You know that your home, your car, and your child's education are great investments, but what about your wardrobe? You probably don't realize just how much money you have spent on building your wardrobe; Not only on the items that you use now, but all the garments that you purchased and later got rid of for one reason or another.
All in all, it is estimated that we spend around 10% of our income on clothing.
That's more than many people put away for retirement! Protecting your investment is important.
Making the choice to take care of your investment can help you to spend less money on clothes over the span of your life.
The first step to protecting your investment is to buy high quality clothing in the first place.
Look at the value of the item over price, whenever possible.
If you invest a little more up front, you can save yourself a lot in the long-run.
You want to avoid the need to replace your clothing regularly.
When you shop for clothes, tug at the seams and see if they pull apart easily.
Check for dangling threads or places where the seams seem to unravel.
Hems and adjoining pieces should look finished from the inside.
There shouldn't be a lot of excess thread hanging from each piece.
Check the buttons, zippers and snaps to make sure that they function properly and don't seem flimsy or poorly attached.
Next, make sure that you are taking proper care of your garments.
Check tags to make sure you're familiar with how the garment is to be cared for.
If a tag says "dry clean only", don't attempt to wash it in water.
Many suits, coats, blazers, and dresses are made with support structures inside the lining.
These supports may deteriorate or come unglued if immersed in water.
If the garment is made out of two different types of fabric, then one may shrink at a different rate, or bleed out the dye when wet.
Keep in mind that all fabrics are not created equal.
Even if two rayon shirts both say "100% rayon" on the tag, you should still follow the directions for each individual shirt.
There are many different types of rayon out there and each type requires a different type of care.
Part of caring for your clothing is making sure that it doesn't end up being stretched out or crumpled up on the floor.
This is why it is necessary to use high quality clothes hangers.
Cedar hangers will protect your clothes from must odors, mildew, molds, and insects.
High quality metal hangers won't rust or bend under the weight of wet clothes that you hang to dry.
When looking for high quality hangers, check for sharp edges on clips and corners.
Tug at the hanger neck to make sure it's not loose or damaged.
If you buy wooden hangers, make sure that there is a thick coat of lacquer so that splinters don't become a problem.
Buying hangers with curved shoulders or that are molded to support the wide shoulders of coats and suits will help you avoid puckered or droopy shoulders.