[dx87]

One way to make your clothes last longer is by checking to see how often you're supposed to wash them, and air drying them if possible. Things like jeans really only need to be washed a couple of times a year unless you're spilling stuff on them or being very active and sweaty in them. Growing up, the conventional wisdom was that you always had to wash something after it was worn once, and you were being a slob if you didn't (for some reasons hoodies were exempt), but it turns out that isn't true.

[JohnCohorn]

<Things like jeans really only need to be washed a couple of times a year

Biannual laundry might be taking it too far! Jeans don’t need washing every day, and I will often use the same ones for a couple of weeks, especially while WFH. But after a couple of weeks you might notice a bit of odor if you bring them close(ok most people won’t get close enough to smell your jeans). And they will noticeably loosen, wrinkle, and lose the more form fitting shape they have after a hot wash/dry.

[KozmoNau7]

Depending on how often you wear them, washing jeans once a month is probably about right. Remember that washing in itself is not actually that hard on clothes (provided you select the right temperature and program and don't use an old-fashioned top loader with an agitator), it's the dryer that really kills clothes, with all the dry heat and agitation. Line dry your clothes and they'll last much longer.

Another factor that may not be as relevant when working from home* is that general dust and dirt settles in and between the cotton fibers and act as abrasives. You can get a lot of that out by giving your jeans a vigorous shake out the window, but cotton is very absorbent and will hold on to dirt and grime, so it's a losing battle. If you never wash them, the wear will accelerate and ruin the fabric, especially in folds and creases.

As an aside, some of the "common knowledge" around jeans actually does apply to wool clothes since unlike cotton, the wool fibers have a hydrophobic outer layer, so they will repel dirt. Hanging wool clothes overnight and giving them a shake the next morning is often more than enough to refresh them, cabin luggage-only travelers love merino wool t-shirts for this reason, they can be worn for several days before needing a wash, without developing odors.

* Are people wearing jeans when working from home? As long as I'm staying inside, I'm wearing comfy cotton pajama pants and a hoodie or a robe all day, it's so comfortable. The real pants or jeans are only worn for going outside.