10 Laundry Tips from Fashion Designers

I have a very nasty habit when it comes to my clothing, and it's one that I am currently working very hard to break. It's a habit that costs me money and also detracts me from being able to look my best.

You see, I have no problem spending good money on clothing made of high-quality materials. However, I do seem to treat my clothes terribly. They often stay for weeks in a laundry basket. I rarely follow clothing care instructions. Hot water? Cold water? Who has time for that?

And, as a result, most of my clothes don't wear well for too long.

I used to think that clothing care didn't matter. Believe it or not, it does. If you follow these laundry tips from fashion designers, your clothes will last longer and look better than ever before.

Wait, what?

In what could easily be one of the most shocking laundry tips fashion designers ever said, I found out that you're really not meant to wash denim jeans. The chemicals in detergents actually harm denim fibers and may even fade colors.

A lot of denim designers wince when they hear about denim being put in the wash. Take a hint, and only wash your jeans if they are in dire need of it.

A better way to care for denim? Steam it out by hanging them in a shower or using a specialized clothing steamer to just get rid of the bacteria. This preserves the colors and shape of the denim.

Space out your clothing storage.

Did you ever notice how the overstocked closets of fashion victims always seem filled to the brim with clothes that just look awful? It's no coincidence, my friend.

Cramped clothing is clothing that will lose its shape and get perma-wrinkles in the worst possible places. Clothes that are left to hang for a long period of time can lose their shape, and in many cases, fibers that aren't given space to breathe start to discolor.

You might need some DIY storage ideas for your home to store your clothing properly.

Regularly washing your clothes is really not advisable.

For all the advertising detergent companies send out saying their goods are gentle on clothes, doing laundry really isn't that good for your gear. It's a good idea to avoid washing your clothes too frequently, even if they aren't denim.

Whenever possible, try to steam clothes rather than actually dunking them in the wash. That's a large part of the reason why so many couture clothes are labeled "dry clean only" or "professional cleaning only." Putting your entire wardrobe through the washing machine all the time is just going to wear everything out.

Most of the time, it's actually best to skip the dryer and let clothing hang.

Dryers are one of those machines that fashion designers lowkey love to hate. They are great for drying clothes rapidly, but there's a catch that most people don't really think about.

Fast as they are at drying clothes, they also tend to wear them down quickly. I mean, think about it. All that heat, the tumbling, and shaking about doesn't really bode well for clothes. Oh, and dryer sheets? Also not good for sensitive fibers, either. If you want your things to last, hang clothing up instead of drying it every time.

Those delicate little things you buy from Victoria's Secret need a little extra love, which is why I went out of my way to seek out laundry tips that work with them.

You might have already known that you're supposed to put delicates like bras and panties in a mesh bag before you dunk them in the wash. You might also know bras should never go in the dryer. That's common knowledge.

Some designers, such as Araks Yeramyan, insist on washing delicates by hand only, then letting them air dry. That's probably the safest way to handle lingerie.

What you might not know is that you're actually supposed to fold bras and lay them flat in a drawer to store them. This helps reduce the chances of losing shape and will keep your bra supportive for longer.

Fold clothes along the seams in order to avoid wrinkles.

Ever notice how quickly certain clothes can wrinkle up? If you're dealing with stubborn wrinkly fabrics that don't seem to work well with most other laundry tips, try to fold them along the seams instead. Dryer sheets can't save you from wrinkles.

This prevents wrinkles before they can happen, and also prevents clothing seams from getting too much damage. Ironing your clothes to get the wrinkles out is a lot of work and not even all fabrics can be ironed. Luckily, there are some lifehacks to remove wrinkles without an iron, if you are already stuck with some wrinkles.

Hang and fold your clothes the minute they're done drying.

The key to being able to wash your clothes like a fashion designer is to know how to minimize the damage that typical washing and drying does. One of the easiest ways to make sure you do well by your clothes is to fold your clothes the minute that you end their drying session.

Drying, specifically the heat, tends to make clothing fibers rot away faster. By taking them away from heat and light, you're doing well to protect your clothes. Anne-Marie Colban, who makes her living designing dress shirts, prefers to let clothes air out on wooden hangers.

It may sound like a lot of work, but if you don't end up with wrinkles, you'll save time in the long run by sparing yourself the need to iron things.

Organize your clothing.

You know how your clothes all have tags that tell you how to clean your clothing. Those aren't just laundry tips made by folks hoping that you will be able to spend extra on washing bills, you know!

Even if it means you won't save money due to individual small loads, you should follow the instructions that your clothing tags suggest—and organize clothes through their suggestions too.

So, along with your regular "lights and darks," sort them by which clothes need warm water, cold water, or hot water. Then, sort them by figuring out which clothes need to be air dried, etc.

Iron your shirts in order.

Shirt designers claim that the best laundry tips for dress shirts include ironing the shirts in the right order. According to Colban, the right order is to start with your shirt's collar, then the cuffs, then work throughout the rest of the shirt.

Like with other tips in this article, keeping a little humidity in your laundry is key. She argues against "dry ironing" because of how much it can damage the fiber.

Fix your stains ASAP!

Madame Paulette, who works with fashion moguls throughout New York City, has become the go-to for designers that want great clothes. The company's manager, Johnny Xirouchakis, pointed out that the best time to remove a stain is NOW.

The longer the stain stays, the harder it is to remove. Eventually, all the laundry tips in the world won't help you out. So, your best bet is to work on getting stains out as soon as they happen.

As you're going through your wardrobe and trying to take better care of it, you may find that you have more clothes than you truly need. It's okay, pretty much everyone who cares about fashion ends up in the same boat. If you have some things you want to get rid of, you could try selling on Poshmark to make a few dollars as you thin out your closet.