Want your clothes to last longer and to look good for longer? You invest good money in your clothes. You’ve spent precious time and energy shopping for them and finding pieces you love. So you want them to last.
Not only is this good for your bank account, it’s good for the planet.
Now, many of your clothing labels may have a “Dry Clean Only” tag, which has been unnecessarily added to the garment. This is to reduce manufacturers’ liability, as they may have wanted to skip pre-washing and pre-shrinking the fabric before making the garment, which lowers their costs. Or maybe they don’t want to have to hear from customers who throw their viscose clothing in a dryer after washing and shrink it, because viscose is a delicate fabric.
Snags, pulls, and small holes ruin your clothes and make them look shabby. So, if you want to avoid this, there are steps you can take from how you store them to how you wash them.
This is particularly important for more delicate clothing or clothes that may snag more easily.
A delicates or lingerie bag is essential for washing not only your bras, but also these items will last much longer and stay in better shape if you put them in a delicates bag before washing.
Garments That Need a Delicates Bag For Washing
- Crotcheted garments
- Silk garments
- Swimsuits
- Activewear (anything with heaps of Spandex or Elastane)
- Fabrics with lace or delicate trims
- Garments with embellishments and beading
- Garments made with sheer lightweight fabrics such as voile
- Loosely woven gauzy fabrics
- Bras and anything with hooks that can snag on other fabrics in the wash
And don’t put ANY of these in the tumble dryer. Air dry only, as the heat from a dryer destroys fabrics and is hard on clothing.
How To Become More Sustainable in Your Washing Process
- Air dry rather than tumble dry
- Spot clean stains as soon as possible to avoid the stain from settling.
- Use wool dryer balls in the dryer
- Use vinegar* rather than fabric softener (fabric softener releases toxins, makes material more flammable, triggers skin irritation, reduces fabric integrity)
- Use concentrated bio-based detergents rather than laundry detergent pods
- Avoid using too much detergent or softener, as it builds up over time and causes clothes to feel stiff and trap moisture and dirt (and can become a breeding ground for bacteria to grow and your clothes start smelling musty and stale)
- Use your protective delicates bags when washing anything that is the slightest bit delicate
- Leave the washing machine door open between cycles to stop it from growing mould and mildew.
- Don’t overfill your machine, keep it to 3/4 full so the clothes have room to move and therefore will clean better
*When using vinegar, use 1/2 cup before the end of the cycle, add diluted white vinegar to the load and do not use on fabrics with a lot of elastane/spandex, such as activewear and swimwear.
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