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Five Ways to Take Care of Your Clothes in Monsoon

Monsoon – you either love it or hate it. The refreshing rains, the greenery all around and the petrichor (smell of wet earth) are some of the things about monsoon that are dreamy & lovable. If you are a pluviophile a.k.a. a rain lover just like us, you will surely wait for its arrival every year. But along with the beautiful rains, there also comes the dread of being extra careful about your clothes. Along with the heavy rains and the humidity, there comes unwanted bacteria & fungus that sticks to your clothes like metal to a magnet. Without proper care, your favourite clothes stand a good chance to be ruined by the end of the monsoon season sitting in or outside your wardrobe. To make sure that you don’t ever let your clothes suffer the cons of the rainy season, here are a few tips on how to preserve them during monsoons.

 

Step 1: The Washing

 

Precautions should be taken from the very beginning. First of all, you should refrain from storing damp clothes in the laundry bag or for instance using the washing machine as your laundry bag to store the dirty and unwashed clothes as this helps the bacteria and fungus to build up, leading to bad odour. Remember - don’t overload the machine! You can also mix vinegar or baking soda along with the detergent if you want to remove that musty monsoon odour. P.S. – this little trick also helps in the cleaning process.

 

Step 2: The Drying

 

Sunlight is the best way to dry your clothes off, but in the monsoons, that might prove tricky. So, the best possible way is to let it air-dry or when push comes to shove, you can turn the fan on to let the clothes dry faster - this helps against the unpredictable monsoon weather. Another monsoon wardrobe tip - never put damp clothes one on top of the other on the rope - spread them on the rope one by one and switch on the fan to dry. This is THE best way to remove any unwanted odour from clothes while keeping them fresh and clean in the rainy season. Cheat card - you can even iron the nearly dried clothes on low heat to dry them off well & fine.

 

Step 3: Storage

 

Make sure that you store clothes that are well - dried and in no way damp or partially wet. Keeping semi-wet clothes in the cupboard will spell doom not only for those garments, but for the other clothes in the cupboard too! Damp clothes are a big ‘oh-no-no’ during the rainy season and in no time at all you will notice a huge part of your wardrobe is in trouble. Tip – make sure that your clothes are not clustered together – enough ventilation space is essential. Divide your wardrobe space sensibly and season-wise, this way your clothes will stay fresh. Also, a word of caution - exposing your winterwear to the monsoon will be a nightmare if they catch even the slightest whiff of bacteria.

 

Step 4: Protection

 

Keeping dry clothes in a dry and clean wardrobe isn’t the end – you need to do much more than that. Tto protect your clothes from bacteria and fungi, place dried neem leaves and mothballs in your wardrobe. Camphor balls work well for absorbing the moisture and keeping insects at bay during the rainy season. A simple and effective tip - install a low voltage bulb in your wardrobe as the bulb will generate mild heat that will keep the bacteria at bay. Cheat card - add a few sticks of chalk to keep the wardrobes and drawers free of the monsoon stench. It will keep the dampness away and your clothes smelling super fresh. You can also use dryer sheets to absorb the extra moisture from items such as belts, socks etc.

 

Step 5: Wearing the Clothes

 

As much as you need to take care of your clothes inside the house, you need to take care of them outside too. Layer your outfits in the rainy season, keep items like t-shirts; shorts & cotton pants at the ready as they are easier to wash and take lesser time to dry. Light fabrics and bright colours are good wardrobe choices for the season as well as they help keep things dry and preppy.

 

With these essential steps, you can stay dry as well as fashionable no matter how many rains come and go!