Good clothes help in enhancing the personality. Neat and tidy clothes and proper dressing increase self-confidence. While purchasing clothes, its durability should keep in mind. If the clothes are not properly cared, they lose all their attraction in spite of being costly.
The clothes should be properly cared from time to time to make them suitable for use. The seams of clothes get opened up, buttons are lost or sometimes these are stained after some usage. If these defects are not mended on time, the clothes may get torn up or become unfit for use. The proper care of clothes should be a habit and daily routine.
Need for care of clothes
Clothes are important part of our personality. They are the basic needs and we spend a lot of money, time and effort in choosing our clothes. If we don’t take care of them, even the costliest of them will be spoiled and lose their grace and life. To make them last longer, to take maximum advantage of our clothes, we should take care of them. Following are the needs for care of clothes:
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(i) To retain their beauty and grace we need to care for them.
(ii) To make them look as new and last longer.
(iii) To maintain their shape and size.
(iv) To get maximum value for money.
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Daily Care of Clothes
The clothes should be protected against the dust. While in use, one should sit only at neat and clean places and avoid rubbing against walls. Avoid crushing off clothes while sitting. Before sitting on a table or chair, check
Up for any nail, etc. to avoid the possibility of tearing off the clothes. Care should be taken to avoid the teary, off clothes while travelling in rickshaw, cycle, bus, etc. Pin up clothes carefully. Check up for seams and appended; buttons before use. Don’t put too much in the pockets otherwise the pockets will become shapeless and the seams might open up. Used clothes are soiled with dust and sweat.
Keep such clothes separately from the washed ones till their reuse. Clothes which can be easily washed should be washed frequently without making them too soiled. White and coloured clothes should be I washed separately. Clothes should be completely dried and ironed before hanging in the almirah.
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Weekly Care of Clothes
1. Wash and iron your clothes weekly and hang them on hangers in almirah.
2. Lost buttons, if any, should be appended before keeping them in almirah.
3. Torn clothes should be mended before washing.
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4. Clothes worn out by nail, etc. should be darned.
5. Dust should be brushed from the clothes like coat, sweater, etc. before keeping them in almirah.
6. Silk and woollen clothes should be put in covers before hanging in almirah.
7. Most clothes should not be hanged in almirah.
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By proper care, clothes can be maintained in good shape for a long time.
Half Yearly Care of Clothes
Certain clothes like woolen clothes, blankets, quilts, etc. are used in winters only. They need different types of care.
1. Such clothes should be exposed to sunlight for time to time so that they are protected from insects and their eggs.
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2. These clothes should be completely moisture less so that ‘fungus’ doesn’t grow on them.
3. After sun drying they should be brushed thoroughly so that no dust particles are there.
4. Woolen clothes should always be dry- cleaned.
5. The pockets should be empty and mending should be done if needed.
6. Clothes should be hanged in cover always, e.g., silk Sarees, coats, etc.
Washing of Clothes
Clothes are washed for dust and sweat after use. Most of the clothes are washed at home but some clothes like silk, clothes with zarf, very expensive woolen clothes, etc. cannot be washed at home. Therefore, these are dry cleaner. Care should be taken in washing the clothes so that their colour and shape is not spoiled. The process of washing can be divided in two parts:
1. Removing dust
2. Finishing of clothes
Following points should be kept in mind before washing clothes.
1. Repairing of clothes.
Clothes should be checked for tearing and opening up of seams before washing. Such clothes should be mended before washing otherwise there is a possibility of further tearing. Buttons, hooks, etc. should also be checked and appended, wherever required.
2. Segregation of clothes.
White and coloured clothes should be segregated. If washed together, there is a possibility of getting them stained.
Silken, cotton, and woolen clothes should be segregated and washed in appropriate detergent.
Towels, curtains, linens, etc. should be segregated. These should be soaked for sometime in warm soap solution to avoid extra labour in washing.
Excessively soiled clothes like kitchen dusters etc. should be washed separately.
3. Removal of stains.
There are various types of stains on clothes. These stains should be removed immediately otherwise, they become permanent and make clothes unattractive forever. Stains are of many types:
(а) Vegetable stains.
Stains of tea, coffee, fruits, vegetables, etc. are vegetable stains these are removed by alkaline medium because these are acidic in nature.
(б) Animal stains.
Stains of blood, milk, meat, eggs, etc. are animal stains. These stains contain protein matter and to remove them, they should be washed with detergents in cold water. These become permanent if washed in hot water.
(c) Oil stains.
These stains are of oil, ghee, butter, etc. These stains are removed by the use of grease solvents and absorbents.
(d) Mineral stains.
They stains like ink, rust, coal tar, medicine, etc. are mineral stains. These stains should be washed first in acidic medium and then in alkaline.