Suzanne Holmes, a manager of the Product Evaluation Laboratory at Cotton Incorporated (a research and promotion company for the U.S. cotton industry), has five easy laundry routine changes that can extend the lives of clothes—no special detergents, laundry hacks, or tools necessary. “They definitely are more than suggestions,” Holmes says. “Clothing items get tested based on those instructions that are included in the care labels.” Holmes says carefully reading and deciphering those laundry tag symbols—and actually doing what they say, even if that does mean hand-washing a few items—can help keep clothes, especially nicer blouses or undergarments, look newer longer. The abrasion caused by washing clothes in a washing machine can produce lint, which can alter the colors on clothes’ exteriors. Flipping items inside-out before tossing them in the wash makes those exteriors less exposed, which means that lint-caused fading or color alteration is focused on the less-visible interiors of clothes. Not pre-treating stains is a major laundry mistake that can make getting rid of stains incredibly difficult after-the-fact, not to mention hard on clothes. She recommends checking that the item is stain-free before sticking it in the dryer or putting it away. If the stain hasn’t been completely removed, the clothing will need to be treated and washed again.
