If you’re a shopaholic, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that we spend on average 4% of our income on clothes (and if we’re honest, we know us true shopaholics spend much more than that). But what you might not have known is that we only spend 0.5% on clothing care. That’s sad, because without the proper care our precious investments deserve, they wear out much quicker than they should. We might not even wear them freely for fear of wearing them out or suffering from “wash anxiety,” which is a real issue. If you have never worn something in your closet because you didn’t want to deal with the scary “fabric care” tag on the back or send it back to the dry cleaners, this article is for you.

 

Ariel and Downy realize how important our clothes are to us; they wanted to boost our “wash confidence” by bringing together the minds behind every aspect of our closets, including fashion designers, bloggers, psychologists, and innovation to one huge conference in Barcelona. One of our favourite speakers at this Fabric in Motion event was fashion blogger Suzie Bubbles, who said exactly what we were thinking when it comes to our fashion: we should know how to take care of our clothes, but this is one of the most overlooked aspects of clothing.

Here are ten things everyone who values their fashion and clothing should know:

1. We only wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time

Stop for a moment and think about what your go-to clothes are? Why are they the clothes you wear all the time? What are your “sometimes clothes”? Are you not wearing them because they have complicated care directions that you don’t want to tackle? If you said yes, you are limiting your fashion because of wash anxiety, which leads us to our next point…

2. Wash anxiety is a thing

You know that moment when you buy a beautiful new sweater, wear it for the first time and feel like a glamorous rock star? You know that moment when you have to wash it for the first time and you’re kind of nervous that the machine will ruin it? Maybe you are nervous enough to send it to the dry cleaners instead.

3. Clean clothes can make a difference in your mood

Cognitive Psychologist Lawrence Rosenblum and Fiber Scientist Mary Johnson are finding a correlation between the cleanliness and freshness of our clothes and our mood. The cleaner your clothes are, the happier and less stressed you feel. These results shouldn’t surprise us; every girl knows that we will naturally be happier and more confident in clean clothes rather than dirty ones. But what we don’t all know is how dirty our clothes become on a daily basis.

4. Only 30% of the dirt on our clothes is actually visible

10% of the visible dirt on your clothes is outdoor soil, 20% of which is from accidental stains. The other 70% is body soil, and is there even if you don’t consciously notice it. Now that we have officially grossed you out, how do we get clean clothes when modern-day fabric is so dang complicated to care for? People are currently faced with 900+ wash combinations, factoring in the diversity of fibres, fabric construction, load size, soil and staining and water quality. But fortunately, Ariel and Downy have been busy innovating fabric care products that can increase your wash confidence.

P&G FF 2015 Ariel, Sven Proesman (2)
We got to see firsthand how much more soil Ariel can get out of our clothes than competitors with a simple cold wash.

 

5. Complex fabrics = Complex care

But it doesn’t mean you have to send it to the dry cleaners.

6. Ariel protects better after more washes

Ariel formulas provide advanced cleaning via a process of Ariel Fibre Purification and Ariel Fibre Preservation. Most importantly, this gives big results even while washing at lower temperatures to help protect the colours and the fibres of fabrics. Remember that disgusting 70% of soil on our clothes we can’t see? Ariel removes seen and unseen impurities embedded deep within fabrics while also preventing them from re-depositing back on fibres to stop their build-up, as they can cause damage and premature aging of clothes (a process clothing care experts call “grey veil”).

P&G FF 2015 Lenor Downy room2 (2)
Check out that difference in color!

7. Your hair and clothes have something in common: They both need conditioner

Downy gets deep into the layers of fabrics to condition the fibres and reduce friction. Thanks to the process of Downy Fibre Protection, a visible difference can be seen after just 5 to 10 washes, with less bobbling and pilling, helping to protect the in-wear fit and “like-new” feel.

8. You can avoid that annoying static from synthetic skirts that make them cling to you

Nothing is more annoying than a skirt that keeps clinging to the back of your legs while walking. That can be avoided by using a fabric conditioner, letting the skirt flow freely. Every drop of Downy contains billions of softness agents that help to reduce friction at a fibre level during the wash, as well as during day to day wear.

9. Your elastic-based clothes should snap back like your skin

Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and release it. See how it snaps back? Your elastic-based clothes should do that to, but unfortunately elastic fibers are very fragile and can lose their bounce very quickly. Some causes include exposure to UV, chlorine, and abrasions, just like your skin. Using a high quality product like Ariel when washing these items can help them keep their “bounce.”

P&G FF 2015 Ariel, Neil Lant (2)
See that screen? That’s what elastic looks like under a microscope, and to keep its bounce, we should take care of it like our skin.

10. Knit sweaters should be laid flat to dry

Using Ariel and Downy can keep your sweaters from fuzzing and getting scratchy and stiff, but you should still lay them flat to dry so they don’t stretch out.

Overall, our closets and unique fashion senses deserve to be cared for properly. By using the right products, we can fulfill our dreams of making our someday clothes our go-to clothes.

Featured image from www.jenningswire.com