Think twice before washing your clothes.
Washing garments too often can cause damage to the fibers and hence decrease the lifespan. This is especially true with dry cleaning, which uses harmful chemicals that flatten the natural fiber follicles in some fabrics.
If an item isn’t dirty but just needs freshening up, rather than slinging it in the wash bin, try hanging it outside or in a steamy bathroom to breath first.
By not washing so often you also save water and energy.
When the time does come to do a clothes wash, wash at lower temperatures.
Wash clothes at a low temperature with a gentle and natural laundry detergent to keep the fabric clean and soft, and also to prevent color fading.
Washing at 30° or less helps to reduce those emissions, while also protecting your clothes. The exceptions might be items that are in close contact with your skin, such as underwear, bedding and towels – which may need a higher temperature wash.
There’s nothing like that freshly laundered, air dried smell when you get your clean clothes in from the washing line. And not only does it smell great, air drying is also better for your clothes and the planet compared to tumble drying, which uses a lot of energy to run and can also damage certain fibers.
Instead, shake out your clothes and hang either outside on the washing line, drying rack or on hangers to air dry. Again, pay attention to clothing labels as some garments, such as woolen jumpers, might be better dried flat.
Different materials need different approaches to laundering.
Wool, for instance, should only be washed when absolutely needed, using a specific wool detergent on a gentle cycle or handwash.
Pay careful attention to the instructions on the label, which advise you on the maximum recommended temperature an item should be washed at. Unless, that is, the label says dry clean only.
Different materials need different approaches to laundering.
Wool, for instance, should only be washed when absolutely needed, using a specific wool detergent on a gentle cycle or handwash.
Pay careful attention to the instructions on the label, which advise you on the maximum recommended
temperature an item should be washed at. Unless, that is, the label says dry clean only.
Standard detergents can contain fossil fuel-based substances, which can have negative effects on the environment as they don’t biodegrade.
Using specialist laundry products like a range of eco-washes and a delicate hand wash can also go a long way to making your most treasured items last longer.
Thankfully, there are now a growing number of eco-laundry products.
An extra handy tip is to wash clothes inside out when machine washing, and to avoid overfilling, as this can cause friction and damage the fibers.
Zippers and buttons can damage your clothes and tear the fabric during wash.
Therefore, always close before washing.
By reducing steam and iron you use less water and energy and you care better for the product by avoiding this.
For some fibers such as viscose it can be necessary to iron after washing.
If your clothes are just a tad bit wrinkled hang it up during your shower – hereby the steam from the warm water fix the wrinkled fabric.
We always recommend that you wash your new clothes before use.
This will help remove excess dye in the textile.
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