How to Take Care of Your Clothes: The Ultimate Guide for Men

Caring for clothing is the least sexy thing to talk about when trying to improve your style, but it gives you the best return on your investment.

When I work with a client, they’re first super focused on getting stuff that makes them look good, impressing their wife/girlfriend, and streamlining their wardrobe with stuff that pairs easily.

After working together and getting them all that, they’ll get excited but then start to panic because they want all those things to last and realize they've never given a damn about their clothing before.

Caring for your stuff allows you to shop less often since you won't have to replace your clothes as often. It also ensures the stuff you own looks good when you put it on, as you’re much less likely to look good wearing a faded, wrinkled, or tattered item.

So, let’s talk about it. This is the start-to-finish guide on how to care for your clothing and construct your wardrobe. It's everything you'll ever need to know to keep your stuff looking good forever.

But first, I have a little gift. Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm a guy who doesn’t like to celebrate much, so I’d rather give you something. I recently constructed The Pivot Essential Style Guide.

In it, you’ll find everything you need to build yourself a stylish capsule wardrobe. It covers all the essential items a guy needs in his closet and tips on putting it all together. Use it to put your style and wardrobe in easy mode. And again, I've made it free for you.

Okay, on to clothing care.

First and foremost, stop washing your clothes so often. This, more than anything else, will prolong the life of your stuff. Your clothing does not get worn out by you wearing it, but instead by you washing it. The same thing applies to dry cleaning. The harsh chemicals, heat, and spinning of the cleaning process will warp and deteriorate your clothes over time. I aim to get at least a few wears out of each item. For example, I’ll try to get 5-6 wears out of a pair of jeans, 2-3 out of a t-shirt, and 6-7 out of a dress shirt. I’ll only take my suits for cleaning once, maybe twice per year. If an item is dirty, sure, wash it. Otherwise, put it right back on the hanger in your closet. A good steam/wrinkle release spray will help to de-wrinkle any garment and get rid of funky odors.

When washing your clothes, the first step is to pre-treat any stains. I’ve tried a lot of these stain-removing solutions, and Shout works better than most.

Before adding stuff to the washer, it helps to check the care labels to ensure you’re not about to wash something that shouldn’t be. In general, care labels are very conservative, and even stuff they tell you to "hand-wash" or be extra careful with can be washed as long as you’re gentle. Clothing can hold up pretty well, but again, it's better to be safe than sorry, so check those labels. Wool/Cashmere is about the only thing you really need to worry about, and most of that these days can be washed just as easily as your other stuff, but usually best to be air-dried.

Take all your clothes and flip the items inside out. Everything. This helps to protect the outside from fading and wearing unnecessarily and helps to protect the buttons. Typically, it’s best to un-button everything before a wash, as keeping it buttoned adds strain to the button and will cause the fabric around the button to curl a bit.

You don’t need to separate your clothing as much as you think. Aim for three groups: lights, darks, and underwear/socks/athletic attire. The last group you can wash in a warmer setting if you’d like to help kill any bacteria.

Try not to overstuff your washer. This leads to more wear on your items and more wrinkles.

Use dye-free / fragrance-free detergent to cut down on chemicals. Also, I prefer unscented items in general, so that when I wear cologne, I smell only like that fragrance rather than a mix of things together, resulting in walking around smelling like a Bath & Body Works store.

Never use fabric softener, as it ruins your machine over time and leaves a film on your clothes. Instead, throw in ½ cup of white vinegar, which acts as a natural fabric softener and stain remover.

The setting you use when washing your clothes is essential. The goal is to have the lowest heat possible and the slowest spin speeds. Usually, I use a "Permanent Press" or "Delicate" cycle. This puts less strain on the clothing and reduces the creases in it, helping prevent wrinkles.

Remember that most of your clothing, at one time, was a plant. You would never take a houseplant and douse it with chemicals, put it in boiling hot water, and spin it at jet-turbine speeds, and then expect it to come out looking the same. That’s what most guys expect of their clothing, and then they blame the manufacturer when it doesn’t hold up. Yes, the quality of the clothing matters and affects its longevity, so it’s essential to shop from the right brands, but you need to do your part as well.

Now, on to the dryer. Try not to let your clothes sit in the washer for too long, as they’ll develop a stench. If that happens, a quick rewash with vinegar will help.

Load everything in except for the items that need to be air-dried (typically wool) and lay those flat somewhere like a drying rack or table.

Try not to use dryer sheets. Many of them have oil in them that can leak out into the clothing and stain it, and it’s a pain in the butt, if not impossible, to get them out.

Again, low heat/spin is the goal here. Choose the "Delicate" or "Permanent Press" settings again here. Some dryers will let you configure the heat and amount of drying you want done. Ideally, you want the low heat, and your clothing should be ever so slightly damp when you pull it out. This will ensure you’re not overcooking your clothing, helping reduce wrinkles and increase longevity. If you pull your clothes out and they’re hot and dry as a bone, you’ve done it wrong.


Now, you can sort your stuff and store it away. The quicker you get your stuff on a hanger, the fewer wrinkles you’ll deal with.

For storage, I recommend hanging nearly everything. It helps reduce wrinkles, and you can clearly see everything laid out for you when you walk in your closet, which allows you to make outfit decisions easier than trying to guess what’s lying around in random draws and shelves. The only things I don’t hang are underwear, socks, some athletic shorts, and some very heavy sweaters/knitwear. You’ve probably heard that you should fold sweaters and such, which, if you have the right hangers, actually isn’t a big deal and you can hang them just fine.

Cheap hangers suck. They leave marks/bumps on your clothing, but more importantly, they just don’t look cool. Wood hangers are the answer. When you walk into a closet where most of the stuff is on wooden hangers, it looks and feels like an environment you want to be in. There's no need to get fancy; just buy some wooden hangers on Amazon and buy more than you need since you’ll be adding to the closet over time.

When hanging your items after you’ve pulled them from the dryer, there will still likely be some wrinkles even though you’ve done all the above. This is where a wrinkle-release spray comes in. Once an item is on the hanger, you can spray it with some wrinkle-release spray and then, using your hand, "pet" the wrinkles out of your clothes. Even using a spray bottle filled with water will take care of most of these wrinkles. It’s helpful to have a couple of smaller bottles of this stuff when you travel to quickly eliminate any of those wrinkles caused by your suitcase.

Once your items are hung, button and zip your items. For shirts, polos, etc, at least button the top few buttons of the item. This will help to keep the shape of the collar from sagging down and spreading while you wear the item. Guys have told me this tip alone made their style that much better now that their collars aren't flopping around.

Now you’re ready to store your stuff. Start by hanging your items in your closet in designated spots. I do not recommend going by color, as it makes no sense to easily access the correct item for the weather or outfit you’re trying to create. It’s like people who organize their books by color instead of genre - it looks good, but there’s no way to go look for a specific book on a particular topic. Instead, I like to organize the items by the type of item and the formality of the thing. For example, t-shirts on one end, then long sleeve tees, then polos, then long sleeve polos, then untucked button-down shirts, then tucked button-down shirts, then dress shirts, etc. You can do it any way that makes the most sense to you, but usually, by item type is best.

If you have the room to do it, try to space your items apart by at least a finger length or two, just like you’d see in a higher-end/boutique store. It helps the clothing breathe, reduces wrinkles, and you’ll better be able to see what items you have to build your outfits with. And, of course, it makes your closest look more elevated.

When you pull out an item to wear, and it’s wrinkled, it’s best to steam it rather than iron it. Ironing can cause clothing to wear prematurely. Steaming is easier and much more gentle. If you want the pro model, use this. If you want the more travel/space-friendly option, use this. You shouldn’t ever need to iron your clothing again if you’re caring for your clothes correctly and getting the right fabrics.

For shoes, try to ensure they’re displayed rather than kept in the box. Again, it’s helpful to see all the pieces of the puzzle when building your outfits. You’ll forget about pairs of shoes if they’re stored away.

Shoe trees are very beneficial. Personally, I never used them until about five years ago, but they’ve been a huge ROI. Make sure to get cedar shoe trees and put them in anything leather/suede. The cedar will absorb moisture and sweat and help to hold the shape of the shoe. Again, organize by type and formality. Running shoes, sneakers, boots, dress shoes, etc.

Every so often, your shoes will get dirty and need a clean. It’s pretty simple to do it yourself, but if you’re strapped for time, a shoe repair store or dry cleaner usually has a service that will clean your shoes for you, around $15-25 a pair. A gentle but effective cleaner is the Jason Markk cleaner, which can be used on almost any shoe. After cleaning, it helps to condition the shoe. Saphir makes some of the best stuff, and their higher-end shoe conditioner works well for any type of leather. If you want to take it a step further, you can use a polish/shine, but at this point, it’s best to have someone else do things for you by taking your shoes to a store/shoe shiner. All of this will not only clean the shoes but also protect them.

Remember that your closet is like an ecosystem. It’s a garden that needs to be maintained. You need to, every so often, care for the plants and pull some weeds.

When something gets a rip or a tear, it’s best to fix it as soon as possible. I recommend having a small closet area dedicated to things that need to go to the tailor for either alterations to make it fit better or repairs. This way, you’re never going to forget an item has a hole in it and accidentally wear it, and all your items will fit you like a glove before they make it back into the regular rotation.

Every six months or so, it’s a good idea to look at what you haven’t worn. Before embarking on improving your style, it’s best to do a big purge and get rid of anything you haven’t worn in a year. This is important to set your foundation. But, as you progress and things improve, you’ll need to prune things occasionally. Usually, you’ll only find a few items every 6 months that you haven’t worn. At that point, it’s best to donate them to free up space, mentally and physically. You want every item in your closet to play a role in the performance that is your style. Cut the dead weight early and often.

When you do this, it’s a good idea to reassess what’s missing. This is how you’ll shop from now on. Instead of grand overhauls, you’ll easily be able to see what pieces are missing -  What items can fill the gaps and tie it all together.

That’s how you care for and store your items for ease and longevity. You’ll have an easier time putting outfits together, your closet will look better and be simple to navigate, every item you own will look good when you put it on, and it will last longer, ensuring you’re not spending time shopping and instead enjoying your stuff.

Hope that helps.

x Patrick

P.S. If you're new here, last year, after turning 32, I wrote an article about the 32 most important things I've learned when trying to improve your style. You can read that here. I've been told it's one of the most helpful things I've written in the past. Hope you enjoy it.