<< 56. Take care of minor repairs to clothes before the repairs become major ones. For example, re-sew a small section of lace before the entire piece of lace needs to be re-sewn or replaced; re-stitch a small section of hem before the whole hem rips out; re-sew a loose button before it comes off and is lost; repair small rips before they become large rips; and re-sew seams when only a small break has occurred. Minor repairs are less expensive than major ones.
57. Don’t discard garments with broken zippers. Repair or replace the zippers. Repairing or replacing zippers is cheaper than buying new garments. I have repaired zippers in several pairs of my husband’s slacks and in my own clothes.
58. Put decorative patches on torn, heavily soiled, and overly worn areas of clothes. By using patches, you can extend the useful lives of garments. Some clothes, however, may have to be removed from the “dress” category to the ‘yard-work” or “lounge-around-the-house” category; but they may still be worn.
59. Repair or replace torn lace and other trimming rather than discard a garment. Trimming is cheaper than a new garment. In some cases, the trimming can be completely removed and not replaced; and the garment will still look good. Regardless of whether you repair, replace, or remove the trimming, continuing to wear the garment will save you the cost of buying another one.
60. Replace worn-out or badly stretched elastic rather than discard the clothing. Use your good judgment, however. For example, replacing the elastic in a pair of underwear which is nearly worn out may not be worth the cost of the elastic.
61. When a button comes off and is lost, replace the button rather than discard the garment. If you can’t find a button like the one lost, replace all the buttons with a different set. A set of buttons will cost less than a new garment.
62. When you are working in the kitchen, wear an apron or a smock over your good” clothes to protect them. Make sure it covers your clothes adequately. Grease spots and stains could make your “good” clothes unsuitable for wearing in public and necessitate the purchasing of another outfit.
63. Wear old, less desirable clothes for jobs such as cooking, cleaning, and yard work and save your “good” clothes.
64. Use underarm dress shields to absorb perspiration and protect certain garments from becoming stained. If a garment becomes badly stained and if the stain cannot be removed, it will be unsuitable for wearing in public and will have to be relegated to the “old clothes” category. A replacement will cost money.
65. When going out in the rain, wear a raincoat to help protect your clothing. Also, carry an umbrella to help protect your briefcase, handbag, or other things you are carrying. Water could cause damage to your clothing and other items; if they must be replaced, dry-cleaned, or restored, this means money out of your pocket.
66. Protect the clothes you are wearing when you brush your teeth, shave, apply makeup, and fix or spray your hair. I wear an old, lightweight nylon duster to protect my clothing. A man could wear a robe or an old shirt. If clothes are not protected, they may be damaged or need to be laundered or dry-cleaned as a result.
67. Cover garments hanging in your closet if they are worn only occasionally. They can collect dust and may have to be laundered or dry-cleaned before they can be worn again.
68. Store your clothes away from sunlight to prevent fading. Badly faded clothes may have to be discarded or relegated to “around-the-house wear.”
69. Protect your woolen clothes from moths by storing them in moth-proof bags or a cedar chest or closet, or by using moth repellents in your regular closet and other storage areas. Moth holes can ruin a garment completely. Check the labels on your clothes to find their fiber contents.
70. If you discover mildew on clothes in your closet, remove the mildew as soon as possible. One or more of the following may prevent any further mildew: Leave the closet doors open to allow air to circulate and to admit light. Leave an electric light burning in the closet to provide light; it might also provide enough heat to keep moisture down. Place a chemical moisture absorber in the closet. If neglected, mildew can damage your clothes.
71. Store your knitted clothes in such a way as to prevent them from stretching out of shape. For example, you may want to fold knitted sweaters rather than hang them on hangers. Most knitted skirts and dresses probably could be folded lengthwise and then folded in half over slack hangers. A garment stretched out of shape may have to be washed or dry-cleaned to restore its shape. It may not even be possible to restore the shape to some badly stretched garments.
72. Hang your jackets, suits, blazers, and coats on special contoured wood or plastic suit’ hangers to help retain the shape of the neck, collar, shoulders, and sleeves. Using such hangers should prevent your having to “press” them before you wear them.
73. See that children change from “school” or “dress” clothes when they come home. Adults should make similar changes. This procedure will save “good” clothes.
74. Don’t remove the care-instruction labels which are sewn into garments. You will need to refer to them for caring for the clothes. Also, if you eventually sell the garments, the new owner will need the information. Proper care is an important factor in extending the useful lives of clothes.
75. When an item of ready-to-wear clothing becomes soiled, follow the instructions on the care label of that particular garment. Also read all the other labels and hang tags which came with the garment. For example, should it be washed in cold, warm, or hot water? Should it be dried on a flat surface, or can it be dried in a clothes dryer? Must it be dry- cleaned? Proper care will extend the lives of your clothes.
If you follow the care instructions, but a garment fades more than it should, colors “run,’ it shrinks an abnormal amount, or it is damaged in some other way, return it along with the sales slip and hang tags to the store where it was purchased. Explain the situation and ask for an appropriate adjustment. Most stores will honor your request.
76. When you buy fabric, ask the salesclerk for a care label for that particular fabric. If a care label isn’t available, write down the fiber content and the care instructions on a piece of paper. By following the care instructions, you can extend the life of the fabric. (See item 75 above on what to do if damage results when you have properly followed all the care instructions.)
77. Remove stains from clothing as soon as possible, before the stains ‘set.’ Stains not removed can ruin the look of a garment. Call your County Extension Service and ask for a stain removal chart or booklet.
78. Wash your swimsuit after each wearing to remove dirt, suntan lotion, perspiration, and chlorine to prolong the life of the garment.
79. Use coin-operated, self-service dry cleaning machines at the laundromat when possible to dry-clean some of your nonwashable clothes. By using these machines, your dry cleaning expenses will be much less than the cost of sending all of your nonwashable clothes to a full-service dry cleaners.
80. Send only those clothes which require dry cleaning to the cleaners. Launder those which are washable at home and save the expense of dry cleaning. Even some clothes on which the label states “Dry-clean only” can be washed safely. However, make sure that you know absolutely that the particular garment can be washed safely before you wash it and perhaps ruin it forever.
81. Launder or dry-clean clothes only when they need it. Some clothes can be worn a second or third time or more before laundering or dry-cleaning. On the other hand, if you leave dirt, stains, and perspiration in clothes too long, the garments could be damaged. Use your good judgment on when garments should be washed or dry-cleaned.
82. Hand wash delicate garments instead of tossing them into the washing machine, and they should last longer.
83. Wash clothes in cold water to minimize fading and shrinking.
84. Don’t dry clothes in the dryer if they are susceptible to abnormal shrinkage. They could shrink so much that you would be unable to wear them.
85. Dry garments containing elastic on low heat. High heat can damage elastic and may result in your having to repair or replace such garments.
86. Remove clothes from the dryer as soon as they are dry. This could eliminate or minimize the need for ironing. Ironing consumes electricity and your valuable time. Over drying clothes could also shorten their lives.
87. Be careful where you sit. Make sure where you are going to sit is not dirty or greasy. Keep a couple of paper towels in your briefcase or purse to wipe off a seat when there is a need. Sitting in a soiled seat may cost you $5.00 or more at the dry cleaners.
88. Don’t put heavy or bulky objects in your pockets if there is a chance they might damage the pockets or cause them to lose their shape. Damaged or sagging pockets can ruin the looks of a garment.
89. Be careful not to snag your clothes. (Knits are particularly Susceptible) Bracelets, rings, purses, briefcases, luggage, and rough seats are some of the things which could cause snags. Snags in a garment could minimize its good appearance. If you do get a snag, don’t cut it off. Rather, use a “knit puller” to pull the snag to the inside of the garment. If you cut off the snag, a noticeable hole could eventually develop in your garment.
90. When you remove your clothes, check them to see if there are any loose buttons, tears, seams which have broken threads, loose hems, spots, or other problems. Taking care of such problems when they are minor ones will be easier and cheaper than treating them after they have become major problems.
91. When you take off a garment that is damp from rain or perspiration, let it dry before hanging it in the closet, putting it in the clothes hamper, or putting it aside to take to the cleaners. Damp garments are susceptible to mildew attack.
92. Stop runs in unseen areas of hose and panty hose by dabbing the ends of the runs with fingernail polish so that you can get additional wear from them.
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