Maintaining the presentability and integrity of clothes?

Sort your laundry before washing : colors and whites.

Sort by color, wash according to the label, buy quality detergents. Truthfully, I wash everything, except whites and towels, in cold water… then hang dry or tumble on low heat.

Most things can be washed in cold water. (cold water will keep it from bleeding)
Also wash new clothes alone first with like colors.
Add salt to the first wash. It will help set the color.
Don’t wash your towels with your clothes. Towels tend to be very linty and will get all over your clothes.
Be sure your not using too much detergent. It will build and dull the clothes.
Vinegar in the was will help refresh and soften the clothing on the rinse cycle.
Spandex clothing should be air dried in your dryer or hung to dry Same goes with sweaters.. (heat will ruin it)
Don’t wash your clothes with sheets either. They can get wrapped together and the sheets will pull your clothes out of shape.
Hang up immediately after drying.
Hand wash stains before you throw it in the wash.
Read the instructions of on your clothing about wash and drying.
Rinse your clothing well.
Don’t overload your washer. Soap can get caked on your clothing because it won’t rinse well.
Don’t use too much fabric softeners or sheets. That also can cake on your clothes and make them look dull.
Change out the clothing your are wearing. Don’t wear your favorites too death. You will need to wash them more and they will get duller faster.
Press clothing as best you can and don’t use too much starch.
Use small laundry mess bags for delicates in the wash and then hang them to dry.

Dryers fade and wear clothes out very fast. For those items you really wish to preserve newness and vibrancy of colors, put in dryer for just a couple of minutes to remove wrinkles then shape/ hang to finish drying.

I wash everything all the time in cold water, and it comes out fine. (I have a laundry do my shirts, because I hate to iron – and won’t – and need to.)

Try to avoid the dryer. In Oregon, people are fighting for their right to dry their clothes outside on lines. Suburban pansies are complaining because it doesn’t neat enough for them.

@Blackberry that’s crazy.

I had a man I chatted with from Cincinnati express amazement that I put my washing on a washing line @Blackberry.

@Jonathan_hodgkins all the above.

Plus I hang things on hangers as they come out of the washing machine. That way they don’t need so much ironing and they last better.

You don’t need to wash a skirt or something like that every wear.
I also take my work clothes off as soon as I get home. Helps prevent spills and the like or mess from doing chores around the house.
Buy quality clothing (or as good as you can afford).
Dry in the shade.
Dry woollens and the like flat.

Hang things up on hangers and fold other things neatly as soon as they come out of the dryer. The put them away. Don’t use the highest heat to dry or wash. Don’t over-load the washer or dryer. If you get a spot on something washable, use a something like Spray and Wash on the spot as soon as you can after noticing the spot. You can use a little hand soap, rub it into the spot and it’s much more likely to come out clean when you do wash.

Don’t use the dryer; that is the single thing you can do to preserve your clothing. The heat breaks down the fibers in fabrics. Wash in cold water only.

You can use starch when you iron to make it look crisp.

Wash cold, wash colours separately, dry on a line outside, store in a dark place. Last week I had to throw away a black shirt that had been hung on the back of a chair by a window, the sunlight had bleached a big grey patch on the back.

@downtide Ooohhh, that’s what it was. I have a black shirt with the same and I was trying to get it out but nothing worked. ;(

Use cold water for everything.
Don’t use bleach.
Don’t use fabric softener.
Iron on the reverse side of fabric slightly damp or use a mister or steam iron.