Top 20 cleaning tips to make clothes last longer.

Here I am linking up with the Not Just A Mom ladies and this months prompt is: Favourite cleaning hacks. I really struggled with this topic. I just get on with the cleaning and didn't think I had many hacks to share until I looked back through my emails and spotted one cleaning clothes and how to make them last longer, there was quite a few of these tips which I hadn't used but do now.

I hate buying clothes, when I buy something I want it to last a long time and there are ways that can help your clothes to last longer! It only takes a few little, straightforward changes to make your clothes last longer, such as removing stains as soon as they appear to avoid having to run them through the washing machine five times, replacing your laundry detergent or using less and more when needed.

The top 20 cleaning hacks for making clothes last longer!

Organize your laundry correctly. Separate darks from whites, keep heavy materials apart from light ones, badly dirty clothing from less filthy and always wash towels separately. 

Your whites will naturally bleach without the need of electricity if you dry them outside in the sun. Get them out on the washing line!

A small amount of laundry detergent applied straight on to a stain can work just as well as stain remover.

Wash jeans and things like t-shirts with a stuck on design inside out. It prevent the colours from fading so quickly.

Help your laundry scent last longer by air drying (not tumble drying), using fabric conditioner and storing in a cool place once dry.

That small hole in your sock or tear in your sweater's elbow is only going to get bigger. If you love that piece of clothing, either mend it yourself or take it somewhere to get mended before putting it in the washing machine which could aggravate the tear and further damage the garment.

Jumper smells a bit musty? Rather than a wash, pop it in the dryer on a cool setting for ten minutes or use the spin cycle setting on your washer. You could always just spray it with a fabric refresher spray too.

Perfume is meant to be sprayed on your skin, never spray perfume on clothing as the alcohol base and chemical fixatives will ruin clothing. Instead carefully apply it to your neck and back of wrists before dressing. 

Before your tights are worn for the first time, soak them in water and freeze them to prevent irritating ladders.

Reduce the water temperature that you wash clothes in. It will of course save on your electricity bill but it is also an excellent way to keep clothes looking new and fresh for longer. Hot water wears out clothes more quickly, fades fabric colours and can go as far as totally ruining a fragile garment in one wash.

You can speed up the machine drying process by adding a clean, dry towel to the mix. Toss it into the dryer with your wet clothes to dry everything faster.

All those heavy chemicals aren't great for the shelf life of your clothes and it's expensive, too. Dry clean as little as possible. Try spot cleaning or hand washing until a deep clean is completely necessary.

Avoid hanging your sweaters. Instead, fold it and put it in a drawer. Jumpers and cardigans might stretch out of shape while they are hanging up because of the weight, especially if they are made of wool, cashmere, or angora.

Use hair conditioner to un-shrink wool. believe it or not, it is actually possible to un-shrink your washing machine knitwear disasters.

Keep coloured fabrics bright with a little fabric conditioner. It can also make ironing easier and repair damaged fibres and make your clothes last longer.  But not too much or it will build up over time.

Wash clothes with a zip or delicate items inside out. It stops them snagging on other items in your wash.

Wash a stain as quickly as possible, if you get the stain in the wash within minutes, it will nearly always come right off.  Also use lemon and salt or oxy laundry bleach on sun cream stains, soak in laundry bleach for red wine marks and lemon and neat laundry liquid on under arm stains.

Fix shrunken clothes by reshaping them when wet and laying flat to dry.

Iron without an iron. A few wrinkles but can’t be bothered to iron. Just hang up and give a light spray with water and watch the wrinkles drop out. You can even put it on as it dries to speed up.

Re-dye black clothing rather than purchasing new items. There are ways to keep your black jeans from fading but if the harm has already been done, you may give faded darks new life by applying specialised clothes dye.

Have you and cleaning tips to make clothes last longer?