7 Tips to Take Care of Your Clothes in Winter

It is the end of the year and winter has steadily crept up on us. Since this season is quite mild in our part of the world, it is a favorite among most people. In every household, there is a hurry to get all the blankets and warm clothes from the musty corner they had been stowed in after last winter.

Winter is also a season for being fashionable. It gives us the opportunity to flaunt all the beautiful cashmere, woolens and jackets from our closets. However, our winter apparels need more TLC than our regular ones. Even though there is always an option to avail the services of a laundry & dry cleaner, you should know the basics of taking care of your winter garments.

Here are seven golden rules to take care of your winter clothes-

• Washing clothes:

Even though we don’t wash our woollens as much as regular clothes, it is imperative to give them a good wash once in a while. But since our winter collections comprise of various materials like wool, cashmere, velvet an even fur, we must know the basics of their care.

• Cashmere- Even though instructions might tell you to dry wash them, it is ideal to hand wash cashmere at home. Just use a baby shampoo or detergent (made especially for woolens) to soak your cashmere sweater in cold water and then wash it off.
• Woolens: Clean your woolens once at the beginning of the season and once at the end. Dry cleaning them is the best way to keep moths and other insects away.
• Velvets: If you own a velvet coat or jacket, you must always read instructions about how to wash it. For example, velvet in most cases can be dry cleaned. But in case of crushed velvet, it can be machine washed.
  
  

• Drying them:

Since woollen clothes absorb a lot of water, it is best not to hang them for drying. As they become heavy, hanging them can lose their shape. So the best way is just to lay them out on a flat surface and let them dry out in room temperature or in sunlight. Also, remember that stowing away damp woollens can be harmful because there can be germ build up around them.

• Folding the clothes properly:

There is a definitive way of folding your winter garments. If you don’t fold them properly, your sweaters can develop lines in unforgiving places, which just looks bad when you wear it the next time. For example, if you don’t fold cashmere sweaters in thirds, there will be a fold line running right through the middle of it. Again, in the case of jackets, try not to fold them at all and let them hang in the closet.

• Storing:

Taking proper measures to store your clothes is as important as dry cleaning them. Since woolens require you to be extra gentle with them, remove them from their plastic bags after they come back from laundry & dry cleaning store. Store them in your closet with ample amount of space in-between, since the garments need space to breathe. Most importantly, don’t forget to stash plenty of mothballs to keep the harmful insects away.

• Ironing:

Applying direct heat to your woollens when they are dry can be quite disastrous. So it is best to steam press them. Also, make sure that your sweater is inside out and you iron only from the inside of the garment. Do not forget to change the settings on your iron to WOOL before ironing.

• In case of small stains:

You most certainly need to send off your sweater to the dry cleaners if you spill something on them.  For maximum effect, use a tissue or absorbent papers to blot the area.

• Few things to remember:

Always read instructions on their labels to provide optimum care for the garments. Remember that each material has its way of care. Try to keep garments clean, and they will seem as good as new for many years!