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Any tips on extending the life of our clothes? I love new t-shirts, but they seem to wear down quickly. Maybe there is a way to wash them and get the sweat smel

Any tips on extending the life of our clothes? I love new t-shirts, but they seem to wear down quickly. Maybe there is a way to wash them and get the sweat smell out without wearing down the shirt. I always use cold water, and only wash/dry when necessary. I heard washer agitation is a problem.

JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
Have you tried washing on cold and using cold water detergent? https://www.maids.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-washing-your-clothes-in-hot-water/ https://www.maids.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-washing-your-clo...
mindB 5y ago
A few simple things: - Air-dry clothes when possible instead of the dryer. - Only wash clothes when they're actually dirty. - Using cold water in the washing machine may help as well.
retSava 5y ago
Washing clothes do wear them a lot, so if you can avoid washing clothes too often that'll help. Socks, undergarments, and (most often) t-shirts I don't do this with, but everything else like shirts or pants, do hang them nicely across the back of a chair so that they can air properly. Avoid wrinkles when hanging them. I'm about to buy new bed sheets etc, and the advice I've read is as follows: * satin is nice and soft, but wears faster than plain weave (aka percale when above 200 thread count), so don't use satin for bed sheet, but for the duvet cover and potentially the pillowcase. Percale may have a more hotel'y feeling of "crispyness". * use percale/plain for the bed sheet since that'll wear evenly * look for extra long cotton fibers since that'll last longer. It's classified in ranges, such as "long staple" or "extra long staple", but often not typed out. Instead some opt for saying "combed cotton" meaning they removed shorter fibers through "combing" * "egyptian cotton" says nothing, it'll include all cotton made in egypt, which is not by default good. "Supima" cotton is actually a trademarked name for Pima cotton fibers upholding some level of quality that's supposedly good. Four types of cotton: Gossypium [Hirsutum, Barbadense, Arboreum, Herbaceum]. Most grown is Hirsutum. Barbadense == Pima, and certified Pima at some minimum fiber length etc == Supima trademark. Many hotels don't own their sheets, they rent as a service including washing. I've read many use a small amount of synthetic fibers in the mix. Ideal thread count range is about 300-600, lower doesn't necessarily give the percale feel, and higher is just marketing blaha which doesn't really notice either. He. Turned out to be quite the post. Let's stop there. Guess you can tell I'm nerding down on the topic.
- Scoundreller 5y ago
  Unless my clothes as super dirty, I’ll wash in cold water with a fraction of the recommended amount of detergent. And ++ to air drying. Hot temperatures + tumbling creates a ton of wear.
- mbernstein 5y ago
  While the price my be a bit high (watch for their sales for styles being discontinued, especially around Black Friday) - but I got really tired of replacing sheets that fell apart and just bought Frette ones as as splurge and got a second set awhile ago. I've gotten really tired of buying cheap throwaway things and have instead invested in some of the nicer, higher quality brands and so far I haven't been disappointed.
- lazerpants 5y ago
  Look for Oeko-Tex certifications too. My wife is in textiles and is impressed with their processes. A lot of "organic" sheets are not carefully sourced and are not actually organic.
- int_19h 5y ago
  While we're at it, linen is more sturdy than cotton, and may actually be more comfortable in hot climates.
NikolaNovak 5y ago
How quickly do they seem to wear down? I'm wearing a 15yo t-shirt as I speak and it's in great shape. I have several in closet that are 20yo. I don't take any particular care other than always washing on cold and using low temperature drier. My polo shirts depending on material do seem to wear down, on the collar in particular. They seem to be from different material than most t shirts.
- Foobar8568 5y ago
  All my uniqlo t-shirts are falling aparts within 3 years. Other brands aren't much better..
- sumtechguy 5y ago
  That could be a bit of survivorship bias too. I too have cloths that are 20+ years old. But other stuff from the same era is long gone too. For me it is one of two things the stitching just comes undone and ends up tearing the fabric. Or the fabric is just threadbare. I do have to agree though with the quality. It has really dipped in the past 10 or so years I would say. Especially in things I used to consider durable, like jeans. I recently bought a shirt about 3 years ago, elbows blown out stitching coming undone. Not low end cost stuff either...
  - UnFleshedOne 5y ago
    Kids these days are buying jeans with holes in them already. They don't even have a decency to get them worn down personally...
    - sumtechguy 5y ago
      Think holes in jeans has been a thing for awhile :) Pretty sure we we had them when I was a kid and that was a decent time back... There is a difference though for making holes. If I just whip out a pair of scissors and go to town that hole will get larger and larger until the garment is unusable. I usually get the same if I get them naturally. But holes that are put in at the factory they seem to put some thought into it and they last a decent amount of time and do not grow as badly. Have not dug to much into it because I prefer it without so I have not looked into how to DIY.
mschuster91 5y ago
> Any tips on extending the life of our clothes? I love new t-shirts, but they seem to wear down quickly. Buy better quality. I know it's hard since most clothing is "fast fashion" crap that is designed to be worn three, four, five times tops. Thin material, thin yarn, it simply breaks down physically.
woodwireandfood 5y ago
Silly one that I discovered: my t-shirts all developed a hole in the center of the stomach area first, before any other damage. It appears to be from rubbing between the seat belt of the car and the zipper/button area of my pants. So I've started pulling the shirt out of that spot after I put the seat belt on. Too early to tell how much of a difference it's made.
- kaybe 5y ago
  I have the same issue and I only ride cars very very rarely. I'm still wondering about the reason.

JohnJamesRambo 5y ago

Have you tried washing on cold and using cold water detergent? https://www.maids.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-washing-your-clothes-in-hot-water/ https://www.maids.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-washing-your-clo...

mindB 5y ago

A few simple things: - Air-dry clothes when possible instead of the dryer. - Only wash clothes when they're actually dirty. - Using cold water in the washing machine may help as well.

retSava 5y ago

Washing clothes do wear them a lot, so if you can avoid washing clothes too often that'll help. Socks, undergarments, and (most often) t-shirts I don't do this with, but everything else like shirts or pants, do hang them nicely across the back of a chair so that they can air properly. Avoid wrinkles when hanging them. I'm about to buy new bed sheets etc, and the advice I've read is as follows: * satin is nice and soft, but wears faster than plain weave (aka percale when above 200 thread count), so don't use satin for bed sheet, but for the duvet cover and potentially the pillowcase. Percale may have a more hotel'y feeling of "crispyness". * use percale/plain for the bed sheet since that'll wear evenly * look for extra long cotton fibers since that'll last longer. It's classified in ranges, such as "long staple" or "extra long staple", but often not typed out. Instead some opt for saying "combed cotton" meaning they removed shorter fibers through "combing" * "egyptian cotton" says nothing, it'll include all cotton made in egypt, which is not by default good. "Supima" cotton is actually a trademarked name for Pima cotton fibers upholding some level of quality that's supposedly good. Four types of cotton: Gossypium [Hirsutum, Barbadense, Arboreum, Herbaceum]. Most grown is Hirsutum. Barbadense == Pima, and certified Pima at some minimum fiber length etc == Supima trademark. Many hotels don't own their sheets, they rent as a service including washing. I've read many use a small amount of synthetic fibers in the mix. Ideal thread count range is about 300-600, lower doesn't necessarily give the percale feel, and higher is just marketing blaha which doesn't really notice either. He. Turned out to be quite the post. Let's stop there. Guess you can tell I'm nerding down on the topic.

Scoundreller 5y ago
Unless my clothes as super dirty, I’ll wash in cold water with a fraction of the recommended amount of detergent. And ++ to air drying. Hot temperatures + tumbling creates a ton of wear.
mbernstein 5y ago
While the price my be a bit high (watch for their sales for styles being discontinued, especially around Black Friday) - but I got really tired of replacing sheets that fell apart and just bought Frette ones as as splurge and got a second set awhile ago. I've gotten really tired of buying cheap throwaway things and have instead invested in some of the nicer, higher quality brands and so far I haven't been disappointed.
lazerpants 5y ago
Look for Oeko-Tex certifications too. My wife is in textiles and is impressed with their processes. A lot of "organic" sheets are not carefully sourced and are not actually organic.
int_19h 5y ago
While we're at it, linen is more sturdy than cotton, and may actually be more comfortable in hot climates.

NikolaNovak 5y ago

How quickly do they seem to wear down? I'm wearing a 15yo t-shirt as I speak and it's in great shape. I have several in closet that are 20yo. I don't take any particular care other than always washing on cold and using low temperature drier. My polo shirts depending on material do seem to wear down, on the collar in particular. They seem to be from different material than most t shirts.

Foobar8568 5y ago
All my uniqlo t-shirts are falling aparts within 3 years. Other brands aren't much better..
sumtechguy 5y ago
That could be a bit of survivorship bias too. I too have cloths that are 20+ years old. But other stuff from the same era is long gone too. For me it is one of two things the stitching just comes undone and ends up tearing the fabric. Or the fabric is just threadbare. I do have to agree though with the quality. It has really dipped in the past 10 or so years I would say. Especially in things I used to consider durable, like jeans. I recently bought a shirt about 3 years ago, elbows blown out stitching coming undone. Not low end cost stuff either...
- UnFleshedOne 5y ago
  Kids these days are buying jeans with holes in them already. They don't even have a decency to get them worn down personally...
  - sumtechguy 5y ago
    Think holes in jeans has been a thing for awhile :) Pretty sure we we had them when I was a kid and that was a decent time back... There is a difference though for making holes. If I just whip out a pair of scissors and go to town that hole will get larger and larger until the garment is unusable. I usually get the same if I get them naturally. But holes that are put in at the factory they seem to put some thought into it and they last a decent amount of time and do not grow as badly. Have not dug to much into it because I prefer it without so I have not looked into how to DIY.

mschuster91 5y ago

> Any tips on extending the life of our clothes? I love new t-shirts, but they seem to wear down quickly. Buy better quality. I know it's hard since most clothing is "fast fashion" crap that is designed to be worn three, four, five times tops. Thin material, thin yarn, it simply breaks down physically.

woodwireandfood 5y ago

Silly one that I discovered: my t-shirts all developed a hole in the center of the stomach area first, before any other damage. It appears to be from rubbing between the seat belt of the car and the zipper/button area of my pants. So I've started pulling the shirt out of that spot after I put the seat belt on. Too early to tell how much of a difference it's made.

kaybe 5y ago
I have the same issue and I only ride cars very very rarely. I'm still wondering about the reason.