Keep the Easy Feeling

Why soft clothes lose their softness

The things that make loungewear lovely, loose yarns, brushed surfaces and stretchy knits, are also what make it vulnerable. Heat tightens cotton and wool fibres, which is why a hot tumble dryer can shrink a sweatshirt. Friction pulls short fibres to the surface, where they tangle into pills. Detergent residue and fabric softener build up in fleece and towelling, leaving them flat and less absorbent. And gravity slowly stretches knits that are left hanging.

None of this means you need complicated routines. Most of the difference comes from three choices: lower temperatures, less friction and drying flat. Everything else is a bonus.

Reading care symbols

The small icons on care labels follow the GINETEX system, which is also set out in the international standard ISO 3758. A tub means washing, with the number showing maximum temperature and lines underneath showing how gentle the cycle should be. A triangle covers bleaching, a square covers drying, an iron covers ironing and a circle covers professional cleaning. A cross through any symbol means "don't". Once you recognise the five shapes, labels become quick to read.

Labels show the maximum safe treatment, not the ideal one. A shirt marked 40°C will usually be perfectly clean at 30°C, and the lower temperature is kinder to colour and stretch.

Pilling: prevention and repair

Pilling happens to almost every soft knit eventually, and it is not necessarily a sign of poor quality, though looser yarns and short fibres do pill sooner. To reduce it, wash similar fabrics together so heavy denim does not scrub your hoodie, use a mesh laundry bag for delicate knits, and switch shoulder bags occasionally so the same patch is not rubbed every day.

To remove pills, lay the garment flat and use an electric fabric shaver, a cashmere comb or a fine pumice-style sweater stone. Work gently in one direction and stop once the surface is smooth. Removing pills does not damage the garment if done lightly, and it can make a tired sweatshirt look ready for errands again.

Fleece, merino and modal: specific notes

Fleece dislikes heat and softener. Wash it cool, skip the softener so the fibres stay lofty, and air dry. Some people use a washing bag designed to catch microfibres when washing synthetic fleece; it is an inexpensive step if you want to reduce what goes down the drain.

Merino needs fewer washes than you might think, because wool is naturally resistant to holding odours. Airing it overnight is often enough between wears. When you do wash it, use a wool programme or cool hand wash with a wool detergent, and never wring it out; roll it in a towel to remove water.

Modal and lyocell are fairly robust in the machine but can feel stiff while drying. Shake them out well and they soften again as you wear them.

Making clothes last longer

Looking after soft clothes is also about how much you buy and how you use it. The UK charity WRAP has long encouraged people to extend the active life of clothing through its Love Your Clothes campaign, and writers such as Orsola de Castro in Loved Clothes Last make a similar case for repair and care. A loose seam fixed with a few stitches, a replaced drawcord or a darned elbow keeps a favourite piece in rotation for another season.

When a garment is truly finished, textile recycling banks, take-back schemes and charity shops can give the fibres another life. Old cotton tees also make excellent cleaning cloths, which is perhaps the coziest retirement a T-shirt could hope for. Ready to plan a full soft day? Go back to Settle Into Your Home Hours or browse The Loungewear Question Box.