It’s infuriating when your favourite white shirt fades in the wash or your hem begins to unravel from your jeans. It’s expensive, and very environmentally unfriendly, to constantly buy new clothes. Instead of indulging in fast fashion, here are 10 ways that you can make your clothes look new again. 

• Use dye 
• Spray with starch 
• Invest in a precision tool 
• Remove stains with what’s in your kitchen cupboard 
• Cover it up with a patch
• See to those seams 
• Razor away piling 
• Rotate your clothing 
• Get a mesh laundry bag 
• Experiment with buttons

Use dye 

If your whites are looking grey, transform them from dull to dynamic using clothing dye. Clothing dye comes in a range of colours, so be adventurous. If you’re looking for something more subtle, black dye is available.

Spray with starch

Starch can make your clothing look brand new by binding the fabric’s fibres together to give clothes a crisp finish. Additionally, adding starch to your ironing routine can reduce fraying and act as a barrier against dirt and stains. You can add starch to your laundry routine by adding 1-2 tablespoons of starch to a cup of water and dispensing the solution into your washing machine. Alternatively, spray starch is available and can be sprayed straight onto clothing. 

Invest in a precision tool 

Loose threads can make clothes look untidy and unkempt. A precision tool is an easy fix for this problem. Simply insert the instrument where the loose thread is from the exterior side. Pull the tool through the fabric, allowing the hook to pull the loose thread, and watch the thread disappear. Precision tools are cheap to buy and a useful instrument.

Remove underarm stains with what’s in your kitchen

Underarm stains are inevitable yet can’t be removed by normal washing. There are 3 ways to remove underarm stains and the main ingredient for each method can be found in your kitchen. 

1. Pour white vinegar directly onto the stain and gently rub. Leave it for 5 minutes before putting the item of clothing into the washing machine and washing as normal.
2. Create a paste of 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. Use a toothbrush to apply the paste directly onto the stain in a scrubbing motion. Leave for up to 2 hours depending on how severe the stain is before washing the clothing as normal. 
3. Mix equal parts lemon juice as water and scrub the mixture onto the stain. Alternatively, leave the stain to soak in the solution for up to 10 minutes depending on how severe it is. 

Cover it up with a patch

Patches have made a re-entrance into the world of fashion recently and provide an easy solution to covering up small stains and rips in clothing. Simply buy a patch, or cut a patch out from some old fabric, and sew it directly on top of the stain or rip. They work most effectively on denim items of clothing. 

See to those seams

Unravelling seams shouldn’t be the reason for throwing out your favourite clothing. If you see that a seam is unravelling, fold up the seam and squeeze a small amount of seam sealant on the folded material. Leave it to dry for a few minutes before getting on with your day, completely worry-free about the potential of your seam coming undone. 

Razor away piling 

Piling on clothing is incredibly irritating and can ruin a whole look. Piling occurs when groups of broken fibres tangle together in a knot on the surface of clothing due to rubbing whilst worn. It’s inevitable BUT has a simple solution. Use a standard razor and gently shave away the piling. Be careful not to be too harsh on your clothes or you could cause snags or tears.

Rotate your clothing 

We all have our favourite outfits, but it’s important that we rotate our clothing, especially when it comes to stiffer items, such as jackets. The more times you wear the same items of clothing the more worn they will become. This can lead to certain items losing their shape and structure and therefore not fitting as well as they did before. To avoid this, rotate your clothing and give your fabric time to rest and reshape itself. This will lead to your clothes lasting longer and you getting the optimum amount of wears from your favourite looks. 

Get a mesh laundry bag

Rips and snags can occur when using a washing machine, but can also be easily prevented by using a laundry bag. You may already have a laundry bag for your more delicate items, such as underwear, however, they are also available for normal items of clothing. Simply place your clothing into the mesh bag and place it into the washing machine. Remember not to overload the bags as this could lead to your clothing getting tangled, which could lead to damage. 

Experiment with buttons 

Buttons can fall off very easily. To keep your clothes looking fresh always try and sew buttons back on as soon as they fall off. Alternatively, you can buy different types of buttons and sew them on to a garment to heighten the look. For example, try gold or pearl buttons on a simple work shirt. This adds a stylish quality to your look and will make your outfit a complete original. 

To maintain the standard of your clothing it’s always best to get your clothes dry cleaned. Book your slot by visiting the Laundryheap website or by downloading the app.