Wash less

Think twice before washing your clothes.
Washing garments too often can actually 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.

wash at low temperatures

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 colour 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.

Air dry instead of tumble dry

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.

Pay attention to care labels

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.

Laundry bag for delicates

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®

Use eco-laundry powders and detergents

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.

Wash inside out

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.

Close zippers and buttons

Zippers and buttons can damage your clothes and tear the fabric during wash.
Therefore, always close before washing.

Reduce steam and ironing

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.

Wash before use

We always recommend that you wash your new clothes before use.
This will help remove excess dye in the textile.