It hurts to see your favorite item of clothing slowly destroyed by everyday wear and washing. The good news is, just changing our washing and drying habits can help keep our clothes in good shape for longer.

• Know what type of fabric your clothing is made out of & play to its strengths.

Different garments wear out for different reasons. Natural fibers including cotton and linen hold shape better than synthetic fibers but aren’t nearly as colorfast. Eventually, the water and friction will cause their hues to fade. 

Synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester and spandex, found most often in sportswear, are particularly sensitive to heat and oil. The heat from the dryer will cause garments made of these to lose their structure. Items like swimsuits will break down more quickly if you use a lot of sunscreen.

To get the longest wear out of your clothes, look for blends. The polyester in the fabric will prevent the cotton from shrinking too much and retain its color. The cotton, likewise, will prevent the polyester from breaking down too quickly in the dryer.

• Read the care instructions tag before you throw clothes into the wash

Every item of clothing has a tag that tells you exactly how to care for it, but most of us never seriously read it.

If you want an item of clothing to last as long as possible, paying attention to the tag will give you a really good idea of where to start, and what not to do.

Items that say “dry clean only” absolutely must be dry cleaned but you can throw a hand-wash garment into your washing machine on a gentle cycle and get away with it.

Just be cautious when handling clothing with parts that can get tangled and tugged on in the washer – you might want to use a mesh bag for delicates.

• Give the items you want to last a little extra care by:

• Laundering them less: Dark clothes don’t show dirt as much as light clothes. Items like jeans can be put into the freezer to kill germs.
• Washing cottons inside out: Reverse colorful garments to reduce contact with water and friction and lessen the color-loss. 
• Keep synthetics away from heat: Do not dump your clothes made of blends or processed fabrics into the dryer on high heat. Dry them on a clothesline.
• Choose to line-dry your clothes: If this is a practical option for you, choose to dry your clothes outside as they’ll last so much longer.