One thing I’ve learned over the years even before becoming a personal stylist was being more mindful of making my hard earned money that I spent on clothes last longer.  If you love what you own, don’t you think it makes sense to take the steps necessary to keep those pieces looking good if you enjoy wearing them?

You’ll be surprised that by implementing these simple tips you will have your clothes looking their best and you looking great in them making those dollars stretch and keeping your coins in your pocket until you need to replace some pieces in your wardrobe.

Tip 1: Wash Your Clothes Properly

Now this may sound like a given, but you’ll be surprised by how many people don’t wash clothes correctly.  Yes, I said it so make sure to separate your clothes into piles based on whites, lights, colors and delicates.  It amazes me that people actually launder different colors all together and then wonder why their white shirt is now pink.  Another key element to do is wash your clothing inside out and follow the label instructions. It’s that simple!   

Tip 2: Upgrade Your Hangers

Avoid wire hangers, dry cleaning hangers, and those chunky plastic ones at all cost.  Wire hangers have a tendency to rust and they also ruin the shape of your clothes and nobody wants that.  My favorite hangers are the velvet ones which you can purchase from your local T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s or online on Amazon(The Slim Line).  A bonus tip is to make sure you any shirts or blouses that you own made of rayon or linen are always hung up because they stay basically wrinkle-free when you do.  The things you want to avoid hanging up and fold instead are sweaters, knitwear and long, beaded evening dresses to avoid them from stretching.

Tip 3: Drape Recently Worn Clothes

When you get home from a long day, one of the first things you generally want to do is take off the clothes you wore all day.  Try draping your recently worn dresses, blouses, suits or pants over the back of a chair or even on a hook on that back of your door so that the clothes can air out after having worn them.  When you allow the odors to escape it will let you wear the clothing again, reduces your dry-cleaning bill and retains the value of your investment. Once you have worn an item of clothing twice, dry-clean the fabric so that perspiration and body oils don’t set in.

Tip 4: Have A Sewing Kit

Now you don’t need to be a seamstress to have a fully stocked sewing kit, but it’s a great investment.  Make sure you have needle and thread, scissors and safety pins always on hand for any quick fixes while you may be at the office or traveling for work.  On those weekends that your home crave out some time to sew missing buttons, ripped hems or torn jacket linings that you have been putting off, which leads to you not wearing those clothes.  Sewing kits are small enough that they can fit right in your purse for any repairs on the go, so grab one.

Tip 5: Organize Your Closet 

Now you know I had to add organizing your closet to the mix.  I want you to go to your closet and take inventory on the items you own that fit you well and are in good condition.  The key is to have a functional wardrobe filled with the basics that you need because this will help with being able to create many different outfits.  Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit you and are in terrible condition. Also try donating or selling rarely worn pieces that you no longer have a use for anymore.

Keeping your closet looking pretty will make you feel like you’re shopping at your favorite boutique, so keep all like items hung together and coordinated by color. Hang long sleeves shirts together, pants together, skirts together, etc.  You get where I’m going with this a neat closet protects your clothes for a lifetime.

These five simple tips will help you keep your wardrobe in the best state that it can be in and it’s so simple to do and will extend the life of your clothes which in turn keeps you looking great when you present the best you to the world.