The Guardian
Thursday 1 August 2019 9
washed at an adequate heat. Don’t
fl ing pants in with your dish towels
on a 30 C wash. “You really don’t
want to put bedding, tea towels, gym
kit, underwear and socks in at a low
temperature,” says environmental
health practitioner Dr Lisa Ackerley.
All need to be washed at a minimum
of 60C.
If you are worried about ruining
your underwear, wash it at a
lower temperature , but add an
antibacterial cleanser to the wash.How to store clothes
Katrina Hassan , a professional
organiser , recommends periodically
decluttering your wardrobe. “Get all
your clothing in one space – I call it
the power of the pile. A lot of people
aren’t aware of all the things they
own, until they see it.”
Decide which items to keep, and
check them over for damage. Store
things properly – Hassan teaches
clients how to fold clothes, then
stack them in an upright position,
so you can see everything you own
at once. “When you store things
vertically, you’re less tempted to
buy things, and more conscious
with your consumerism ... you know
exactly what you own, and where
it’s stored.”
Store expensive items in cotton
suit bags to prevent moth damage.Death to moths
Clothes moths seem to be becoming
more prevalent in UK homes.
Winston-Hart doesn’t have much
time for conventional solutions
such as mothballs or paper discs.
“I think they’re rubbish. Visit your
local tree surgeon and ask them for
a lump of cedarwood , stick it in your
wardrobe, and the moths won’t go
near it.” She also recommends lining
your drawers with lavender-scented
paper. If you have unearthed a
vintage fi nd, but are worried that it
may have moth eggs in it, put it in a
plastic bag and stick it in the freezer
for several days to kill eggs or larvae.Use treatments to protect
shoes and clothes
To get the most out of your footwear,
ensure you look after the leather.
“I tend to wear Timberland boots,”
Ross tells me, “and every six weeks
I wash off the dirt and put on a
leather conditioner to keep them
going for longer.” (He favours a
brand called Nikwax .)
It is not just footwear that you can
treat to make it last longer: brands
such as Polygiene use silver chloride
technology, which is antimicrobial,
to put a fi nish on fabrics. “If you
have the fi nish on a polyester T-shirt,
you can wear it for fi ve years before
it starts smelling,” claims Ross.Support your local tailor
and cobbler
“I have a deep relationship with my
local tailor,” says De Castro. Once
a year, she sorts through all her
items, and then takes them in for
repairs. “They’ll fi x niggly things
such as dropped hems, change thezips on evening gowns, or let things
in and take them out.”
When a pair of shoes starts to
wear out, consider whether they can
be resoled. Ross has worn the same
pair of outdoor boots since 1985: the
soles have been replaced six times.Have a go yourself
It is easy to do basic repairs yourself.
“If you want to start repairing things
and you’re not sure how to go about
it, try out on some scrap fabric fi rst,”
says repairs expect Tom van Deijnen
of the Visible Mending Programme.
He recommends watching YouTube
videos to learn basic skills, and
asking family and friends for help.
“In my experience, mothers and
grandmothers always come up
trumps,” he says.
With worn-out jeans, Van Deijnen
recommends sewing on patches.
“Use a similar colour fabric, in the
same weight as the original material- if it’s a woven fabric, patch it with
a woven fabric, and if it’s a jersey
fabric, use a jersey patch.”
A common mistake people make
when darning knitwear is to do it
too tightly. “It doesn’t leave room
for shrinking – sometimes threads
can shrink when they are new. And
if you pull the hole too tight, it can
also cause a pucker, which creates
tension in the fabric, meaning it will
rip again.”
Van Deijnen explains the best
way to sew on a button. “Thread the
needle, make some stitches in the
fabric, then attach the button and
sew it on. Do it a good few times.
When you’ve fi nished, tug on the
thread. If it comes loose, you didn’t
do a good job.”Know when to
admit defeat
Not every item can be repaired. “I’m
quite adventurous and I’ll always
give things ago, but sometimes
things can be completely beyond
repair,” says Van Deijnen. He recently
had to bin a knitted tie that was
riddled with moth eggs. The fabric
disintegrated in his hands when he
touched it, so he had no choice.
When something can’t be
fi xed, think of alternate uses for
it. “Everything can have another
function at the end of its life,” says
De Castro. She cuts up old swimsuits
to use as hair ties (old tights are also
good for this). And old T-shirts make
the best cleaning rags.
Donate intelligently. “Charity
shops are brimming with our
clothes,” says De Castro, “so you
should only donate to charity what
you think will sell. Otherwise, you’re
dumping your problem on another
organisation.” If you know it won’t
sell – perhaps because it is old gym
kit – take it to a textile-recycling
bank where it can be turned into
a new item. (Trainers can be recycled
at branches of Runners Need .) The
Love Your Clothes campaign ha s a
textile bank locator, along with other
resources, on its website.When it comes to
vintage, beware
If you want your clothes to last,
it can make sense to buy vintage:
things made before 1980 tend to
be made to a higher standard than
modern items. “Even cheaply made
1970s trousers, if you turn them
inside out, will resemble couture
now,” says De Castro. But thereIf you’re worried
your vintage
fi nd has moths,
put it in a plastic
bag and stick it
in the freezer
is also a lot of factory-made fake
vintage out there. How to tell? Look
at details such as zips – is there a
hook and eye to keep the zip in
place? If not, it may be a fake. Other
signs include 40s-style dresses with
elasticated fabric – stretchy material
wasn’t around then.
Look after your vintage. “Armpit
shields are really good,” says
Winston-Hart. “They’re just cotton
half-moons you attach with safety
pins to your clothing under the
armpits. You remove the pins and
wash the pads themselves – which
saves you having to wash the
garment all the time.”
Wearing a slip under a skirt means
you don’t have to clean the skirt
as often, as it is not touching your
skin, cutting down on dry cleaning
costs and reducing wear. If the slip is
made out of silk, it will also help to
regulate your body temperature.
There are so many places to fi nd
secondhand treasures, whether it is
a clothes swap with friends , charity
shops or car boot sales. If you are a
vintage afi cionado, Winston-Hart
recommends her favourite stores :
Apple Tree Vintage , 1940s Style For
You , Scarlet Rage Vintage , Blackout
Vintage Fashion and Hunky Dory
Vintage. (Many have online stores.)
If vintage isn’t your thing, fi nd more
contemporary secondhand pieces on
eBay or Depop. Sometimes, buying
new clothes can be a sustainable
choice – Hiut Denim will do free
repairs on your jeans for life.
It is not just about buying vintage
or second hand clothes. Ross talks
about “emotional durability,”
or the attachment to our most
beloved clothes , b ecause the most
sustainable item in your wardrobe
isn’t always the one that is ethically
produced from non-polluting
fabrics. It is the one you love, and
will wear your whole life.РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS