14 Tips for Your Tights to Last Longer

By keeping some simple rules you can lengthen the lifetime of your tights considerably. Even the smallest, seemingly insignificant details can have great impact.

These rules apply to all tights, not only to Virivee models.

1. Always hand wash your tights

If you want your tights to last long, wash them by hand in cold or lukewarm water. If you don’t have time for that, you can wash them in a washing machine on max. 30°C (86°F), but be sure to use a closable laundry bag or small pillow case. It prevents the tights from being elongated or getting tangled with other pieces of clothing. The washing or spin-drying itself doesn’t ruin the tights, but if they already have some tiny, invisible damages (you bumped into the edge of a chair or table for instance while wearing them), the threads can easily snap, and there you have your first hole in your favorite tights.

2. Don’t wear your tights with cracked heels

The skin there is very thick and a deeper crack can cut your sheer 10-40 den tights. Before going to bed, apply some thick cream on your heels to soften the skin. A monthly visit to the pedicurist can also do wonders. They can take care of your feet much better than you could do it yourself, and they are not as expensive as people usually think.

 3. Don’t put on your tights with broken nails

If you have broken nails, file the damaged edges or put on a Band-Aid. If your hands are very dry or cracked, apply some cream before getting dressed (sheer tights are especially vulnerable).

 4. Wear also socks with winter shoes or boots

Don’t wear your tights with boots or winter shoes without putting on some smaller socks first. If you don’t let the tights rub against your shoes, their lifetime will be much longer.

 5. Have “guest socks” with you

If you go to a dinner or house party, always bring some small socks with you to put on in case you have to take off your shoes but the host doesn’t have enough slippers for the guests.

 6. Remove the labels from your shoes

Some shoes contains labels on the inner soles or somewhere on the inside. These labels can damage the more delicate (10-40 den) tights, so after you bought some new shoes, it is better to remove the labels or put something on them if they are not removable.

 7. After washing, rinse tights in cold water

When washing your tights always rinse them in cold water as a last step. Hang them up and let them drip or wrap them into a towel.

 8. Don’t squeeze the water out by hand

After washing put the tights into a towel and squeeze the towel or just let the tights drip and dry.

 9. Wear slippers or a pair of socks when preparing at home

Don’t walk around without shoes or slippers on stone or wooden floors because these can damage the sole of the tights. Wear slippers or a pair of socks. If you walk around in your tights, their soles can get dirty and you transfer this dirt into your shoes. Next thing you know, your brand new light colored tights have black spots all around the toes, because they touched the inside of your shoes.

 10. Cut your toenails

Don’t let your toenails be too long when you wear tights. People often let their toenails grow longer in the summer because nail polish looks better that way. When autumn comes, cut your toenails short – no one will see your nail polish anyway, and long nails can cause a lot of damage your tights.

 11. Store your tights in individual lockable bags

Store your tights in individual lockable bags which are big enough for the tights but not too big. If you squeeze out the air the packages will be smaller. You can easily stack them and can go through the bagged tights to decide which one to wear. If your tights are in an underwear drawer, the bags are easier to find; if you have lots and lots of tights, bags help to make them more organized.

 12. Save your demaged tights

If you notice that your tights are damaged but there is no ladder yet (not all tights are prone to ladders, they appear mostly on more delicate 10-40 den tights. The knitting of thicker tights is not that vulnerable), apply some transparent nail polish around the hole and wait for it to dry. The nail polish binds the threads and the hole won’t grow bigger. If the damage is not obvious you can wear those tights for months to come.

 13.  Be careful when adjusting your tights

Most people know how to put on tights: pull the rolled tights up to your feet, then your legs, thighs and at last your hips. When you feel that your tights sit too low at your thighs or at your bottom, don’t try to pull it up by the waist. Roll it back down below the point where it feels uncomfortable and try to pull it up more tightly.

 14. Be careful with old furnuture

If you go somewhere where the edges of chairs and tables can be cracked and barbed (in some pubs or places with old furniture) always check the edges of the chair and bottom edges of the table (those parts your tights can touch) with your hands before sitting down. If you find cracks and splinters choose another chair, change your position, sit on a sweater or blanket or cover your knees and thighs.

If you have any other useful tips, please share them in the comment section!