How to make tights last through a whole winter

Plaid skirt season is tights season, and tights have a way of running on the second wear. A snag from a ring, a rough patch on a heel, a trip through the dryer, and the pair that was supposed to last the winter goes in the trash by Thanksgiving.

Most of that is preventable. Tights last longer when they fit, when they go on the right way, and when the laundry is gentle with them.

Buy the right size and weight

Many runs start with tights that are too small and stretched thin. Use the size chart on the package, which usually goes by height and weight, and size up if you fall between two sizes. A pair that’s slightly loose at the ankle lasts far longer than one pulled tight at the thigh.

The weight matters too. Tights are sold by denier, a measure of how thick the yarn is. Sheer tights in the 15 to 20 range look elegant and snag the fastest. Opaque tights around 50 to 80 are thicker, warmer and much more forgiving for everyday wear with skirts.

Put them on from the toe up

How tights go on decides a lot about how long they last.

1. Take off rings and bracelets, and smooth any rough fingernails with a file.
2. Sit down, and gather one leg of the tights down to the toe with both hands.
3. Slide your foot in, settle the heel, and ease the fabric up the leg a little at a time.
4. Repeat with the other leg, then pull the waistband up gently, smoothing the fabric as you go.

Yanking the whole pair up by the waistband is what stretches tights unevenly and starts runs at the thigh.

Wash them cold, in a mesh bag

Maytag’s advice for washing tights covers both methods. In the machine, put them in a mesh hosiery bag, use a delicate cycle with cold water and add a mild detergent. By hand, wash them in lukewarm water with a mild detergent, and don’t rub, wring, stretch or scrub them too vigorously.

Close any zippers and hooks on the rest of the load before the tights go in, even in a mesh bag. Tights and jeans don’t belong in the same wash.

Dry them on a rack

After washing, roll the tights in a towel to press out the water, then hang them over a drying rack to air dry, as Maytag recommends. Skip the dryer. A heat cycle is hard on the stretch fibers that give tights their fit.

Store them so they don’t snag

Loose tights tangled in a drawer catch on everything. Fold each pair in half at the waist, then in thirds, and roll it. Rolled pairs stand up in a drawer organizer, sorted by color and weight, so the black opaque pair isn’t hiding under three sheer ones.

Keep them away from anything with hook-and-loop fasteners, sequins or hooks.

Catch a run while it’s small

A small run can sometimes be stopped from spreading. Dab a drop of clear nail polish at each end of the run and let it dry before you wear the tights again. It doesn’t hide the run, but it keeps the pair wearable at home or under boots. Keep the polish away from heat and open flame while you work.

Know when to retire a pair

Some pairs are past saving: a run that has spread past the knee, a waistband that rolls down all day, or fabric gone thin and shiny at the heel and toe. Retire those to wear under pants or boots at home, or throw them out.

Rotate your pairs

Give tights a rest day between wears so the fibers recover their stretch. Three or four pairs in rotation last longer than one pair worn every day. Keep one spare pair, folded small, in your work bag for the day a snag happens anyway.

What to actually buy

The mesh bags. A three-pack of Polecasa fine mesh laundry bags in large, medium and small, with zippers. Use the small one for tights.

The wash. A 16.9-ounce refill pouch of Kair wool, silk and delicates wash, a gentle detergent for the delicate cycle or a sink of lukewarm water.

The drying rack. A Honey-Can-Do three-tier drying rack, 31 inches wide, collapsible, with no assembly, so tights hang straight to dry and the rack folds away after.

The drawer organizer. A long, clear mDesign drawer organizer, about 18 inches long and 6 inches wide, which holds a row of rolled tights so you can see every pair.

Who this is not for

• If you wear tights a few times a winter, a single pair washed by hand is all you need.
• If your tights run in the same spot every time, the size or the shoes are the problem. Check the fit and the inside of the shoe.
• If you prefer fleece-lined leggings under skirts, follow the care label, which often allows a gentle machine wash.

Start on any Monday

This week, sort the tights you own by color and weight, and throw out the pairs that are past saving. Check the sizes on the ones that run.

Put a mesh bag and a mild detergent in the laundry room, set up a drying rack, and roll the good pairs into a drawer organizer.