When you buy your beautiful vintage inspired clothing from Mondo Kaos, you have selected a piece quality clothing, which you probably want to take good care of. One of the benefits of buying reproduced vintage inspired clothing is e.g. that, unlike fragile vintage clothing, you can often wash it in a machine, and it fits in well with our modern life. But machine washing is not always the best thing for your clothes. And then it applies that some of our vintage style clothes are made of textiles that are so similar to the old beautiful vintage materials that it can not be machine washed, for example. But it does not have to be difficult to take care of your vintage clothes, you just have to know what to do, for that we come up with some guidelines and suggestions.
How do you wash your vintage clothes?
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Our first tip is simple: wash less!Steam the clothes.
You can also steam the clothes between washes to wash less, this is another good way to make the clothes last longer. Steam can also take on odors as the steam kills bacteria. If the accident is out and something contracts in the wash (such as with rayon / viscose), you can gently try to steam it in shape again.
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Avoid using fabric softener.
Certain materials such as Gore-Tex and elastane can be damaged by fabric softener, and too much fabric softener can cause clothes to fluff in some cases. In addition, it may contain bleach, which makes the color dull. So better avoid fabric softener completely if you can.
Tumble dry vintage and retro clothes.
Stretch in the fabric, such as elastane, never benefits from high temperatures, as elastane, which is plastic, can melt. This applies to both washing, ironing and tumble drying. So to keep the stretch in your beautiful vintage clothes, hang or lay the clothes to dry instead.
How to hand wash your vintage clothes.
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Hand washing usually means quite cold. Since our body temperature is 37 degrees, 30 degrees does not even feel lukewarm, so be aware that the water is cold enough when you wash by hand. Also be careful with soaking as it can cause the colors to flow into each other. And then you should be aware that unless hand washing is recommended by the manufacturer, it is not certain that hand washing is beneficial for the clothes. For clothes that are very sensitive, use wool and or silk washing powder. Use cold water and do not twist the clothes. After rinsing it, roll the clothes to get rid of the water. Place it on an older or white towel and roll it up to get rid of the water. You may need more towels before the clothes are dry enough to hang up / lie to dry.
How to treat clothes that smell.
If your vintage style clothing is not dirty but smells like smoke or hidden, you can try many other things than washing the clothes. You can hang it outside for ventilation, it can be humid in the air. You can also put yours vintage clothes a few days in the freezer and you can also try steam.
The last tip in relation to smell, mostly applies to the hidden closet smell. Be sure to try this on an invisible spot first so you can make sure it does not stain! A clear vinegar is sprayed on the clothes, eg with a nebulizer, and then hung outside. The vinegar neutralizes the odor, but it takes a little while before the vinegar odor disappears completely. When it does, however, it has taken the lingering odor with it.
Vintage clothes in wool and cotton
I Mondo Kaos we have especially many in the autumn and winter coats, report og cardigans in wonderful quality wool. Wool is an absolutely wonderful material that insulates and warms the body, while transporting moisture away. Wool must be washed very rarely as it has self-cleaning properties. It is keratin in the wool that naturally breaks down foul-smelling bacteria from the skin. Dab it clean (possibly with foam from your wool detergent) where it tends to get most dirty at the sleeves and neck and hang it out in the fresh air. Hand wash your wool clothes if hand washing is recommended, but avoid temperature changes in the water and make sure that the water is not too hot, as the wool can then filter. If it smells, follow the odor tips in your clothes.
How to wash your vintage style clothes in cotton.
We always have beautiful vintage shirts and dresses in cotton from i.a. Burning who makes dresses in 100% organic cotton. Also many of our swing dresses are in cotton blends, eg those from Zoe Vine og Unique Vintage. Cotton is known for its durability and good moisture absorption, and then cotton feels nice and cooling against the skin, which is why it is often used for beautiful vintage summer dresses. However, the good ability to absorb moisture means that untreated cotton clothes easily curl and can also shrink in washing.
Depending on the quality, cotton is a simple and durable material, both when it comes to washing and the high temperatures. However, a temperature of 30-40 degrees is sufficient for your fine vintage clothes, to prevent the clothes from shrinking. Tumble drying of your cotton clothes should also be avoided if you want to maintain the shape. Hang it up instead so it can dry.
Depending on the quality, cotton is a simple and durable material, both when it comes to washing and the high temperatures. However, a temperature of 30-40 degrees is sufficient for your fine vintage clothes, to prevent the clothes from shrinking. Tumble drying of your cotton clothes should also be avoided if you want to maintain the shape. Hang it up instead so it can dry.
What is viscose and how do you take care of your clothes in VISCOSE
Viscose, also called rayon, is a regenerated fiber made from degraded and chemically treated wood. Viscose is thus based on a natural material. The wood material is treated with carbon disulfide and caustic soda to form viscose. It has the same properties as cotton, which means that it easily absorbs moisture and feels comfortable against the skin. Clothes in untreated viscose curl easily and risk shrinking when washed.
We have a lot vintage clothes in beautiful quality viscose, i.a. from The House of Foxy and The Seamstress Of Bloomsbury. The Seamstress of Bloomsbury has a beautiful silky Rayon crepe de Chine, which requires gentle care, but which is probably worth it all.
Since viscose can shrink in washing, you should wash your clothes in viscose gently. Hard washing, too much heat, heavy spinning and drip drying can easily ruin your beautiful viscose clothes. Instead, wash by hand or on a fine wash program with a short spin at 30-40 degrees, then let it dry lying down.
Be careful not to soak your vintage style viscose clothing as viscose loses 50% of its strength when wet.
If your beautiful viscose dresses are shrinking, you can iron / steam it back into shape. The heat from the iron / steam causes the viscose to give way.
What is polyester and how do you take care of your clothes in polyester
Polyester is a synthetic material that is easy to hold and then it keeps its shape well without shrinking. Polyester today is a very different material from the past, it is extremely durable and can last a long time due to the very long fibers.
Our beautiful dresses from The Pretty Dress Company or pencil dresses from Zoe Vine are made of polyester and elastane, and here the material really comes into its own, as it both keeps the shape and keeps the shapes.
However, polyester attracts dust and odors, so it needs to be washed relatively often. To get as much out of your polyester based clothing as possible, it should be washed at 30 degrees.
The polyester fibers are made of plastic, which means that they melt at high temperatures, therefore the clothes should preferably not be ironed or tumble dried. Avoid normal fabric softener, see explanation above.
Take care of your clothes - repair them!
Repair your clothes. If you have clothes you love, then repair it, that way you can enjoy it for a long time. If you are not so firm with a needle and thread, give it to the tailor, it often costs much less than you think. If you have to pay between DKK 100-300 for a repair, it is still much cheaper than buying new quality clothes.
Necessary luxury - less waste of clothes
Clothes are a necessity and a wonderful luxury. Buy clothes you love and that you get a lot of pleasure from, both as everyday clothes and what you are just really looking forward to wearing on special occasions. Buy quality clothes that last, and take care of it, then we all help to create a future with a better clothing culture with less clothing waste.
We look forward to seeing you in Mondo Kaos, and to show you all our beauties vintage and retro clothing.
Loving greetings,
Team Mondo Kaos ♥
Read more:
AUTUMN VINTAGE CLOTHES
THE STORY OF PINUP
CLOTHES FOR YOUR BODY TYPE
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