We all know that it’s important to take good care of our investment pieces — because we’ve spent so much money on them, of course — but if you take proper care of everything in your closet, your entire wardrobe will look better. In fact, if you’re extra careful with your less expensive things, they will last longer and look more pricey than they will if you ball them up and toss them in the wash without thinking.

The key to making your clothes last and look great is to know what the best choices for laundering are. You have a limited set of options, really: hand wash or machine wash, line dry or tumble dry, dry clean or … not dry clean. But the simplest options — machine wash, tumble dry, dry clean — are the ones that will ruin your clothes.

To keep your wardrobe looking great at every price point, try these laundry alternatives. You’ll be glad you did.

Hand Washing
Hand washing is the simplest way to keep your wardrobe looking like new. Fill your sink with cold water and gentle detergent (I use Woolite for just about everything, and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo for my cashmere). Sort pieces by color and wash things with a like hue — in other words, don’t drop your white sweater in with your navy pants. Put the garment(s) in the sink, gently squeeze the soapy water through them, and then soak for 3 - 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water, squeeze (don’t wring!) and then wrap in a towel to soak up excess water. Line dry or dry flat.

Machine Washing
The washing machine is convenient, but it’s not good for your clothes. The agitator can stretch knits and break down fibers in fabrics, even on the gentle cycle. To protect your clothes in the machine, use a detergent designed to protect colors; sort everything into lights, darks and whites. Invest in lingerie bags for anything that you don’t want stretched or pulled. Don’t overload the machine — it’s better to do two loads than to jam everything into one. Wash in cold water, on the lowest setting possible (gentle or delicate). Zip and button pants and tops; an open zipper will rub on the fabric of other garments and wear the material. Turn jeans and dark pants inside out to preserve the color.

Dryer
The dryer does the most damage to your clothes, both in terms of shrinkage and wear. After all, the lint trap in your dryer is full of little bits of your clothes. Skip the dryer if it’s at all possible and line dry instead. I hang pants and tops from the shower curtain bar in my guest bathroom, and I lay bras and tshirts on top of the dryer.

Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning fluid is hard on fabrics; over time, the chemicals will dry your suits and dresses out and make them more susceptible to wear and tear. Have clothes dry cleaned as infrequently as possible — once or twice a year at most. Or opt for steam pressing, to get odors out. When you wear dry clean only pieces, hang them to air at the end of the day and go over them with a lint brush; if needed, spritz with a fabric refresher like Feebreeze. Spot treat stains as soon as possible.

Ironing
I love ironing; it’s like meditation for me. Ironing a garment doesn’t take that long, and the payoff is huge — your clothes look crisp and fresh and sophisticated. Use the proper heat setting and iron dark colored pieces or anything with any stretch inside out. Ironing can fade dark colors, and it creates a sheen on blends with stretch. Keep a spray bottle of water handy and dampen cotton pieces for an extra crisp finish.

Resting.
No, not you — your clothes! Not every piece needs to be washed or cleaned after every wearing. Dresses, blouses and skirts can be hung to air out and then put away; sweaters can be laid over the back of an upholstered chair for a day or so, to regain their shape. Give bras a day to rest between wearings (and always always hand-wash your bras).

Mending and Treating Stains
When something goes awry with a piece of clothing — you lose a button or a seam falls out — deal with it right away. The longer you leave that piece unrepaired, the longer until you can wear it again. The same is true of stains; treat them right away, or you run the risk of never wearing that piece again. I carry a Tide To Go stick everywhere; I can’t tell you how many times I have needed it to get coffee/mustard/barbeque sauce/you name it out of my clothes.

What’s your best laundry trick?