Repair before wear: A stylist’s tips to prepare your clothing for resale

The tips and tricks that will increase your chances of a sale.

One of my great shames in life is the ever-growing pile of clothing that sits in my ‘to mend’ pile. Whether it’s a button that needs to be sewn back on, a stain that needs to be removed or a seam that’s come loose, it’s all too easy to chuck an item on the pile and forget about it. 

But I’ve recently decided it’s enough, and I’m slowly but steadily making my way through this avalanche of clothing. I’ll admit, the main reason I’m doing this is because I need a little extra cash, and plan on selling many of these items on eBay. 

For more on rehoming your wardrobe, head to our Pre-Loved section.

While it’s perfectly okay to sell your damaged items provided you’re honest in your listing description and photos, giving them a bit of TLC will hopefully increase my return. I’m no expert when it comes to mending though, so I reached out to Adelaide-based stylist Elizabeth Smee, the founder of personal styling service Bulbosa, to get her best tips for preparing my clothing for resale. 

Fashion Journal: What should people be on the lookout for when assessing their clothing before listing it online?

Elizabeth: There are many ways you can neaten the appearance and perceived quality of garments. Firstly, by laundering them using the recommendations to remove any scents or minor stains. Trim loose threads as close as possible to the fabric with scissors or snips, and remove pills on knits with fabric combs or fabric shavers or by gently using a razor blade with slow, considered strokes. 

Press or steam your garments to help them stand out as best dressed on the rack, and polish or wipe down shoes to help them shine, changing laces where needed. Always check necklines for foundation and makeup stains, and under the armhole for perspiration stains. You can mend small tears, moth holes or rips with simple hand-sewing techniques. 

There are a few questions worth asking yourself, too. Has the garment stretched out of shape or shrunk? This one particularly applies to knits and jerseys. Has the colour faded or is there discolouration? Has the fabric frayed? Can you mend it or use a fraying spray to prevent further fraying?

You also want to check if the closures are working properly. Does the zip open and close easily? Are the buttons or hook and eye firmly attached, and do they sit evenly? Are belt loops firmly attached? Does the elastic stretch and tighten easily? For accessories, straighten out belts to remove kinks and polish jewellery. Wipe down handbags, store them in protective bags if possible, and fill them with scarves to help maintain their shape.

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to repairing clothing at home?

Invest in a basic hand-sewing kit with different thread colours (white, black, red, blue and green, or colours that match the colours of your wardrobe). You can also take the garment to a craft store to best match the thread to the fabric. You can hand-sew small rips and tears at home easily by following an online tutorial. For rips and tears over five centimetres, I would recommend having a professional or a skilled sewer tackle these.

If zips aren’t gliding easily, rub a little bar soap on the zipper teeth to help them move smoothly. If the zip needs replacing, a standard visible zip can be hand-sewn in at home. However, it’s best to let a professional repair garments with invisible zips or garments with zips attached to the lining. Elastic that sits in a channel is easy to replace at home and is an effective way to extend the life of a garment. Where the elastic is sewn into the fabric, this may be a job for professionals.

There are so many tutorials online for mastering the simple skill of sewing on buttons and the same goes for hemming. Hand-sew and neaten any hems by following an online tutorial. This will improve the chances of your garment finding a new home. 

You can also give character and tell a story through visible mending. Use different coloured threads, patching and simple embroidery techniques. This can easily be done at home over a nice cup of herbal tea. For leather, silk and canvas garments that require special needles, repairing these items is best left to the pros, to prevent snags and damage to the fabric.

What are your best tips when it comes to stain removal? 

Spot clean stains as soon as possible – the longer you leave the stain, the harder it will be to remove. Blot the stain with towelling, then use detergent with lukewarm water to spot clean. This works for most stains on cotton and polyester-based fabrics. When unsure, test the stain remover where it won’t be seen, for instance, on the inside of a cuff.

For general stains, soak garments but make sure you only soak delicate fabrics for a couple of minutes. There are many store-bought soaking solutions – like good old Sard – or you can make one from vinegar or lemon juice. Be careful of lemon and bleaching ingredients in store-bought options for delicate fabrics.

For chocolate stains, scrape off the dried chocolate and then soak the item. For oil stains, use bicarb or corn starch, set for two minutes and then spot with detergent. Leave it for a few hours then launder normally and voilà! Another alternative for oil stains is eucalyptus oil. Seek out a dry cleaner for stubborn oil stains, also for any ink stains on leather, oil-based or red wine stains on woollen garments, or water or oil stains on silk and satin.

In my experience, buyers don’t mind sewing on a button or stitching a hem, as long as I’ve been honest about the item’s condition when listing it for sale. But given I’m feeling extra motivated, do you have any general advice for preparing and listing clothing for resale?

You should mend at the first sight of a hole to prevent it from enlarging or catching. You can practise mending on a scrap piece of fabric, within the hem or on a teatowel to get the technique right. When listing items, make sure to include the fabric composition and care instructions. Also, create outfits to inspire the buyer and show off the item’s versatility! 

When mending, if the fabric is slippery, you can pin tracing paper or newspaper to stabilise the fabric then gently tear it away once you’ve finished sewing. Attach buttons using double thread as this makes the threading stronger and speeds up the mending process. If you’ve lost a button and can’t find a matching one, try opting for a feature button or replacing all the buttons to give a new life to the garment.

Chances are, on purchase you have cut off the extra button and thread with the garment’s swing tag, but if you still have these then include them with the sale. The buyer will greatly appreciate it and it will prolong the life of the garment.

Repairs all done? Start listing your clothing for sale on eBay.