Taking care of your clothes? - YouLookFab Forum

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Taking care of your clothes?

Chris

I am curious about how all of you manage your clothes care.
The other day I was ironing a top and I wondered if everyone irons daily like I do. I tend to keep knits folded instead of on hangers so a little press or steam makes them look smarter.

Do you tend to wash and wear? Or do you iron everything as you put things away from the laundry or not iron at all?

Do you steam or iron?

Edited to add - I forgot to change category to Everything Else - so sorry

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Louise

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I iron only when I have to, which mean pretty rarely.

I keep my easily-wrinkled clothes on hangers, and I hang everything back up as soon as I take it off. I also ended up buying a lot of clothes that can be washed in the machine (hallelujah, my dry cleaning bill has dropped like a stone!), and I have a hanging rack in the utility room so I can let things air dry on the hanger instead of getting wrinkled in the dryer. I don't even have to iron the cotton dresses with this method!

When I do iron, I use the steam option judiciously. Gets the wrinkles out fast!

taylor

Veteran

I tend to be very *nutty* about my clothes. Everything I own almost, except undergarments of course and denim goes to the cleaners. I cover my clothes in plastic, clear cleaner* like *bags. except for leather , or anything that needs to breathe. This not only keeps them clean from any dust, but you would be surprised how this helps the wrinkle factor when hanging your clothes against eachother...they glide.

I also hang items by color and season...black with black,green,cream etc. and sweaters the same way, but I also hang by sets...this cami w/that sweater...I hang together...this skirt w/that jacket and blouse...I hang together.I can see everything the moment I walk into the room.

My walk in closet is actually a bedroom conversion(My daughters old bedroom upstairs next to mine...and the closet ...well that is a shoe closet...my shoes are also by color, and toe in toe out and so on. on several shelves. and a full size mirror.

The room is large enough to store my steamer and I use that FAR more than an iron...almost daily I steam something...and my sewing machine is also close at hand in there...I am very picky about the way I treat my clothes ,shoes and handbags.

When my friends call me they always say..".where are you...In your closet"? About all I need in there is a T.V.:)

I must say I fell in love w/my husband all over again when he said "I think you have outgrown your walk-in ...time to convert a room:)

Maya

Veteran

I reject ironing. After my clothes are washed, I beat them mercilessly to get out the wrinkles, and hang them to dry. Underwear, loungewear, socks, camisoles/tanks that are for layering purposes only, and tshirts are the only things I put in the dryer. I lay tops out flat on a towel and hang my jeans, pants, skirts, and dresses on a drying rack. I avoid linen and 100% cotton wovens as they are wrinkle city. I would probably fold my knits, but since I refuse to iron, it is just easier for me to hang them. I will buy dry clean only when I feel it is justified, like for interviews or special occasions, but I am not willing to put in the effort/money for casual or smart casual. I do have a couple of DCO shirts that I wash anyway and they turned out just fine.

I hang pretty much everything except the things I put in the dryer, which get folded.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I dry clean silk items, and items that are hard or time consuming to iron. I wash everything else on cold, and air dry most of my clothing. I only put loungewear, cotton undies and socks in the dryer.

rivoli

Another daily ironer here!

My ironing board and iron are permanently set up in my sewing studio. I think this makes it less of a chore. If it wasn't already set up, I'd probably never get around to it. Doing it daily also makes it less of a chore. I can't imagine spending more than a few minutes at the ironing board.

I iron all my woven cottons, except for jeans. I iron knit tops if they are wrinkled, but if they are only slightly wrinkled I will just hang them up in the bathroom while I take a shower, and the steam helps release those minor wrinkles.

I hand-wash silks and iron them dry. I don't try to iron silks that have already dried because I can never get the wrinkles out. I also don't try to iron jackets or lined clothing. I send all these things to the cleaners. (But most of my clothes are casual so I don't actually go to the cleaners very often.)

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I wash my clothes in cold on the gentle cycle, and I dry flat what is truly delicate (bras, etc) and machine dry on gentle the rest. I iron only when I really need to. Sometimes I will do it all at once and then hang it in the closet, sometimes I will do it as I pull things out. I don't buy anything that I would have to take to the cleaners.

shiny

Veteran

Loungewear, undies, camis and gear all gets tossed in the wash and dryer.

Denim and machine-washable tops get tossed in the wash and hung to dry.

Hand-washable tops, all my cardigans even if they can be machine washed, and bras get hand-washed and hung to dry.

Dry-clean only clothes either get hand-washed (if I think it'll survive) or I use Dry-El on them. I haven't taken anything to the dry cleaner in years, and we live one block away.

But mostly my practice is to try NOT to launder items very often. Not including gear, loungewear, camis and undies - those get washed after one wear. Everything else, I hang up and let it air out. Often I find it just needs a good brushing. I really don't sweat all that much, I don't wear perfume, and I no longer smoke. I can go several wears without needing to launder. I just rotate, rotate. I think laundering - of any sort (and maybe dry-cleaning/ironing in particular) - wears out clothes faster. And I really hate it when an item looked better before laundering, know what I mean?

Obviously tops need the most frequent laundering, but I figure if you are wearing a top under a cardi or jacket, that is protecting it from sweat. I launder when things no longer pass the sniff test or I get a stain or I see noticeable dirt.

As for ironing, I can't remember the last time I did. If you hang things up immediately the wrinkles come out. And a toss in the Dry-El bag can usually get out more stubborn wrinkles.

Mind you, I ruthless about changing out of my good clothes once I get home, and if I am cooking in my good clothes, I wear an apron.

Probably the best thing I ever did for my wardrobe was quit smoking! Back in those days, I had to launder after every wear, no matter what.

Chris

Interesting!
My closet is rather small compared to most so hanging everything is not an option (and I might have too many jackets and skirts...) so therefore the folded storage which leads to wrinkles.

I do use the dry cleaners for dress slacks and blazers but not after each wear - try to wear as much as possible between cleanings. Have a couple of silk blend sweaters that I dry clean and it has really kept them in better shape. If I had been handwashing they would have been faded years ago.

I use a clothes steamer whenever I have to press a cress out of a jacket but otherwise I can gently iron a top in no time and I don't mind.

Our dryer set up is in basement of old rambling house - have to go outside to get to it - so my standby method of tossing things in warm dryer with a damp cloth isn't practical.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Chris, I have some of those collapsible wooden drying racks that I use for almost everything. I don't like "hanger dents" in the shoulders, so the rack is a better option for me anyway. When I'm done I just fold it down and put it away.

Vani

Veteran

I have nothing to offer since I'm no good but I am diligently taking notes!

kimlee

Veteran

Shiny - You and I think alike. I tend to machine wash and dry my gear, loungewear (which I don't really have that much of), undies, and camis. My jeans and denim trousers are washed, tossed into the dry for about 3 minutes to remove excess moisture and then are hung to dry. Anything that says it needs to be handwashed is treated as such, along with my more delicate knits. Anything that says dry cleaning only - either does not end up in my closet or is cleaned with a Dry-El bag.

I do not iron at all. 95% of my wardrobe is wrinkle resistant. And anything that does require ironing is handled by my husband - as he is much better at it than I am .

Ele

(website)

I hate ironing with a passion- almost never do it. I do have a few woven cotton dresses that require it, but I rarely wear them (probably because of that). If something just has a few little wrinkles, as opposed to deep creases, I hang it up in the bathroom while I'm having a shower, and the steam usually takes care of it.

I wash almost everything in the machine on cold, except for undies/tea towels/bathmats etc, which get hotter water. Everything gets hung or laid flat to dry- I never use a dryer. This is partly because I don't have one, and partly because they use so much energy. Even when I had one, I avoided it like the plague. It's very common in Europe not to have a dryer, so it now seems completely normal to me. I doubt I'll ever go back to using one, even when I move home.

Most tags that say "dry clean only" get ignored, as I firmly believe that's hogwash. Studying textiles in depth, as well as how uncomfortable I've become with the environmental impact of dry cleaning, has led me to use other methods. I wash most dco things on a gentle cycle in cold water, with a gentle liquid detergent. The only things I own that do get dry cleaned are two silk charmeuse tops (the shine ends up all weird if I wash them), a silk dress, a modal jersey top, and all tailored jackets/coats. These are all things that only get cleaned or worn occasionally, though, so it's pretty rare that I have to take them in.

I hand wash all my bras in cold water, and sometimes other fancy/embellished tops that claim to be dry clean only and I don't want to risk ruining in the machine.

sinead

Taylor, your closet sounds like a dream come true! Pictures, please.

I only dry clean jackets and suits- everything else either gets tossed in the wash or hand washed. Because I like woven tops, I do iron quite a bit, but I'm also a believer in the steam-out-while-showering method. Works like a charm.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I don’t know why this thread cracks me up, but it does. Those of us who are meticulous about our wardrobe items, and those of us who are less so. Taylor brought a HUGE smile to my face with her detailed and loving descriptions of how she takes care of her lovelies. And so did Ele, by saying that she hates ironing. So funny!

Anyway, I’m a complete, to use the America term, “neat freak”. I will do what it takes to make sure that our wardrobe items, home, cars and dogs stay impeccable. Enough said :0)

Louise

Veteran

The only things i ever iron are my linen skirt and dress and only if i haven't been able to get them straight out of the washing machine. Everything else as long as i put it on the drying rack as soon as it's finished washing it doesn''t need ironing.

I usually get a couple of wears out of most items, i hang them on with a coat hanger straight after wearing on my curtain pole with a squirt of rose fabric spray then leave them to air over night (you'll frequently see items hanging in my photos if you look carefully x

Edit got this tip from my auntie who hasn't ironed in 20 years! if you have an adjustable spin setting on you washing machine set it to a lowish spin i use 700 things come out less creased