This is an advert in collaboration with The Green Co.
Most clothes don’t wear out because you’ve worn them too many times. They fade, stretch, pill, or lose their shape because of how you're washing them, and how often.
Laundry isn’t exactly the most thrilling activity, but the way you treat your clothes matters just as much as the clothes you buy. A good wardrobe only works if the clothes in it still look good and fit well long after you purchased them.
You don’t need to become obsessed. It's perfectly fine to tackle stains after they happen, to de-pill your knitwear only when it looks really bad, and ignore the wardrobe chair piled high with clothes!
What matters is the damage that occurs from washing too often or using the wrong products. The kind of damage that shrinks and fades your clothes after just a single wash, and leaves them unwearable.
Good laundry habits don’t just keep clothes looking newer for longer; they stop them being ruined unnecessarily. They’re what prevent a favourite knit from becoming a bobbled mess in months instead of years.
Here are five simple laundry habits that will make your clothes last longer and your wardrobe feel better straight away.
1. Wash less often
Most clothes don’t need to be washed after wearing them just once. Over-washing is one of the fastest ways to wear your clothes out, and it’s usually why all your black items end up looking dull and faded.
Airing an item out, giving it a spot clean, or just leaving it alone after use helps preserve colours and keep fabric strong. The less an item is dragged through the washing machine, the better they hold up over time, staying fresh and soft for much longer.
2. Use cooler wash cycles
Hot water might seem like the only way to get clothes properly clean, yet it's one of the quickest ways to age them. High temperatures weaken fibres, dull colour, and cause shrinkage. Sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once.
Cooler cycles clean just as effectively with modern detergents, without the collateral damage. Clothes stay bright, keep their shape, and don’t start looking tired after just a handful of washes. Switching from 40 down to 30 degrees can make a huge difference.
3. Choose gentler detergents
Detergents are meant to clean clothes, not be overpowering. If it’s so heavily fragranced you can smell it before you open the wardrobe, it’s probably doing too much.
Harsh cleaners don’t just linger, they damage threads and leave behind a residue that builds up over time, messing with how clothes look and feel. Gentler detergents get rid of dirt without wrecking your clothes over time. Clothes stay soft and cosy, instead of stiff or loaded with fragrance.
The Green Co.'s Laundry Detergent GreenSheets™ dissolve completely because they don't contain the heavy fillers found in many liquid and powder detergents. Skip the messy measuring, and switch to laundry sheets.
4. Use fabric conditioner sparingly
Fabric softener does its job well if you use just a bit. Too much can coat fibres, dull texture, and interfere with how fabrics feels and moves. But in a small dose, it will reduce stiffness and roughness, so clothes stay smooth and hang right.
The Green Co. Fabric Conditioner GreenSheets™ are simple yet effective. Made from plants and free from synthetic chemicals, they dissolve quickly with zero buildup. Unlike traditional liquid detergents, these are much kinder to clothes.
Hypoallergenic and non-bio, they’re kind to sensitive skin while keeping clothes fresh and lightly scented. Just one sheet handles a whole wash cycle, making laundry chores easier while extending how long your clothes stay in shape.
5. Air dry when possible
Dryers are convenient, and they certainly save time. But they can wreck clothes over time. Heat breaks threads, stretches seams, and wears down elastic and knits quicker than you expect. Air drying takes a little longer, but it treats clothes much more kindly.
If you’re short on time, a heated drying rack is a worthwhile investment. It speeds up the process without subjecting your clothes to the intense tumbling and heat of a dryer. Just being patient might actually extend the lifespan of your wardrobe.
Caring for your clothes is simpler than you think. Wash less, use colder water, go easy on detergent and conditioner, and air dry when you can. Try switching to The Green Co.’s planet-friendly sheets instead, to make maintaining your wardrobe easy and mess-free.
A little patience now means your go-to clothes stay looking and feeling like new for far longer.