Physically, clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from the elements and can enhance safety during hazardous activities such as hiking and cooking. It protects the wearer from rough surfaces, rash-causing plants, insect bites, splinters, thorns and prickles by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothes can insulate against cold or hot conditions. Further, they can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. Clothing also provides protection from ultraviolet radiation. Wearing clothes is also a social norm, as being deprived of clothing in front of others may be embarrassing, or not wearing clothes in public to the extent that genitals, breasts or buttocks are visible could be seen as indecent exposure.
Clothing Care Tips:
Don’t over wash your clothes. Washing doesn’t only cleanse the item, but often fades color and removes structure. Items worn carefully and lightly can often be made fresh again by simply airing them out.
Organize your laundry. When it is time to do laundry, carefully read the tags on your clothes and divide accordingly. Not only lights with lights and darks with darks, but cool dry with cool dry and gentle rinse cycle with gentle rinse cycle items. The more attention you pay, the longer your clothes will stay looking like new!
Use a mesh bag for washing delicates. Put delicates inside it before washing to prevent them from catching on the washer and other garments.
If something shrinks in the wash, keep it damp and stretch. Often times, damp items can be gently stretched back to shape. After gently stretching the damp and shrunken item with your hands, try wearing it while it dries so it reshapes to your body. This is especially useful for fashion emergency situations!
Avoid the dryer! It is better for you, the environment, and your CLOTHES if you air dry. Dryers not only rapidly dry your clothes, they rapidly wear down your clothes also. Do yourself and your electricity bill a favor and air dry the pieces you want to last. Most pieces can be dried in the sun, but take care to see which clothes need a cool dry (i.e swimsuits or more sensitive fabrics.)