Throwing away clothes

[AmberItsACertainty]

I have an internal dilemma.

My head says Think of the environment! When there's more holes than fabric then you can throw it away. Ok I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the picture.

My heart says Hell no! I'm not walking around looking like a tramp, if it's faded, stained, lost its shape or become excessively bobbly then out it goes.

So, where do you draw the line?

So, yeah, I now take it down to h&m. Whenever they reopen again and I find my way down in their store

I think the issue you've had to deal with until now is this:

Too many clothes, oh yes I'm a total shopaholic!

It sounds like you understand yourself and you're ready for a new phase in your life. Why you've been insistent on eg cute PJ or clothes that no one else sees but you for example. Is now the turning point where you begin to describe yourself differently? Probably the issue of getting rid of old/ worn out/ stained clothing is a red herring while so many of us are stuck in the house nearly full time. Sounds like you need a cathartic trip to the tip for clothes recycling then a focus on not buying anything at all for at least a few months.
Good luck

It’s definitely worth exploring the environmental impact of fast fashion. It’s something like 1800 gallons of water used in the production of one pair of jeans ( and distressed jeans even worse). It’s particularly bad that the majority of fast fashion ends up in landfill within the first year of purchase. I’ve certainly been buying more clothes in lockdown that I need ( mainly due to boredom) although the fabrics are nice quality and would be worth repairing or altering should I ever lose the lockdown weight gain. I’ve bought a repair kit for some moth holes I have in a couple of cashmere sweaters. I already polish shoes ( the kind available in tins applied with brushes) because polished shoes look better but it also protects the leather and makes them more waterproof / water resistant. There is a trend for visible mending and although I’m not sure it’s my style I’m going to have a go at mending some old jeans with holes at the knees ( definitely not on trend). I have some kimono fabric and sashiko thread to try. I’m interested in trying to find fresh new looks in my wardrobe so once I’ve finished organising what I have I shall play around to find looks. There are plenty of apps to catalogue your wardrobe but I’ve always had too much stuff. I’m also going to download the 30 wear app and find out what types of things I wear the most - although I’m not sure if it would be very typical at the moment. I’m hoping that playing around with these things will distract me from other future purchases or at least make my purchases a bit more informed. I think we have a lot to learn from previous generations who didn’t have the luxury of huge wardrobes.

I think numbers around washes/wears can be a bit misleading. Some clothes you might wear a lot and wash a lot (underwear, t-shirts, leggings). Others you might wear a lot but too don't have to wash often (jeans, jumpers, cardigans). Others you might do neither (fancy skirt, dress).

I want to add that I also went overboard with overshopping earlier during this pandemic. It's something many struggle with so don't feel too bad about it. The fashion industry wants us to be addicted to buying new all the time. But this pandemic is also a great time to let go of that habit. There is a thread here in S&B about not buying new clothes 2021: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/4120785-Toying-with-the-idea-of-not-buying-any-new-clothes-shoes-accessories-in-2021

I'm a bit surprised at the 50 washes thing. I was also surprised when I found people in Instagram saying they were aiming for more sustainable living and they were going to try to make all their clothes last at least 30 wears. To me, unless it's something quite specialist like a party dress, it would be surprising if clothes didn't get used more than that. If you buy what you love, think about how versatile it will be, and choose decent quality materials, there's no reason why most clothes shouldn't last 10 years. That's not to say I've never bought anything that I ended up giving away sooner. Note I said giving away - usually to a charity shop. I only throw things away if they are damaged beyond repair and can't be used as rags - we always have a pile of faded or holey cotton t-shirts ready to be used for bleaching jobs or wiping paintbrushes etc.

OP, I don't think you need to reproach yourself about your old buying habits, but take out everything you own, decide whether you really want it, then look at the things you don't want and decide whether they are fit for a charity shop, for rags or just for throwing away. Throw away what you have to. If you're rethinking your approach to clothes shopping, you'll probably only have to do it once. (Oh, and if any of the not-so-good-condition clothes that are not suitable for rags are patterned, maybe someone who does patchwork might be interested in the best offcuts from them.)

I think she said "at least 50 washes" and that wasn't just T shirts. It was a caution against buying cheap clothes that won't wash and wear well. I mean nobody washes their coat 50 times obviously. But a lot of jersey fabrics look very sad after a few washes.

I tend to buy quality rather than quantity.... by that I don’t mean brands, I’m not an unpaid walking advertisement!

I’d buy one top for £60 which I know will last me 10yrs, rather than 6 for a tenner each that will only last a season to a year at best. I’ve never shopped in Primark.

Example ... I have a 15yr old waterproof down jacket, which although not waterproof anymore still does the job as a warm jacket. It’s stained and a pocket zip is broken but it’s for walking in the hills and woodlands so I don’t care. 90% of my reasonable small wardrobe is over 10yrs old.

The newest clothing I own are work clothes, I will again buy quality for longevity but I usually swap out every 3–5 years.

Kids stuff I buy 2nd hand mostly anyway, again quality clothing... no supermarket shite. But when they grow out I always donate... the recipient is dependent on the condition. Best goes to my nephews, good goes to friends and the rest goes to charity or recycling.

Thanks so much for all the replies. It's so interesting reading how others do things. I'm definitely ready for a change in the way I do things. Long term I want to own less overall.

I've been saving old clothes to make a proggy mat. I don't really buy clothes (I bought two tops and a coat last year) so it's taking a while!

I don't know if it's been suggested yet, but my local charity shop collect worn out or stained clothing. They weigh in the fabric for recycling and get money that goes towards their costs.

I buy decent clothes to begin with that I know will last. I avoid fashion fads eg cold shoulders. Instead I buy classic styles that wont date quickly.

I sew and darn so repair our clothes. If I do throw something out I remove buttons, zips embellishments ect to use again. If the fabric is good I will use it for sewing projects. Some pieces I cut up and turn into cloths/ rags for dirty jobs. Eventually I put whats left into the recycling bins.

You can learn to repair your clothes watching youtube videos. There are videos on how to new details to an older plain item. This will give you more wear out of it. You can use a wash in dye on faded items. My work trousers have been redyed several times. I have saved a small fortune replacing them.

I'm another one who sends stuff either to the charity shop or to H&M for their recycling scheme. I tend to keep my stuff for a long time, especially if I've paid a bit more for it, and I like to restyle as well. We've got a really good local dressmaker in our village who has shortened dresses, taken out sleeves etc. I've got 3 cold shoulder dresses and when we are allowed I'm going to get her to take the sleeve bit out and finish to make them sleeveless. They're a silky jersey so I don't feel confident about doing it myself.

I'm also a fan of redying. I had the Zara white spotted dress and got a mark on it that wouldn't come out so got a washing machine dye and dyed it red. Came out good as new.

Anything old or not too marked gets worn indoors for scruffs.