Illustration by Lulu Dubreuil
YOU ALMOST certainly don’t need to be told this, but … before putting a pre-loved piece of clothing in your closet, make sure it’s clean. Exactly how depends on what it is and the weight you give to cost over your time and trouble.
- Taking all your secondhand garb, especially silks, wools, other delicate fabrics, and vintage pieces, to a reputable dry cleaner for professional assessment and cleaning is ideal.
- Hand-washing in Woolite and hanging or, for sweaters, laying fl at to dry is always an option. (Soak yellowed cotton and delicate finds in Borax. Polyester can go in the washer in a netted bag.)
- For an easy refresh, fold into a zip-top bag. Freeze overnight to squash odors and … gulp … larvae. (It’s rare, really.)
- Instead of freezing, you can toss cotton and dryer-friendly blends in the dryer for 30 minutes.
- Leather conditioning is a must to revive and soften heavily worn or stiff footwear. Buff in a leather conditioner before inserting shoe stretchers.
