From keeping whites white to preventing ‘bacon neck’, keep your clothes looking better for longer with these expert hacks
First, be sure to buy the best quality you can. Layla Sargent, founder of The Seam, which connects people with skilled menders, cleaners and restorers, advises going for “a slightly higher denier, a good amount of elastane/Lycra, and reinforced toes and gussets”. Brands such as Falke, Heist and Swedish Stockings should last longer than a supermarket three-pack.
Take care when putting them on, avoiding rough shoes and sharp nails, and for washing put them in a “mesh laundry bag, always on a cold, gentle cycle”, says Sargent, and never tumble-dry – “heat weakens the fibres and causes ladders”.
If tights do ladder, clear nail polish is OK in the moment. Then, for a loved pair, Karen Bentley-Brown, founder of Simply Repair South Lakes/Kendal repair cafe, thinks darning is worth the effort. “Be sure to pick a very fine yarn to match the tights,” she says.
As someone who often sneaks striped tops into the whites wash, I needed to hear this and maybe you do too: “Wash your whites only with other whites,” says Rajiv Surendra, who shares his skills in “the domestic arts” with his 380,000-plus YouTube subscribers. “You have to be strict about that.” A white T-shirt with a “decal or something ironed on … that’s tricky,” he says. “I assess the ratio of white to anything else. If it’s more than half, I’d put that garment in the lights.”
