1. You're using wire hangers when you should be using felt. Wire hangers aren't supportive enough for heavier fabrics and will warp the shape of your clothes over time. Invest in felt hangers instead, which don't leave little points in the shoulders of your shirts like wire hangers do, have enough grip to hang thin, silky fabrics, and are thinner than plastic so you can fit more in your closet.
2. You're hanging your sweaters like you would a normal shirt. Gravity will stretch out the neck and shoulders of heavier sweaters this way. If you don't have any drawer space, fold your sweaters and lay them on a hanger like below.
3. You're folding your leather pants or skirts instead of hanging them. This will create creases and wrinkles, which will be very difficult to get rid of because you should never iron or steam leather. To prevent the creases from forming, hang your pants with a clip hanger. Use business cards to protect the fabric from the grooves of the clips so they don't leave marks.
4. You're storing your clothes in the dry-clean plastic bags. As soon as you get your dry-cleaning back, take your clothes out of the bags. Fabric needs to breathe, and the plastic can trap odors and humidity. If your clothes wrinkle inside your closet, it's because you have the hangers shoved too close together. To prevent crease and wrinkles, leave an inch in between each hanger.
5. You're dry-cleaning your clothes too often. Overzealous dry-cleaning can weaken the fabrics (and make you broke). If the tag says "dry-clean only," take it to the cleaners. If it says "dry-clean" (like most polyester, cashmere, and nylon fabrics), you're usually safe hand washing it at home and laying it flat to dry.
6. You machine-dry your bras and other delicates. The heat from the dryer will ruin the elastic. Lay your bras flat to dry or drape them over a hanger by the sturdy middle piece between the cups — not by the elastic straps or band, which will stretch out your bras.
If you need your delicates to dry faster, give them a few spins in a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water before hanging them to dry.
7. You carelessly stuff your bras in a drawer. Bending the cups out of shape will ruin the bra form. Instead, stack them inside of each other like you see at a lingerie store.
8. You're wringing the water out of your swimsuits by twisting them. This will ruin the elasticity in the suit and make it lose its shape. Instead, lay the suit flat between towels, and press and roll the water out. Then lay it flat to finish drying.
9. You machine-wash and dry your swimsuits. This will cause the dye to fade and the fabric to pill.Unless you absolutely need to use a washer and dryer (in which case only do it once at the end of swimsuit season) hand-wash your suits in tap water or with a little detergent, and lay them flat to dry.
10. You throw your sweaty workout clothes straight into the laundry hamper. This causes smelly mildew. Before tossing them in your dirty clothes pile, hang them until they're dry.
11. You're ironing delicate fabrics. Irons are way too harsh for most fabrics (like silk or fabrics with embellishments) and can leave marks if you're not careful. Invest in a handheld steamer or try hanging the item in a super steamy bathroom for a few minutes.
12. You're storing your shoes in big buckets. The best way to maintain the shape of your shoes and keep them clean is to store them upright, one of each pair in the front row and its match right behind it. This way you can see everything at once and don't have to struggle to see what's hidden in the back.
13. You crowd your jewelry on hooks. Unless you have the time to untangle your knotted jewelry, always keep the pieces separated. Muffin tins and ice cube trays make great inexpensive organizers.
14. You forget to fasten buttons, hooks, and zippers, or to turn your jeans inside out before tossing your clothes in the laundry. Loose hooks will snag other clothing in the wash and cause pieces to stretch out. Clothes that are heavily dyed, like jeans, should be turned inside out to prevent the dye from fading.
15. You're washing your dark denim jeans instead of freezing them. If you're really worried about the dye fading or your jeans losing their shape,freeze your jeans overnight instead.The freezer will kill most of the odor-causing bacteria while keeping the dye intact.
16. You hang your bags when you're not using them. This will stretch out the shoulder straps and make your bags droopy. Instead, rest them on a shelf so they can maintain their structure.
17. You forget to stuff and wrap your bags before storing them in your closet. Fill your bags with old T-shirts so they don't lose their shape, and wrap them in their dust bags to protect the leather and keep your bags looking brand new.
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