As winter gets closer and temperatures drop, it’s time to rummage through your closet and get your cozy sweaters, puffer jackets, and warm boots ready for action. While it’s great to snuggle into winter clothes, the dirty laundry pile tends to grow bigger and the laundry gets more complicated during the winter months.

At The Folde, we notice two things during the colder months: 1) orders get larger because your heavier garments take up more room in our laundry bags and 2) there are more delicate garments sent during the colder months – meaning we’re on the lookout for sweaters and other delicates.

Wear clothes more than once

This is about as simple as it gets when it comes to laundry tips for winter clothes. When it’s cold, you’re less likely to sweat, meaning that you can wear your clothes more often without them becoming smelly. Wearing outer layers more than once saves energy, water, and detergent. Even better, it prevents your delicate woolens from getting damaged as a result of too much washing.

Wear multiple layers

When it’s chilly, it’s best to layer up. Wearing a camisole or vest top under a sweater means there’s only one layer in contact with your skin.

By wearing multiple layers, the outer garments stay cleaner for longer.

Freshen your down jackets a couple of times each season

Let’s be honest, they look great, but puffer jackets are downright tricky to wash. But to keep them at their best, they need a wash every couple of months.

Place a small amount of detergent in cold water and soak the jacket first. Then, pop them in the machine on a gentle wash before squeezing gently and drying on very low heat. Down jackets need low heat but they still need to be properly dried or the down feathers will mildew.

Just like washing pillows, the outside might be dry to the touch but the inside can still be wet. We recommend low-temperature dryer cycles that last longer – giving the insides adequate time to be dried properly.

Pro tip: Place a few tennis balls in the dryer with the jacket and watch them magically re-fluff.

Use a mesh bag for hats, scarves, and gloves

Scarves are guaranteed to get wrapped around other washing in the machine. So if you don’t fancy untangling knots to rescue your sweaters, use a mesh bag.

Looking for laundry tips for winter clothes. Keep it simple! Just like this. It’ll also help your gloves from mysteriously disappearing in the machine – like socks seem to.

Treat stains quickly – especially mud, slush, and salt

Any stain should be dealt with quickly, summer or winter. But in winter, salt can damage and weaken fabrics, so it’s essential to clean it off as soon as possible.

For boots and shoes, mix 1 cup of cool water with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Using a cotton wool ball, wipe down the shoes/boots.

Clothing should be left to soak overnight before washing in the machine. If the salt has dried, use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently brush away the dried salt. You can see more from our Laundry Stain Removal Guide here.

Take extra care with cashmere

Always follow the instructions on the washing label for delicate items like cashmere. A little washing-up liquid in a bowl with cold water is enough to gently hand-clean these garments. Swish them around in the water until clean and all soap’s removed.

Most of the time, it is smart to send your cashmere and other delicate sweaters to dry cleaning instead of laundering them.