Maintaining Your Closet

This post was sponsored by the Maker of OxiClean™ through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about their Versatile Stain Remover, all opinions are my own. Thank you for helping to support the well-loved brands and sponsors that make this blog possible.

Now that you have your minimal wardrobe complete, you’ll want to be sure to take good care of it. Since I emphasize buying quality, timeless clothing that lasts, I thought it would only be proper for me to share my best tips for maintaining your closet. Today I’ve partnered with OxiClean™ to do just that.

Buy Quality Items
You have to start with a good base, and you can’t do that if you’re busy shopping items that fall apart after two washes. Look for quality fabrics with well-made details. My favorite fabrics are made from natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, etc. They feel better on my skin and seem to last longer in my closet. I own jeans that have lasted me years, and some sweaters as well!

Store Your Clothing Properly
I feel like this is a no-brainer. Once you have those quality items, you’ll want to keep them in a safe and appropriate place! You wouldn’t hang socks on a hanger or shove a beautiful silk dress into a drawer would you? All clothing that can hang on a hanger, should if you have space. This includes items like tops, dresses, jackets, skirts, and even denim. I prefer to keep my denim folded into a drawer, but that’s personal preference. I also keep my shorts, intimates, loungewear, swim, and activewear in a drawer too. Clothing that is a heavier knit (like sweaters) should be folded so it doesn’t stretch out of shape. I prefer the KonMari Method for folding items in drawers because it makes it easy to see everything lined up and it looks prettier, too.

Before

After

Caring for Whites, Lights, and Stains
I first discovered OxiClean™ when my son was in cloth diapers and have been a fan ever since. I used it with his diapers then, and now use it to help boost my regular laundry detergent in white and light-colored clothing loads. I keep it with my other washing materials and it’s so easy to just add a scoop with my normal laundry and let it do its thing. I can’t believe how much of a difference it makes. When I have a stubborn stain to remove (ahem, wine!), I can pre-soak the item for a few hours in a small amount of OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover mixed with warm water, then wash as usual. I even use it to brighten up or soak bedding and cushion covers from the couch. Here are a few videos. that explain how to clean different items.

Darks and Denim
To try to cut back on fading, I try to limit how often I wash dark items like black and denim. Unless they’re pretty dirty, they go a few washes in between. This is not only because they can, but because they tend to fade more in the wash. Always wash inside out in cold water, then line dry if possible. White and super-light denim are exceptions for me on this though, averaging a wash every 1-2 wears at the very most.

Dry Clean Only Items
These items usually don’t offer much slack when it comes to being dry-clean only. Sometimes I test hand wash items that are 100% silk, and some silks sold are hand washable, but it’s not often I test my luck.  I visit a dry cleaner who is eco-friendly, accepting hanger returns and using environmentally friendly methods for their process.

Make Repairs
They say if an item isn’t broken, don’t fix it. However if it is, fix it right away! Determine whether or not the repair is something that you can do on your own or if it requires professional help. I recently repaired a favorite hat and it went well. You’d be surprised at the amount of repairs you can do on your own if you devote some of your time to it. And while I am very proficient at sewing, some items I take in for repair simply because I do not have time to figure out how to repair them myself.

Shoes
Last, but certainly not least, are shoes! I used to keep my shoes in their respective boxes, but this is not ideal for small space living so now I store my shoes in rolling under-bed bins. I keep them organized by pair and style instead of in a messy pile. I make it a point to keep them clean and free of dust and grime from the outside world by wiping them down quickly when I put them away.

Do you have any wardrobe care tips & tricks to share? Have you ever had a stubborn stain that was a pain to remove? Share your story on Dear OxiClean™.