots and my white sneakers that are prone to wrinkle in the toe.
There are also ones made for tall (ex. knee-high) boots that keep the shape of the shaft of the boot which significantly helps in protecting and storing the shoe as well as even improving how the boot looks while your wearing it as well since it hasn’t been slumped over and crinkled. You can also achieve a similar result with cut-up pool noodles (possibly ones saved from the garbage)!
Shoe Brush(s) (For Nubuck, Suede, etc.)
- Soft-bristled cleaning brushes for suede/nubuck are typically used to brush away topical dirt and dust, and are used to prepare shoes before being sprayed with waterproofing
Shoe cleaning bars are another cleansing option and these usually come in suede/nubuck cleaning kits
- Waterproofing spray is so important but is so easy to overlook.
This spray will protect any shoe from dewy grass, rain and even snow! You can treat suede shoes, Uggs, sneakers, hiking shoes and even snow boots that don’t already have a fully waterproof upper.
It is recommended that you apply 2-3 coats on clean shoes to begin and then re-treat at the beginning of each wearing season and even up to a quick re-spray before each wear. (depending on the longevity of the individual spray and the protection desired for certain shoes)
- If you work somewhere that you have to change your footwear, if you are always going inside to outside and back again, consider no-tie laces! They’ll make changing your foot wear much easier! A friend of mine in South Korea mentioned that a lot of Korean adults use these laces because the culture maintains that shoes are dirty and do not belong inside and some restaurants also require shoes to be removed (mostly those that sit diners on the floor)
- Think of the little things that would make your life easier when it comes to getting ready for the day! If you are a serial heel-stomper and don’t want to be bothered to pull the heel of your shoes out before putting your shoes on, or just want an easier time getting your shoes or boots on a shoe horn is a great tool that is still around for a reason!
Along with being able to quickly putting your shoes on, its also nice to have a boot jack around the house when you have to take your shoes off, especially for those slushy winter days and rainy spring days! These really help, trust me! I picked a wooden one up from Boot Barn when I went in there to look around but I really adore the cast iron ones I’ve been able to find online since!
Shoe Brush for the Home
Shoe Brushes/Scrapers not only serve to care for your shoes but also your home! It’s the gift that keeps giving! Give yourself and your guests the gift of hands-free shoe cleaning at the entrance of your home and you will also cut down on time spent cleaning your home’s floors! These are also a great idea to have outside of businesses!
Arent these gorgeous and so useful?
A bonus tip: heat in general deteriorates clothing so minimizing the amount of heat on clothing will help it last longer. To reduce the amount of heat your items come in contact with, turn down the temp of the water for your wash cycles and the turn down the temp or level of dryness on your dryer. Better yet, use a drying rack or laundry line to dry clothes instead of using your electric dryer. Drying clothes on lines and racks in the shade will protect colors and prevent shrinkage and drying white items like bed linens in the sun can make help brighten them. All of these techniques will help clothes last longer and reduce energy consumption, which can save the environment and your money! Win-win-win!
The amount that clothing items are jostled in washers and dryers also affect their longevity so you should turn down the amount of ‘spin’ on your washer/dryer.
If you need to, you can also put items in your dryer but set the dryness level to damp and then pull your items out and hang dry them at that point. Anything you can do to reduce the amount your items are heated and jostled will increase their longevity!
Line-drying clothing items also gives you another chance to catch and re-treat any stains that were not removed in the first wash.
I enjoyed compiling for you this care kit post with the tips that I have learned for keeping clothing and shoes looking their best! I hope this helps you and if it did, share with a friend or family member that might also find them helpful!
-Amy xx