Care Guide

We’re probably already coming across as a preachy sort of mum just by the title of this section, nevertheless, we consider this an important matter so here it goes. As a result of growing consumerism, and of a dramatic drop in the price of fashion, we’ve come to move away from looking after our clothes and move towards quick disposal. Nevertheless, we still believe that if you understand the advantages of caring about not only the people but also the things you like, they’ll stick around for longer. The same happens with your clothes; but if you still need a little bit of persuasion, read on my friends!

It’s true that we all need to think ‘do I need it before we buy, to be better informed when we purchase clothing, or to choose pre-owned options more frequently, but even after leaving the shop there’s still a lot you can do or learn: the long lost art of repair and fixing; the right way to care for your clothes; or how to keep your stuff out of a landfill.

This being said, we decided to help you out by getting together some easy steps on how to wash, store and treat your clothing with extra care. By following the tips and tricks you’ll find here, your favorite garments will last longer and you’ll not only become more cost-efficient, but you’ll also be reducing your environmental footprint.

WASHING

WEAR MORE, WASH LESS – Washing your clothes after each use is often more about habit than hygiene. Most of the time it isn’t necessary, especially layering items like sweaters. In fact, washing less slows down the fading of color and aging of your garment in general. Many garments just need to be aired and shaken out properly to be good for another wear while most stains can be spot treated.

FILL YOUR WASHING MACHINE – washing a single garment by itself is an extreme waste of both water and energy. Accumulate a bit more clothes until you have a full washing machine. However, don’t wait excessively long, as you would prefer not to stuff it. A heavily packed machine can cause unnecessary frictions which destroy garments quicker and end up washing them poorly.

WASH PROPERLY – Follow the care labels and directions cautiously, they’ve been intended to keep your garments fit as a fiddle while not putting too much pressure on the environment. If you happen to have any doubt drop us an email at

GO FOR LOWER TEMPERATURES – A lower temperature still gets the job done while putting less pressure on the environment. This also keeps the color of your clothes deeply vibrant and it reduces the tension on the fibers.

PREVENTION IS YOUR FRIEND – To avoid any garment damage inside the washing machine make sure you empty pockets and close zippers. Also when washing new colored garments for the first time try to keep any clothes with lighter colors outside the machine.

USE GREEN PRODUCTS – Choose an environmentally friendly laundry detergent and don’t overdose on it, won’t make your clothes shine any brighter. The same goes for softeners, use organic ones in order to reduce the damage both to the garment and the environment.

TREAT STAINS IMMEDIATELY – If you get a stain on your garment, spot treats it as soon as possible. By doing so you increase the chances of a successful job while avoiding any unnecessary machine wash. You can find more help on how to get rid of specific stains here.

AVOID DRY CLEANING – Try to hand wash the item instead of dry cleaning it. You don’t need to go to the cleaner every time you wear a Dry Cleaning Only garment. But if you must dry-clean, do it selectively. Use a green dry-cleaner (one that doesn’t use perchloroethylene “perc” chemicals, which are extremely harmful to the environment), and bring your own bag instead of using the plastic ones they provide.

DRYING AND IRONING

SKIP THE DRYER – This is probably the most significant choice both in terms of reducing your environmental impact and keeping your clothes in a good shape. Try air dry, but if you really must use a dryer, tumble dry on low heat.

GO FOR AIR DRY – Line dries your clothing whenever possible. Turn bright or dark items inside out to reduce fading. Hang shirts from the bottom, and pants and skirts from the waistband. But do make sure to dry your laundry immediately and don’t leave wet clothes in the machine since they will wrinkle and may eventually cause mold and mildew.

STEAMING & IRONING – We recommend steaming over ironing, as it’s always mellower to your garments. If you decide to wash on a lower cycle, most items don’t even need ironing, just gently shake or stretch them when they come out of the washing machine and hang the garment to dry. If the clothes do need ironing, then it is best to refer to the garment care label to know what temperature setting is safe. When ironing cotton and linen items, go for the steam setting on the iron. This will provide a little moisture which will make the fibers smoother and the garment will flatten quicker.

REDUCE MICROPLASTICS

“Never heard of those Microplastics,” you say. Trading it for kids, Microplastics are small pieces of plastic, less than 5 millimeters in length which happens to be responsible for a great deal of sea and shoreline pollution across the globe.

Think about all your clothing made of acrylic, nylon, or polyester. Basically, every time you wash these synthetic fabrics, millions of microfibers are released into the water systems. Microfibers are too small to be filtered out by waste treatment plants, so they end up in our waterways and oceans, where they ravage marine life and the environment.

As of today, these small plastic fibers are now showing up in fish and shellfish sold all around the planet for human consumption. How can we stop this pollution? Apart from prioritizing clothes made from natural fibers we recommend using a Guppy Friend washing bag when washing garments that contain any type of plastic in their composition – such as Nylon, Modacrylic, Olefin, Acrylic, Polyester, Rayon, Vinyon, Spandex, and Lyocell. The Guppy Friend collects microplastics that come off your clothes during the washing process and prevents them from getting out in the water supply