Caring for My Clothes Keeps Me Looking Good: Here’s How I Do It

By Kareem Banks

I take my image seriously, because I think the better you look the better you feel. If you feel more confident, you might get more attention from the opposite sex or have an easier time on that job interview.

So I always try to dress to perfection. Knowing how to do laundry right plays a big part in this. All the brand name clothes in the world can look good the first time you wear them, but if you can’t keep them clean they’re not going to look good for long. So unless you make enough money to wear your clothes only once before you get rid of them, you better learn how to do your laundry.

Here’s how I do mine:

1. Check the Tags for Washing Instructions. Some might say “Dry Clean Only.” These clothes are usually made of material like wool or silk that is too delicate to go through a washing machine. They are usually clothes like sweaters, windbreakers, and fitted hats. These clothes need to be taken to a dry cleaner (which can be expensive) or can sometimes be washed by hand, usually in cold water, using a gentle soap suitable for hand-washing, like Woolite, or even dishwashing liquid or shampoo.

2. Empty Your Pockets. That way, you don’t wash important things, like money, or a pen with ink that spills out and ruins your whole laundry.

3. Separate Clothes by Color: Colors—this includes clothes that are dark-colored like red, black, blue and denim jeans. Colors usually get washed with cold water so that the colors don’t fade or run. I usually turn my jeans inside out when washing them, because they fade less that way. Lights—this includes clothes that are light, like white, tan or light yellow. Lights can get washed with warm water, but today’s cold water detergents make that unnecessary, especially if you pay the gas or electric bill.

4. Put Each Pile of Clothing in a Separate Washing Machine. (Except for the hand-washables.) If you’re at a laundromat, put in the quarters you need to turn the machine on. Select the right temperature for the clothes you’re washing. (Most machines have instructions for how to do this.) Then add detergent. The only time you should use regular bleach is when washing only white clothes. If you spill bleach on colored clothes, your darkest clothes will turn white. (This should give you an idea of how strong the bleach is.) Though this is the usual way to wash clothes, some people have their own method of how to wash, and as you become an expert at laundry you may come up with your own style. Some people use fabric softener, and I’ve even seen people put cologne and perfume in there. (I only use fragrances when I’m ironing the clean clothes to get out any wrinkles.)

5. Dry Clothes. You can put all colors that fit in the dryer together. But read the instructions on the clothes, because some clothes should be hung to dry or else they might shrink or get too wrinkled.

Personally, I don’t dry clothes except for socks and drawers. I’ve found that the dryer usually shrinks my clothes too much and I like my clothes baggy. Instead, I hang dry my clothes by putting them on a hanger when they come out of the wash. Then I let the fan hit them or I hang them outside on a wire when it’s windy and warm out.

Shirts can be difficult. You have to be careful because when they’re wet, they’re a bit heavy. So if you hang them the normal way on a hanger, the neckline might stretch from the weight and dry that way. If this happens, it’s a wrap, because it won’t go back to the normal size. This is bad if you wear wife-beaters (tank tops) under your shirts, because they’ll show and this looks tacky. So fold your shirts evenly without any ripples in the fold, then put them out to dry that way.

6. Iron. Ironing clothes gets out their wrinkles, when you do it right. But it can be tricky to learn how to iron properly, so ask someone who knows to show you. If you fold your clothes carefully immediately out of the dryer you can eliminate the need for most ironing. Remember: Keeping your clothes clean is like keeping them healthy. Just like people need food, exercise, and fresh air to stay healthy, clothes need regular cleaning and care to stay healthy, fresh and smelling good.

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