Do you look after your clothes, shoes & accessories ?

[iamnotafox]

Bags - I clean my leather handbags and have a special cleaning solution to do this with. I regularly clear out bags to get rid of cluttter and I sometimes hoover inside my bags. Cannot stand crumbs/crap inside a bag. Beach bags (fabric) I put in the washing machine.

Jewellery - I use regularly use cleaner & polish cloths. If an item has gone discoloured/tarnished and cannot be fixed then I wouldn't wear it again.

Shoes - repair/clean/wipe. I bin any that are significantly damaged or scruffy/tatty from over use and beyond repair.

Anyone else ?

Bump
Anyone ?

Yes to everything, I can’t imagine not doing so!

Of course.

One of the benefits for me of a small capsule wardrobe has been having the bandwidth to manage my possessions, and being able to buy better quality items that need care and upkeep.

Shoes are clean and repaired and good once have shoe trees inserted.

Bags I'd give a wipe if necessary and have some nourishing cream. I have never had to clear out or hoover the inside of a handbag - how do you end up with crumbs and crap in there?

Jewellery - mine has never tarnished. A couple of times a year I pop my diamonds in a glass with steradent.

The only thing I'd do is clean.my shoes regularly.
I don't bother doing anything with handbags or necklaces as none of them are of any value.

Of course!

Firstly, changing out of ‘out’ clothes into home clothes immediately.

Secondly, cleaning and polishing shoes / boots. It was part of the evening timetable at my boarding school - but I’d been taught by my parents long before that.

Thirdly, using a clothes brush on knitwear, skirts, jackets, coats before putting them on and after taking them off.

Fourthly, steaming, ironing and starching as required. It helps that I honestly enjoy these activities.

Fifthly, generous application of essential oils to scare away moths.

Sixthly, washing knitwear as little as possible - brushing, and airing (inside out) outside between wears.

There must be a seventh - it’ll come to me … Oh yes! Polishing leather bags. With neutral coloured leather cream if possible. Using black or brown leather cream is more labour intensive!

Yes to all.

My dad is an obsessive shoe polisher so whilst I don't clean mine as much as he would, I do clean them more than most. I also store them in their boxes.

I clean my jewellery, particularly rings as I seem to collect dirt.

And running repairs on clothes; buttons, hems, etc.

I keep my handbags in their dustbags as well.

Gosh I feel like such a tink - never owned a clothes brush, used essential oils, steamed or starched anything in my life 😁

However I've reached my 60s without looking too much of a mess

Same here. Clean shoes, wash clothes, iron very occasionally. Really couldn't be bothered with more than that

They’re not compulsory activities, @RaraRachael.

But I do find shoe polishing wondrously meditative and satisfying …

Even my not quality stuff I will repair- last week someone was really surprised I was dying a load of vest tops and leggings back to black and replacing the zip on a hoodie as it never occurred to them. Shoes go to our local cobbler for new heels or resoleing, and I'm pretty good at repairs or reworking clothes

Yes to all those, although not nearly often enough! I repair clothes and am pretty good at it even though I dislike doing it.

The only thing I've not done is starching, I'm wondering if is it worth it and if it's bad for your clothes in the long run?

Edited to add: masking tape on bag linings is good for eliminating lint and such.

I must admit I haven’t starched anything recently. It’s definitely worth it for cotton (twill / poplin, not jersey obviously) or linen things if you want them to look crisp and sharp - shirts / blouses in particular. I guess it’s not the prevailing fashion.

No ill effects on my clothes!

I used to, really need to get back to looking after things.

I absolutely do.

I don't understand why people will pay good money for leather or quality items and then not take care of them. Usually the life span on these items are so much more, and then even more so if they are looked after.

Admittedly I don't do this after every wear, but my bags get a bit of attention about every 6 months, boots and leather shoes are done at least at every change of season.

All my heavier jackets and coats are only hung on good solid hangers, jumpers always folded and packed away after having an airing. Washed by hand when needed.

But then again, I don't go for the latest fashion. I have a certain style, and I am happy to stick with what I like.

My dd came home for a visit and had bought herself a new leather bag. She had saved for ages for this bag and it was her first big purchase. I asked her if she had treated it, she said no but gives it a wipe every now and then. I had an afternoon free and we treated her bag, and the plentiful pairs of DM's that she has. I quite like doing it, its calming to me. She was home a few days and messaged me in a panic as she (and her new handbag) had got caught in a cloud burst and her bag was soaked. Thank goodness it had a decent beeswax treatment a few weeks before. She dabbed it as per instruction, and it dried perfectly. She had to do it again after, so I am pleased the small lesson was useful for her to use going forward.

Other then storing properly, cleaning shoes and ironing I dont really do anything special.
But then again as a vegan I dont really have any natural fabrics like wool or leather....I feel like those are the ones you have to take more care with.

I frequently debobble my Cashmere with an electric debobbler & one of those metal lint removers for dog-infused Cashmere. I also wash it quite frequently as i'm a mucky pup & i dont want Moths & i have a lot of Cashmere.Then i tumble dry for @3-5 mins to fluff up & remove creases.
The other main thing i do is to spray my leather/suede items,with a silica based protector. I very rarely Iron these days but i'm careful to dry things flat so they end up largely uncreased. I will also tumble dry for a couple of minutes to remove wrinkles or use a hand held steamer.
Coats are regularly de-fluffed with a sticky roller & any stains are removed with a soapy cloth.Rain Coats are washed when dirty & re-proofed. Boots are regularly cleaned, but rarely polished. Maybe once a year.