Mistakes we make that ruin our clothing

Anonymous

What have you done that ended up ruining your clothing?

- In a rush to go out putting clothes that can shrink in the dryer on High intending to just get the wrinkles out for a minute but forgetting about them being in and shrinking some clothing.

- Mistakingly pouring bleach into the wash when I meant to pour color detergent

- Fixing my jeans by pulling the back belt loops and they rip off

- Zipping a jacket and it jams and by using force to try and un jam it end up breaking the zipper off

- Wearing a bulky belt instead of a flat one under a thin shirt (with no layering under) and the belt puts a small hole in the shirt.

- Jeans that are slightly too long and touch the ground getting frayed (this is at home with no shoes)

4 years ago

Dressing

29 replies

Latest reply was from nuancedream

slim cat

Veteran

Trying to clean the spot on pants/jeans and leaving the bleach longer than needed - color fading.
Washing jeans without checking ALL the pockets and having tissue paper pieces all over the laundry - not fatal but so annoying to fix.

4 years ago

April

Veteran

Deciding a few years ago to make natural deodorant using coconut oil as its base. It was nicely effective but stained a number of tops and jackets irreparably.

Attempting to bleach a cotton fisherman's sweater that was a little too yellowish for me. It came out a rather unpleasant peachy orange.

My sister once attempted to iron a garment made of velvet.

4 years ago

AviaMariah

Veteran

I've done the dryer one quite a few times. Or accidentally put a non-dryer item in the wash with the regular load and then pulling it out of the dyer. I just did this with a bra and have done it a few times with jeans that I don't dry.

4 years ago

rebekahphoto

Veteran

I washed and dried a gorgeous cropped faux fur jacket, The tag indicated it was machine washable/machine dry ok.
Well it was not! Poor thing looked like a felted sad sweater mess, it lost all its luxurious soft fur feel. And I typically hang dry many of my clothes, so Im not sure why I thought a dryer would keep it nice and fluffy

and I have got photo chemistry on many clothes. Not sure why I dont regularly wear an apron?

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Yes... I just ruined a sweater by putting it in the wash with some little rug mats. I mean, it was gentle cycle! It was navy. It came out fuzzy tan. A little worrisome that the mats shed fibers like that...

4 years ago

Julie

Active Member

-mistakenly putting things in the dryer that shrink

-mistakenly wearing a white shirt in real life

4 years ago

nemosmom

Veteran

Recently, I was returning flooring samples and ripped a hole in my favorite Rolling Stones tshirt. This happened as I held the sample board against my stomach with one hand and closed the back of my car with the other. Then there was pizza sauce I dropped on my cozy ivory pullover....

I am the reason why I can't have nice things LOL

4 years ago

Anonymous

Sigh. It almost always involves food. I am either cooking or I am eating. In either case, some type of food or spice stains my clothing.

4 years ago

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Putting a damp light color item on a dark wooden hanger. Luckily never repeated.

4 years ago

Gretchen

Veteran

Red wine has ruined many a christmas sweater. Even when I got to the wine away immediately (we have epic spill stories).

4 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Soaking midtone-colored lingerie with dark lingerie to handwash. I thought the midtone-colored lingerie was dark enough not to be ruined if the dark stuff bled. I was wrong.

Snagging stuff. I can't remember exact details, but I seem to snag stuff all the time! I hate it.

April, I haven't stained clothes with coconut oil, but I have stained bedsheets. I was using the oil on my legs before bed. I thought I had it rubbed in well enough, but I guess not.

4 years ago

Cee

Veteran

Sword fights have ruined many a floppy sleeved shirt.

4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Having a kid. Today it’s not clothing; it’s the bathroom. There is blood on the doorframe, the sink, the lamp, the floor, the top and bottom of the bathmat, the toilet.... so much blood from his nose in the middle of the night. Also on the fitted sheet, which is laundry, but not clothing.

Back to my clothing: my normal laundry practice is to wash socks, undies, sheets and towels in hot water. Everything else gets cold, unless I notice several 40 degree (warm) items in the hamper, in which case I run a load at that temp. I hang everything to dry. The only times I dry anything are when my son needs clean pants (always sweats) for the next day. I think that keeps our clothes in good shape.

One recent issue, though, was when I decided to put a striped sweater in the gentle cycle, in a mesh bag. Now it’s got black and brown in the cream. :/

4 years ago

Bijou

Veteran

I think I have made all of the mistakes mentioned above. Wearing cross body bags with knits can be fraught with danger - lots of pilling over the strap mark. The absolute worst has been two incidents when I have ruined beautiful leather bags. One was a gold foil leather bag - that studs on my jeans scratched and rubbed off the gold on the bag. The other was a grey leather bag that got partially dyed blue from rubbing against my dark denim. Denim leaching colour onto t-shirts or other items has been a recurring issue for me.

4 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Seat belts and velcro that ruin knitwear

4 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

A statement pendant worn with a delicate silk blouse that had a little rough spot and left tiny pulls on the front of the blouse.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

And then there was the eyelet dress that my kitchen drawer pulls ripped to shreds!

4 years ago

Anonymous

Interesting to read all the mishaps we’ve had, but lots of wisdom on what NOT to do

4 years ago

Anonymous

I'm just generally a klutz, so spilled food/drink, snagged sweaters and tights, worn down heels, pilled knits, and kitty claws.

4 years ago

Cee

Veteran

Having kids in general... so I'm told !

4 years ago

cindysmith

Veteran

Not checking the clothes as they come out of the wash and accidentally shrinking something.

Snags, constantly. Like, I snag knits on rings, furniture, doorknobs, my ear...

Lint. I have washed darks and oops looks like I missed a white kitchen towel in the load and now everything is covered in white lint and I ain't got time to de-lint an entire load of clothes because I'm too busy shrinking and snagging other clothes :-/

4 years ago

Anonymous

Oh, shoes! I ruin shoes just by wearing them! I open the heavy security door at work across the top of the shoe and the shoe is destroyed. I sit at my desk and my shoes rub up against either the wall or something under the desk. Scuffed. Marks.

4 years ago

Anonymous

Ooh, I relate to frequently (and in my case, quickly/immediately) ruining shoes. Drives me batty.

4 years ago

Anonymous

Also, what Cindy said about rings snagging knits is why I wish dry cleaners would ban jewelry wearing. I am always afraid they will snag my delicates.

4 years ago

jacquez

Active Member

I do the belt loop one all the time! I've ruined more pairs of jeans that way....

I also tend not to wear aprons when I cook and then I'm all surprised when I spatter sauce or oil on my shirt. Every. Time.

4 years ago

Jules

Veteran

Two words: salad dressing.
I once thought I could tie-dye bleach a navy linen tee for a kind of shibori effect. What I got was more of a molding rag effect.

4 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Cooking without using an apron.
Note to self: Remember to buy a couple of LARGE new aprons.

4 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

Sweaters, jeans, and recalcitrant cats.

My last two rescue cats, which we got when they were 2-3 months old. They refuse to let me trim their nails and I no longer have the energy to take them to the vet to be groomed every few weeks.

My friend has her cat tranquilized to get her nails trimmed. Can I buy some cat tranquilizer online?

4 years ago

nuancedream

Veteran

Washing my clothes too frequently causing dyes to fade and fabrics to shrink and stretch. I've drastically reduced the frequency of machine washing my clothing items, especially jeans.

4 years ago

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