Picture Perfect Looks: Keep Your Clothes in Great Condition for as Long as You Can

By: Lauren Wurth | Last updated: Nov 07, 2023

We’ve all sacrificed some of our favorite clothes due to stains, rips, and all the usual wear and tear. While there are some accidents that can’t be reversed, there are ways to save your clothes from the trashcan or donation bin. It’s always sad when you have to get rid of your favorite pieces from your closet. These hacks will give your clothes renewed life so you can keep that impressive wardrobe.

Use Dawn for Stains

That food that ended up on your favorite shirt instead of in your mouth doesn’t have to result in a permanent stain. The solution is probably sitting right in your kitchen. Dawn dish soap is an excellent way to get rid of clothing stains.

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The soap is tough on oils, so it works to remove even tough stains. Take some Dawn and scrub it into the stain to remove the food or drink. Apply as soon as possible for best results.

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Repurpose the holes in your jeans

Ripped jeans are cute, but the rips will always inevitably get bigger. Don’t throw them away just yet! You can add a cool patch beneath the patch to flip them into a whole new wardrobe staple.

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If patches aren’t your thing, you can always put a pair of tights under the jeans for a new look as well. This will stretch the lifespan of your favorite jeans and give you a new unique look!

Shave off pilling

It’s always a sad day when your favorite leggings start to pill. Pilling is when fuzzy balls start to pile on your clothing. But this doesn’t mean that your days of wearing them have to be over.

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Simply take a razor and shave those fuzzies right off. Make sure the fabric is against a flat surface and is pulled tight. To prevent the pilling on new leggings, we recommend air drying them rather than putting them in the dryer.

Use a dry bath towel to help clothes dry faster

If you often find yourself in a rush or you’re just impatient, this is the hack for you. When you put your load of laundry into the dryer, throw a dry bath towel in with them.

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This will help them dry much faster because it soaks up some of the moisture. This is a great hack for those of us with crappy dryers. No more running the dryer twice to get your laundry completely dry!

Use makeup wipes to clean shoes

It’s always heartbreaking when your brand new shoes get their first scuff or mark on them. While it’s inevitable that your shoes are going to suffer some wear and tear, we have a hack that is sure to eliminate most of the dirt.

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Take a makeup wipe to the soles or entirety of your shoe to reveal that white color they once were. This works best on rubber and leather and takes a matter of moments.

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Use pool noodles to maintain boot forms

Your fall boots might be looking sad and flopped over in your closet right now. This hack will help maintain their structure so they don’t crease and look more worn than they actually are. It’s also good for the material and will make your boots last longer.

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Cut pool noodles to size and stick them into the legs of your boots to keep them standing tall while they’re sitting in your closet. This will help them maintain their shape and prolong their life so you can keep rocking them.

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Use soap on a stuck zipper

If your zipper is stuck on your clothes or bag, try this brilliant hack using a bar of soap. Pull the fabric around the zipper tight and rub the soap along the zipper. Do this until the entire area is slippery.

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The soap should release the tension between the metal teeth and the zipper itself. Try pulling the zipper up and down to see how easily it moves. Repeat this after you wash it as well.

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Erase deodorant stains

It’s so frustrating to pull on a fresh shirt and then look down and see those obnoxious white marks from your deodorant. No need to change. This hack will get rid of those marks in less than a minute.

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Rub dryer sheets against the marks and watch them disappear in seconds. Make sure the sheet is completely dry and rub it against the fabric swiftly. Deodorant gone!

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Use shaving cream for makeup stains

You fell asleep in your makeup again and ended up with foundation on the pillow? Don’t worry! We’ve all been there. The solution might surprise you.

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Shaving cream is an excellent way to get makeup stains out of your pillows, blankets, and clothes. All you have to do is apply some shaving cream to the stain, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then wash the cream and stain away with cold water.

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Get gum out of your jeans

If you left gum in your jeans pocket again, don’t throw them away just yet. We have a super simple hack to remove gum from denim. Just freeze it off!

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Put some ice cubes in a plastic bag and apply it to the gum spot on the jeans. Hold it on there for a few minutes and then check to see if the gum can be peeled or scraped off. The ice makes the gum harder, which makes it much easier to remove.

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Cover bleach stains with a sharpie

This is more of a cover up than a hack, but it does work if you get bleach stains on your favorite black clothing. Bleach stains don’t have to mean the end of your clothes!

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Color in the bleach stains with black permanent marker. No one will even know they were there and you can continue to wear your favorite black shirt. After a few washes, you may have to go over the spots again.

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Freeze Your Tights

If tights are your go-to fashion item, you likely already know how frustrated you felt when you noticed ladder on them. You may have had to let go of your favorite tights for this reason.

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The good news is that you don’t have to deal with this problem anymore. All you have to do is to freeze your new tights after soaking them in water before wearing them for the first time.

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Air Dry It Instead

A good rule of thumb to make your clothes last longer is to always air-dry them instead of using a tumble dryer. That’s because dryers have a terrible reputation for breaking down fabric and shrinking them.

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When you let your clothes air dry, you’re being gentle on them and reducing the possibility of wear-and-tear. What’s more, you also get to save more money using this method.

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Add Dye to Dark Clothing

Dark clothes fading is one laundry disaster that we’ve all had to deal with at some point in our lives. Usually, we just accept our fate, toss them in the waste bin, and replace them with new ones. The cycle continues.

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If you’re tired of always buying new black shirts, you can unfade your already existing ones by applying speciality clothing dye to them. You’ll be impressed by the results.

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Apply Hair Conditioner to Wool

While wool is a must-have for every fashionista, you’ve probably been admiring them from afar because of how easily they shrink. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be you anymore.

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You can easily unshrink your wool clothing by using hair conditioner on them. Add ⅓ cup of any hair conditioner of your choice to a sink full of lukewarm water. Soak your wool clothing in it for 10 minutes, rinse, and towel-dry on a flat, absorbent surface without wringing it. The results will blow your mind!

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Always Upcycle

Keep your mind creative by thinking of new ways to upcycle your old clothing instead of dumping them in the trash. For example, you can cut your long jeans into shorts if they’re worn out on the knee area or transform your long dress into a short one by hemming the edges.

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Another idea is to turn your old sweater into a scarf and add pockets to your clothing to keep them more useful.

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