We want you to get the most out of your wardrobe, by buying less and choosing well, selecting items that mix and match easily with each other, and for you to love and wear your pieces season after season. But inevitably with wearing your clothes, shoes and accessories consistently over time, at some point they’re going to have some wear and tear. Even when we invest in the pieces that are ‘made to last’, they too will need a little TLC at some point.
On the surface, the skill of being able to clean your clothes seems absolutely straightforward, yet this daily or seasonal task of looking after our belongings can leave us so overwhelmed that we literally put it in the ‘too hard’ (washing) basket.
Below we share the basic laundry and cleaning rules and share our 10 essential cleaning tools you need to care for your clothes, tried and tested by us.
The Basics
- The first rule of washing is don’t do it. That is, don’t over-wash your clothes. If it’s not dirty you can air it out or steam it to freshen it up and give it a little bit of extra life for a few more days. It’s both better for the environment and your clothes.
- Wash like colours together. Whites with whites, darks with darks.
- Wash like fabrics together, cottons with cotton, towels with towels, linen sheets with other linen items, as the fabrication determines the type of wash cycle, temperature settings and choice of detergent.
- The longer you leave a stain, the harder it will be to get it out.
- In general, choose a cold wash. Cold water is better for most stains, is more gentle on fabrics and is less likely to cause shrinkage.
- Opt for line drying over the tumble dryer whenever possible. It’s better for your clothes and the environment.
- When drying using pegs, place pegs on the seams, not in the middle of the fabric as this can cause marks and dents in the fabric.
Your Cleaning Tool Kit
- Washing baskets to help separate your colours and fabrics
- Portable Drying Rack
- An assortment of laundry detergents suitable for different materials and stains
- Delicates Bag
- Pegs - Use what you already have or if buying new go for a metal
- Garment Steamer
- Protective Iron Cloth
- Jewellery Cleaning Solution
- Shoe Brush
- Leather Conditioner
Want our top tips for using these tools? We've put together a comprehensive guide to caring for your clothes. In this guide, we share what we’ve learnt to get the most out of your wardrobe, from the best ways to clean your items, how to store them both in and out of their season, essential knowledge on repairing and maintenance and finally a very helpful directory of trusted places the UNDONE community takes their belongings for some professional TLC.
