8 Things We Had No Idea Were Damaging Our Clothes

You don’t have to be an impeccably groomed street style star to care about what’s hanging in your closet. Really, you don’t have to be interested in trends at all to want to extend the lifespan of the clothes on which you’ve spent your hard-earned money. Yes, even that “ugly” jacket that just feels like home.

Unfortunately, some of the things we do to our clothes on the regular — like overexposing them to dry-cleaning chemicals instead of machine-washing with a reliable detergent like Woolite — are potentially damaging them...big time. That’s why we tapped stylists and tailors for a roster of simple tips and tricks to reverse common wrongs and get a few lessons on maintaining, storing, and cleaning those precious pieces the smart way. Read on for a crash course in damage control.