Think twice before washing your clothes.
Washing garments too often can cause damage to the fibers and decrease their 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 washing it, try hanging it outside or in a steamy bathroom to breath.
By not washing so often you also save water and energy.
To make your clothes last for as long as possible, wash most of your garments at 30ºC with natural laundry detergent
to keep the fabric clean and soft, and also to prevent colour fading.
Washing at 30° or less helps to reduce 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.
Always check the care label for specific instructions.
Wash clothes inside out when machine washing, and avoid overfilling, as this can cause friction and damage to the fibers.
Zippers and buttons can damage your clothes and tear the fabric during wash. Prevent this, by closing all zippers and buttons before wash.
Most garments will last longer and keep their shape if they are air dryed. Air drying is also gentler for your clothes and the planet compared to tumble drying, which uses a lot of energy to run, and can also shrink your clothes and damage their fibers.
Instead, shake out your clothes and hang either outside on the washing line, drying rack or on hangers to air dry.
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, as well as drying instructions.
You can read more about different textiles here.
Delicate materials such as laces, embellished items and studs should always be washed separately in a laundry bag. Both to protect the more delicate product and not to destroy other products during washing.
When washing synthetic fibers as acrylic, polyester and nylon we strongly recommend using as special laundry bag to retain microplastic fibers from going
into the drain.
We recommend this from GUPPYFRIEND®
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.
By reducing steam and ironing you use less water and energy and 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 bit wrinkled hang it up during your shower – the steam from the warm water fix the wrinkled fabric.
We always recommend that you wash your new clothes before use, to remove possible excess dye in the textile.