Make Clothes Last Longer With 5 Easy Hacks That Cost Pennies—Your Closet Will Thank You!
From armpit stains to underwire woes, these budget-friendly tricks keep your wardrobe fresh
You know that sinking feeling when you discover your favorite shirt has an armpit stain that won’t budge? Or when your comfiest bra starts poking you with a rogue underwire? Before you toss those pieces and spend money you’d rather save, try these genius tricks! With simple fixes using items you already have at home, you can keep everything in your closet looking good-as-new for years longer—and your wallet will thank you.
Nix armpit stains with a panty liner
“Armpit stains are one of the fastest ways to render a garment unwearable,” says Hollywood costume designer Alison Freer, author of The Accessory Handbook. “To avoid heartbreak, put out the pieces you’re likeliest to sweat in. Then, stick in self-adhesive armpit guards. Or cut a panty liner in half and achieve the same effect for about 20 cents!”
Save underwire with a secret weapon
You may be tempted to toss a bra if the underwire protrudes and jabs your ribs, but Freer has a trick for painful lingerie: moleskin padding (on Amazon), sold in sheets for as little as 50 cents. “Use a small piece to patch the wire. It’ll last through multiple wearings, as body heat ‘sets’ the adhesive. When it loses its stickiness, peel it off and pop on a new piece.”
Restring sweatpants with a safety pin
Lost the string to your hoodie, lounge pants or pajama bottoms? “Pin a simple safety pin through one end of the string and use the pin as a guide to work it back through the hole,” encourages Freer. “I taught this trick to an actor who exclusively wore hoodies on a TV show, and he liked to give me heart palpitations by pulling the string out between takes and seeing how fast he could thread it back in before the director called ‘Action!’”
Hide a hole with a pretty patch
2026’s hottest fashion accessory? Adorable patches that are meant to be seen! Available in dozens of sizes and styles, from simple circles to cute critters, they add flair and repair to all types of clothes—and even come in specialty finishes like merino, fleece and denim. Many are designed like stickers, and you can permanently set the adhesive with your hairdryer. Find a wide variety at H&M stores, Nosopatches.com and Walmart.com.
Pamper cashmere with hair conditioner
Whether you invested in a cashmere shawl or found the perfect angora sweater in a thrift shop, handwashing will help it last longer than dry cleaning, says Freer. “The trick is to doctor a diluted baby shampoo with a few secret ingredients: a squirt of conditioner to keep fibers soft and a few drops of lavender oil to repel moths, those devils that love to eat cashmere.”
With these simple tricks in your back pocket, you’re not just saving clothes—you’re saving money, reducing waste and keeping the pieces you love in rotation for years to come.
This story first appeared in the February 16, 2026, print issue of Woman’s World magazine.
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