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If you want to cut down on laundry and dry cleaning — to save time or money, or reduce your everyday environmental impact — you're not going to be tossing your entire outfit into the hamper every day. So what are your best tips on what to do with clothes that are worn but not dirty?
We thought this would be an interesting topic for an open thread, so let's chat about it today! What do you do with your semi-dirty/half-dirty clothes that still look and smell clean, readers? Are there certain items you always wash after every wear?
{related: how often do you wash your workwear and other clothes?}
When to Wash Your Clothes: Advice from the Experts
Guidelines for how often to wash clothes are often surprising (and some seem silly), and the advice varies. Wash bras after three to four wears, says Real Simple (hahaha). Vogue UK instructs us to wash our sweaters once a season. Wash jeans after every three wears, Good Housekeeping advises, while the CEO of Levi's famously said to solely spot-clean denim — no washing machine needed. Hmm. We've all got our own preferences!
What to Do With Clothes That Are Worn But Not Dirty
No matter what you think of rules like this, when you have an item of clothing that's worn but not dirty, where do you put it? Here are some options:
1. A clothes/blanket ladder: This wood-look ladder from Amazon has a handy basket at the bottom and is under $30, while this $66 one from West Elm is made from powder-coated steel.
2. A chair — or, in my case, a blanket chest where cashmere sweaters worn once can “air out” for a bit
{related: “dry clean only” clothes and how to wash them}
3. A valet or rack: This stainless steel valet with a bamboo base is under $50 at Amazon, while Pottery Barn has a recycled-wood/recycled-metal rack with a shelf for $229.
4. A spot with cedar or lavender sachets: Amazon has a pack containing 10 of each for under $20 total. You can hang them on hangers from the little ribbons on top or put them in a drawer to keep things fresh.
5. A designated drawer or closet area
{related: everything you need to know about dry cleaning women's suits}
Readers, do tell: What's your routine for worn-but-not-dirty clothes?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Anon
Not that many items fall into this category for me (bras, tops, and most pants are washed after every wear), but if I have a pair of pants or a sweater that doesn’t need to be washed yet, I hang them on a hook inside my closet.
Anon
I try really, really hard to put them pack in the closet or dresser because leaving them out inevitably leads to me just not caring and dumping all my clothes on the floor.
Anon
We have hooks on the walls behind all of our bedroom doors for clothes we plan to wear again before laundering them. Took a bit to train my spouse not to dump his clothes straight onto the floor, but worth that effort.
Cat
For at-home loungewear – pretty coat rack in the bedroom (hides behind a door that’s usually open)
For hanging clothes – designated closet area
For folded clothes – they air on a hanger for a day or two (nice padded one for sweaters) then go to a designated section of drawer
Anonymous
Ooo I think I need a pretty coatrack like this. There’s a corner of my bedroom that is always hidden behind one if not two doors and I’ve struggled to figure out what to do with that corner. This sounds like a good option!
Anonymous
I have two shelves in my mule chest for half-dirty jeans, faux leather pants, sweaters. I have a drawer for half-dirty bras, shapewear. I have a valet where I have 4-10 half-dirty blouses, dresses, or pants hanging on hangers. Half-dirty cardigans go on hooks behind the walk-in closet. i consider a lot of it to be half-dirty until it’s obviously stained or smelly, but everything is washed at the end of the season except for the faux/coated pants. Bras get washed at end of every month, I alternate between 7-8 each month.
Anon
Ha, that’s what the bench at the end of my bed is for.
anonshmanon
same for our set of pretty looking but uncomfortable old chairs!
Josie P
I use the bench and my DH uses the “clothes chair” off of his side of the bed :)
Anon
Now that I WFH, this catagory is huge! If I go out for lunch with someone, or have a brief court hearing, I will hang up the top and pants but inside out so I remember they’ve been worn. I will leave jammies and other WFH clothes on the BENCH for a day or two to rewear depending on what I did that day and when I showered. If I a meeting, or run errands, I can change my clothes several times a day.
carol
I am lucky to have a walk-in closet. My sleepwear hangs on a hook. My bras on a shelf. My worn “public” clothes hang at the end of each section (with the most recently worn at the very end.) My “home” clothes live on a small step ladder. Nothing ever goes back in a drawer or it will likely never be laundered. Before my closet, everything lived on the floor next to my bed…
Pep
I have an antique quilt rack in the bedroom where I air out once-worn jeans or other pants
Megan
I’m coming to the realization that “the floor by my bed” is the wrong answer to this question. Everyone else’s more grown-up responses are helpful!