Caring for clothes so they stay nice - any tips? (cashmere, mohair, suede, leather...)?

[OhRosalind]

I’m gradually replacing my pre-baby wardrobe with better quality stuff that actually fits, suits my lifestyle, and makes me feel like a grownup not a teenager. I’ve been getting stuff tailored which makes a huge difference but now I’m buying nicer stuff I’d like to take better care of it so it stays looking nice - beyond washing stuff inside out and occasionally taking coats to the dry cleaner I don’t really do any regular upkeep. What are your tips?

I’m especially interested in how you would care for:

• cashmere / mohair / lambs wool sweaters (to stop moth damage, bobbling etc)
• suede (boots and bags)
• leather jacket (to keep it soft)
• burgundy leather bag with a few scratches (can I use shoe polish?!)

For the woollens, all including cashmere, a lot is down to how you wash it. Better to wash than dry clean, bring a natural animal fibre better suited to water than chemicals, like your own hair. Don’t use anything “ biological” that’s a big no no. Buy some wool wash like Woolite or Tesco do a pretty good hand wash liquid that can also be used in the machine. Either hand wash in lukewarm water, hot water will felt & shrink pure wools, or if your machine has a woollens setting you can use that, I do.. I’ve had lots of my cashmere things for years & years & they’re still fine using these methods.
Suede, you need a good stiff brush, you can get special small suede brushes to lift the pile if it flattens.
For leather, I use a leather care liquid or spray both of which I buy from Lakeland Leathers.

Being a natural fibre, not bring

For the woollen items get a fabric shaver/pill remover. They gently remove the pilled top layer and return it to almost-new. De-Pilling my wool sweaters is a guilty pleasure of mine. Agree that it's all about how you wash and dry your woollens as well. The absolute best way is handwashing with wool specific detergent and then laying flat to dry. But wool cycle in the washing machine is usually good as well!
Also, don't be temped to over wash your wool. Consider wearing a light layer in between to protect from sweat/deodorant etc so you can go multiple wears between washes.

Ooh great tips! Should you store cashmere in special bags all the time, or just in the seasons when you don’t wear it? And do you freeze woolly stuff?

For my really nice cashmere I just store it in a drawer where its not packed in tightly. I don't actually put mine away for the summer, but I imagine if you're storing for the 'off' season you'd also want silicone packs in with the sweaters to make sure they aren't getting mildewy. Do you have any moths in your house? Because my biggest tip is to get rid of them if you buy any nice wool!!! Moths are tiny devil's who deserve to die. I once pulled out a very, very expensive cashmere sweater only to find it riddled with holes. Then I pulled out four more sweaters only to find they also had holes. So, maybe invest in some cedar blocks as well to prevent that? Or and IKEA Hemnes dresser - none of my sweaters in that dresser got touched.

We don’t have moths currently but I’ve had them before and live in fear. They ruined DH’s only suit, two wool coats of mine and endless knitwear. We live in Italy and I’ve acquired the local habit of packing away our winter/summer wardrobe for the ‘off season’ - I’m doing this now and thinking it would be a good time to check/mend/condition it all so I don’t get a nasty surprise when I unpack it in a few months.

Any tips for keeping mohair looking fresh? Can I brush it? Freeze it?

And any recommendations for products to use on a leather jacket and bags that won’t transfer to clothes - can I use my shoe creams/polish?

We have also had moths. I lost several lovely jumpers, my favourite fair isle hat, and two rooms worth of carpet where they had destroyed the bits under furniture - it was completely bare when we pulled out a sofabed. Evil little fuckers, I would love to make them extinct.

I make sure to take everything out now quite often and give it a good shake out. Smoke bombs were the only thing that killed them off.

Agree with all the knitwear advice on here. Yes, air your woollies on a radiator or outside between wears rather than over-washing them. Natural fibres are self-cleaning. But never store a garment that really does need a wash as moths love that. Leather and suede will thank you for a spray with leather protector before you wear or use, stops salt marks and helps stop stains setting. Yes, you could use shoe cream on a leather handbag - leather is skin, after all, and needs moisture. I swear by Dr Martens’ Wonder Balsam, you don’t need much of it and it leaves your hands nice and soft too! Never dry wet leather near a heat source. Pack damp shoes and boots with kitchen roll or newspaper, put them somewhere cool to completely dry out and don’t be tempted to wipe mud off suede whilst wet. Let it dry out then give it a good brush.

Having moths is really traumatic isn’t it evilharpy. Horrid things.

Thanks craftycorvid, does leather protector mean that waterproofing spray or something more nourishing? I will have a look at the Dm product. My worry about shoe polish on bags is colour transfer, I have a scuffed burgundy bag that could do with a colour refresh but I don’t want to ruin my coats.

The leather protector waterproofs as well, yes. Spray it outdoors though as it’s strong stuff! You can get ‘scuff guard’ coloured polish for shoes that you could definitely use on your bag in small amounts to start with, I’d let it soak well in to the leather and polish really well with something like ‘Wonder Balsam’ - and let it sit for a day or two before using it to make sure you don’t get any unwanted colour transfer to your clothes.

Thank you so much crafty, have just ordered the wonder balm.

I use a suede cleaner block for my suede boots and shoes, and it makes the suede look as good as new.

Thank you Frankiegoes I’ve never heard of this but I have a couple of suede bags in impractical colours that desperately need refreshing.

Moths are the enemy. Make sure you hoover your wardrobes/under drawers because they love dust. My wardrobe/clothes rail/drawers are also covered with moth strips and the super satisfying moth traps.

I spray all shoes and bags and hats and most coats with scotchguard. I have a super fine aerosol mist one which makes a huge difference to the longevity of things. It does take courage though as it can mark - but I have never found it affected fabrics, and mine works well for leather.

Roll scarves up nicely so you can see them in the drawer and aren’t lifting them to get to other things. This actually goes for most things: try to avoid piles so your clothes don’t get moved around too much.

Get coats dry cleaned in March and store them in the dry clean bag.

Use steam rather than wash clothes excessively. Steam will kill bacteria and smells - just fire the iron at your clothes and hang them on the line to air.