If you drop or spill an item on your clothes, dab ice water or seltzer immediately so that the stain does not set. Make sure that you dab rather than rub. Before washing spray the area with a stain pre-treatment.   Don't clean stains with hot water, as this will set the stain. Try to get to the stain before it dries, while it is still wet. Don't put stained clothes into the dryer as this will make the stain permanent. Redo the stain treatment, then wash the garment again. Be aware that it may not be possible to remove all stains entirely. In this case, fade the stain as much as possible. Hot sauces, grease, and food can splash and cause damage to clothes.  Don't start making your favorite marinara or standing in front of your deep-fryer without an apron on.   This also goes for arts and crafts. Many paints can stain clothing, so it would be a good idea to wear old jeans and shirts that you no longer care about. If you don't have any aprons or junk clothing to spare while cooking or cleaning, stick with darker clothes. They don't show dirt or stains as easily as light-colored garments. Rather than pulling on them and ruining more stitches, you should snip loose strings and thread as soon as possible. If the seam has already lost too many stitches, consider learning how to stitch or sew, so you can fix the small problem before it becomes a bigger one.   When repairing loose stitching, it is often easier to do it by hand. Always match the thread color to the stitching. While it may be tempting to pull on loose threads, this can actually make the problem worse. Always snip the thread off. Proper washing and drying methods will prevent pills in the first place, but if you already have pilled clothes you can try to fix them yourself, rather than throwing the garment out. You can use a store-bought pilling shaver, but you can also easily remove the bobbles with a pumice stone, a shaving razor, or even a Velcro hair roller.
Address stains and spills immediately! Wear aprons or old "junk" clothes while cleaning and cooking. Snip loose strings and threads. Take care of pills.