We all know how important it is to put our best foot forward. Just looking good goes a long way towards boosting our social and professional success, and clothes have a big role to play in that. Shopping wisely and buying clothes that won’t go out of style is definitely step one towards looking great on a budget, but how can we extend the useful life of our clothing?
From quick fashion fixes to stain-removal and weird hacks you’ve probably never thought of, we’ve compiled 50 clothing hacks that will help you to get the most out of your wardrobe.
Quick Fashion Fixes
- Stop ladders in stockings with a dot of clear nail varnish. If you didn’t learn this one from your mom, you know it now.
- Stop loose buttons from coming off. In a rush when you spot a loose button, clear nail polish comes to the rescue again.
- Drawstrings are great – until they come out. Rethread it easily. Push it into a drinking straw, staple its end to the straw and use the straw to pull it through.
- Underwires that have popped through bras can simply be pushed back in. Cover the hole with some self-adhesive moleskin padding.
- When pills make almost-new clothing look awful, shave off the pills with a razor.
- Stuck zipper won’t budge? Lip balm, a wax crayon in a matching color or a little graphite works a charm.
- Zipper always coming down? Spray hairspray onto the zipper and leave it to dry. If it still comes down, loop a keyring through the end and slip the keyring over the button to hold your zipper up.
- Always save buttons in the same place. Try storing the spare buttons you get with clothes in your jewelry box. That way, you can find them in a trice when you need them.
- Spray on fabric waterproofing on jackets and shoes keeps you more comfy in the wet and helps them to last longer.
- Use a closet dehumidifier. Your clothes will smell better and won’t stand a chance of getting moldy.
- Use hangers with shoulder shapers and choose the right size in hangers. Your clothes will look neater, and the shoulders won’t get stretched out.
Remove Stains
- Sweat stains look gross – but don’t throw your clothes away! Use lemon juice, baking soda and a little water on the stain before washing.
- Oil stains don’t have to be a problem. Just rub in some regular dish washing soap. It works like magic.
- Oil stain hack #2: Baby powder also works to draw out oil.
- Treat ink stains with hairspray. Leave for 10 minutes, and then wash.
- Stubborn oil gives in to this treatment. Place cardboard under the stained fabric spot. Spray the spot with WD40. Cover with a thick layer of baking soda and scrub with a toothbrush. Then cover with dish soap and scrub again. Wash.
- Suede shoes looking stained? Use a nail file to lightly rub away those marks.
- If your patent leather shoes are scuffed and scratched, try rubbing in a little petroleum jelly.
- Are there red wine stains on your blouse? Soak the stain in a little white wine before washing.
- Wine stains hack #2. Soda water or salt are still favorite stain removal hacks.
- Reddish bleach stains on black clothes don’t have to be a problem. Simply cover them up with a few strokes of an indelible marker pen.
- Getting gum off clothes doesn’t have to be hard. Freeze it and scrape it off. It’s easy!
- Has your makeup base left a tide mark on your collar? A spritz of shaving cream before you wash makes getting that mark off a lot easier.
- Sports clothes and casual wear with grass stains come clean with vinegar plus dish soap. Wash after ten minutes.
- Acrylic paint splash? No problem! Rubbing alcohol and a good scrub should do the trick.
- Mulberry stains may look permanent, but a green mulberry rubbed onto the stain lifts the purple blotch.
Refresh Your Wardrobe
- Give some of your clothes a holiday. Store them away, and when you unpack them again, it’s almost as good as having new ones!
- Have a clothing trade party. Invite friends over and trade clothes you don’t wear between each other.
- Dye faded clothes for a fresh look. When clothes become faded or sun-bleached, use dye to make them as good as new.
- Add a little trim to an old pair of jeans, shirt or skirt. You can give an old item a new look with a little trim. A little lace, some embroidery or some new buttons can change the look completely.
- Use bias binding on frayed cuffs. If you do it neatly, it will look like a design feature rather than a fix.
- Give an old jacket a new look by removing worn sleeves altogether. The result can be quite stylish!
- Turn an old dress into a crop top plus skirt. Wear them together or mix and match for a whole new look.
- Distress your own jeans. Instead of paying more for designer, pre-distressed ones, go crazy on a pair of old jeans.
- Convert tee-shirts and blouses. Turn a tee into into a fancy scarf or a tank top, get eyelets and make a lace-up neckline or turn a regular blouse into an off-the shoulder one.
Weird Fashion Hacks
- If you’ve given up trying to work out where odd socks go and just want a solution, wash them in a cloth bag.
- Keep jeans from fading by washing them inside out with half a cup of regular vinegar in your washing water. Hang them up after spinning and don’t use the drier.
- Did your sweater shrink in the wash? Soak it in warm water with some of your hair conditioner.
- Time is money; use your salad spinner to save some. Your hand-washed delicates can’t go through the spin dryer, but your salad spinner will get most of the water out.
- Is your wool sweater shedding like a dog in summer? Put it in a baggie in the freezer and leave it there overnight.
- Save your clothes and limit washday blues by cutting down on ironing. The more often we iron our clothes, the quicker they wear out. Skip the drier, hang them neatly, and cut down on ironing.
- Steam, don’t iron. Domestic goddess Martha Steward says steaming plumps up fibers instead of flattening them keeping tailored clothes neat and prolonging fabric life.
- Sunshine bleaches clothes. An indoor clothes rack will help to keep colors brighter for longer.
- Always wash in cold water. Your clothes won’t fade as fast and you’ll save electricity.
- Holes in shoe soles mean it’s nearly time for new shoes. Get a little extra mileage out of them by patching with a bicycle tube repair kit.
- Keep shoes in shape. Pool noodles or wine bottles will keep boots standing up nicely and preserve their shape, and paper stuffing prevents shoe uppers from getting flattened.
- Rub fabric shoes with beeswax. You’ll keep them waterproof, and they’ll last longer.
- Make your new pantyhose run resistant. Moisten them under the tap, then bag them and pop them in the freezer for about 12 hours. Once they’re dry again, they won’t get runs as easily.
- Brush, steam and air coats. Washing is hard on coats. They’ll last longer if you clean them the old-fashioned way.
- Deodorize smelly shoes. All you need is some baking soda and coffee filters. Wrap some baking soda up in the coffee papers and slip them into the shoes.
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