With even colder weather creeping around the corner, my warmer coats are making their way out of storage, so I thought a new installment on my Mindful Fashion series would be a good idea. Coats can be really classic pieces that you buy once and last you for years and years, but for that to happen we need to know how to take care of them properly.

Investing in a good coat doesn't always have to be expensive, last year I bought a secondhand wool and cashmere long coat, which I'm hoping I'll keep forever, for only 10€. Sure, you won't always find such bargains, but if you look for them, you might, and if you look through your grandma's closet - with her permission, of course - you may even get it for free.

You may not want to wear a pair of denim shorts for the rest of your life, or a mini skirt, but you can be sure that no matter how old you are, you'll always want a nice and cozy coat to keep you warm in those cold winter months, so make sure to buy the right one.

Once found, you'll need no know how to keep it looking as good as the day you bought it, so here are a few tips.

• Once a year, after the winter season and before placing them in storage, treat your coat to a nice brush - with a lint or suede brush, depending on your coat - to make sure all surface lint and dirt is removed.
• Hang your coats in good wood hangers, to prevent any stretching in the shoulders.
• Speaking of hanging, make sure they're not cramped, hang them in a place where they can breath so the fabric stays fresh and crisp.
• Never fold your coats, as folds and creases in thicker fabric tend to take a long time to disappear.
• If you ever have a stain in your coat, blot it with cold water and an absorbent cloth, as rubbing will spread it. Just this year I wore mine out to a party and someone spilled red wine all over me and somehow, my beige coat didn't get stained!
• Make sure to clean your coats at the end of each season, as moths tend to be attracted to our smell they can really do some of their best work when coats are out of our sight for six months, and you'll be in for a surprise once you get them back...
• Whatever my coat's care instructions say, I always hand wash my coats. What I usually do is use a very mild detergent diluted in lukewarm water and soak in the coat for at least 15 minutes, once that's done I rinse it with cold water. Hot water should stay away from any wool!
• Once you've cleaned your coat, how should you dry it? Gently squeeze the coat and lay it flat with something to catch the water underneath. Hanging with will ruin the coat's shape.
• Store your coats in sealed garment bags to avoid any nibbly animals to come near them, and to help avoid the further, make sure to use some natural cedar balls, avoiding at all costs moth balls as they are full of dangerous chemicals.