The kitchen has its utensils, the garage, its toolbox, what about the dressing room?
According to the survey conducted in 2016 by the British NGO WRAP, the donation or resale of a garment would be caused in 19% of cases by the deterioration of the piece, loss of color, shape or stain.
Before we have to come to that, there are a number of best practices that can be implemented to ensure the longevity of our wardrobe.
You still need to have the right utensils.
The abrasive sponge or shave pills
This is undoubtedly the greatest scourge of knitwear and woolen garments: the appearance of pilling, which can sign the death warrant of a sweater or a jacket.
However, this natural phenomenon, due for example to the friction of the sleeves or of a bag against the body, is perfectly reversible.
To remove pilling, the Meilleur Ouvrière de France in laundry care Pascale Allaert recommends the use of an abrasive sponge with a very fine grain.
Sold in DIY stores, this tool intended for sanding wood and marquetry gently passes over the surface of the fabric to unpill it.
A function that is also found in the mechanical pill shaves offered by household appliance brands.
In video, eight gestures to adopt to take good care of your bed linen:
The washing net
Washing is the cornerstone of clothing care, the key to making them last.
But not all types of clothing require the same care.
Underwear is one of the first victims of wear by friction of textile fibres.
To prevent this premature aging, it is recommended to use a washing net.
Incidentally, the use of a net is also an implacable weapon against the curse of the orphan sock.
The steamer
According to a study carried out by the group of household appliance brands (GIFAM, 2018), seven out of ten French people consider ironing to be restrictive.
A figure that partly explains the success of synthetic materials that cannot be ironed.
And that of the alternative to the steamer.
Less cumbersome and more agile than an iron, this tool is gaining ground in homes.
It also prevents accidents such as traces of iron or the polishing of the textile caused by an iron that is too hot.
The ironing glove
Who has never tried, for lack of time or simple laziness, to iron the bottom of a garment on themselves?
An error that can lead to serious burns.
There is a tool to overcome this last crease that spoils the look of your garment, without having to unfold the ironing board: the ironing glove.
This heat-insulating accessory helps reach hard-to-reach areas with the iron.
It also makes it possible to do without a table for small surfaces.
On the other hand, it in no way dispenses with removing the garment before ironing it.
The water sprayer
Forgotten, expensive or even toxic ironing aids.
According to laundry care expert Pascale Allaert, to improve this task, nothing beats the water sprayer.
If most irons are now equipped with it, the spray deserves to be considered as an agent in its own right because it allows you to iron the most recalcitrant textiles, without damaging their fibres.
It is used to abundantly moisten the surface to be ironed, instead of a starch spray, for example.
Sometimes the simplest tips are the best.