Huffington Post Article – The Surprising Way You’re Accidentally Destroying Your Clothes

Huffington Post interviewed Mindy on ways to store and care for your clothes. We include an excerpt below. Read the full article on Huffington Post’s Website

Between ignoring your clothing’s laundry symbols and washing your underwear incorrectly, there are plenty of ways you might be shortening the lifespan of your clothes. And in a country where each one of us throws out approximately 70 pounds of textiles every year, it’s important that we all do what we can to reduce our amount of fashion waste.

Using the proper washing techniques is one of the most effective ways to keep your clothes in the best shape, but there’s one other factor that plays a role, and you might be ignoring it. It’s all in how you store your clothes.

According to professional organizers Ann Sullivan (founder of Ann Sullivan Organizing in New York City) and Mindy Godding (co-owner of Abundance Organizing in Richmond, Virginia), keeping your clothes organized the right way will go far to keep them in good shape.

Mistake #1: You’re probably using the wrong hangers.

“People will spend so much money on clothes and still use crappy hangers,” Sullivan told HuffPost. She explained that there is a hanger for every purpose and that your clothes will thank you for using the correct hanger.

“Investing in hangers should be a top priority,” Sullivan said. For example, use flat, thin hangers, which are really good for someone who doesn’t have a lot of space ― “really good for dresses and blouses that don’t need a lot of space between them” ― and wide-shoulder hangers for suits, which support the shoulders in men’s suit jackets. “The right size hanger and style are very important,” she said.

Godding, an “evangelist about matching hangers,” emphasized that it’s important to find a hanger system that works for you and to keep it uniform ― find a type of hanger that works for your blouses, for example, and use that same type for all of the blouses in your wardrobe. “I’ve seen so many clients take more care of their clothing if it has that nice, clean look when they open the door. Something about it that gives us more accountability to our stuff.”

Mistake #2: You’re stuffing your closet.

If you’re like most people, you don’t have a dreamy Carrie Bradshaw walk-in closet. But stuffing all your clothes together in a tight space can wear them out faster. When your clothes are pressed against each other, you can get creases down your clothing, “so you want them free and clear,” Godding advised, “maintaining the integrity of the fabric.”

What is ideal space between hangers? A quarter of an inch of space on each side is best, Godding said. “Another good tip is if you can slide the hangers back and forth with ease, you’re good, but if you have to get in there and shove the neck of the hanger over, it’s a good indication that it’s overstuffed.”

Read more on Huffington Post’s Website