Fill a sink or basin with cold water
Garment Care 101
Better for Your Clothing,
You and Mother Earth
With correct love and care, your clothing can last forever and you will reduce your carbon, chemical, and water footprint.
Step 1: Check The Care Label
Care labels have instructions on how to properly care for the garment from the experts- the people who made the fabric. Use this as a starting point to care for your garments.
Step 2: Use Best Practices
Hand washing is the best option for any garment, specifically delicate garments, to reduce wear and tear and maintain the color of the garment.
1.
2.
Add natural and biodegradable clothing detergent free of artificial fragrance, bleach, optical brighteners, sulfates, and dioxane. Check the container for the correct water-to-detergent ratio.
3.
Submerge garment in water.
4.
Gently swirl and squeeze garment- do not wring or twist.
5.
Drain basin and rinse garment with cold water (skip this step if using no-rinse soap)
6.
Pull out garment and gently squeeze excess water without stretching
Drying Options:
For Knits:
Reshape garment on a dry towel then roll up the towel, gently pressing as you go to remove excess water. After a day, reshape and lay garment flat on a fresh towel or drying rack to air dry.
For Wovens:
Hang dry out of direct heat or sunlight
Best For:
Natural Dyes
Regenerative Silk or Peace Silk
Regenerative Alpaca & Regular Alpaca
Machine washing is the fastest and most effective way to clean a lot of garments, but can have adverse effects on the garments and the planet if not done correctly.
1.
Wait until you have a full load of clothing that needs washing.
2.
Select cold water setting. It is better for the Earth- by reducing energy needed to heat water- and better for your clothing- by reducing fiber degradation and color fading.
3.
Select a normal/ regular or delicate/ gentle setting based on whether you are washing lighter, more delicate items.
4.
Select high spin to remove as much water as .possible before drying.
5.
Add a natural and biodegradable detergent free of artificial fragrance, bleach, optical brighteners, sulfates, and dioxane that can harm you and the Earth. Check the container for the correct water-to-detergent ratio.
Suggested detergents: Kind Laundry
Drying Options:
Whenever possible, air dry clothing. It is the best way to save electricity and avoid the wear and tear machine drying causes garments.
For Knits:
Reshape garment on a dry towel then roll up the towel, gently pressing as you go to remove excess water. After a day, reshape and lay garment flat on a fresh towel or drying rack to air dry.
For Wovens:
Hang dry out of direct heat or sunlight.
Best For:
Organic Dyes
If a care label says dry clean only that means it will not react well to at-home washing and need specialty cleaning.
1.
Wait until it is absolutely necessary to clean the garment.
2.
Find a green dry cleaner.
3.
Double-check that the cleaner does not use perchloroethylene “perc.” Perc is the main solvent used at dry cleaners and is toxic to humans and the environment and is not biodegradable.
4.
Opt out of the plastic covers.
Best For:
Deadstock
Regenerative Silk or Peace Silk
The best way to care for your clothing and the Earth is to avoid laundry as much as possible. All natural fibers are innately antibacterial- you will be surprised how little they actually need washing.
1.
Spot clean as needed. If there are small marks or stains, or certain smelly areas, wash only the problem zone in the sink using a natural, biodegradable detergent.
2.
Sun washing is a great way to naturally clean clothing. The sun’s ultraviolet rays has kills bacteria causing smell. Just lay clothing in direct sunlight for an hour on each side. **All clothing dyes are sensitive to sunlight and will fade, especially naturally dyes. Only use this technique on clothing you are okay with fading.
3.
Air out clothing for a quick refresh. As soon as you are done wearing them, hang garments outside to get some airflow and harness their natural cleaning powers.
Best For:
All Garments!
Step 3: Unique Techniques for Unique Fabrics
Natural dyes are more sensitive to washing, PH, and sun than their chemical alternatives. As long as you keep that in mind, caring for naturally dyed pieces is easy.
1.
Hand-wash naturally dyed garments in cold water, using the hand-washing best practices above. The dye may bleed the first few washes, this is perfectly normal.
2.
Naturally dyed garments can be machine washed on cold and delicate settings. Always wash with like colors and know machine washing may cause more color fading than hand-washing.
3.
Do not wring or rub the fabric during or after washing, this may cause streaks.
4.
Natural dyes (except indigo) are sensitive to PH and chemicals. Always use a PH-neutral, natural, and biodegradable detergent, and avoid acidity during wear (be careful squeezing lemons!)
5.
Persistent stains tend to fade over time and with more washes.
6.
Hang dry naturally dyed garments away from direct sunlight- the sun will fade color.
Woolens are magical in their stain-resistant and anti-bacterial properties and rarely, if ever, need cleaning!
1.
Before washing woolens, try laying them in the sun for a few hours. Sun and fresh air enhances woolen’s self-cleaning abilities and reduce the need for washing (woolens you wear regularly only need washing once a year or less.)
2.
To wash, follow hand-washing best practices above in cold water. Woolens can be machine washed on the cold and delicate or wool settings. Avoid warm or hot water, they will shrink and felt woolens.
3.
Use a natural, biodegradable, mild detergent that is wool friendly.
4.
Never hang or machine dry or stretch woolens when wet. To dry, reshape garment on a dry towel then roll up the towel, gently pressing as you go to remove excess water. After a day, reshape and lay the garment flat on a fresh towel or drying rack to air dry.
Silk and silk blends are delicate fabrics that need special care when washing.
1.
For best results, follow the dry cleaning best practices above.
2.
Silks can be hand-washed at home, use the handwash best practices above. To dry, lay silk garments on a clean towel to absorb extra moisture (do not wring) before hang drying.
3.
Be cautious, spot-cleaning silks can leave water marks.
4.
Iron silks as needed with the iron on low setting or on high with a cotton towel between the iron and the garment.
Deadstock usually comes from unknown sources. We do not know the exact fabric content, how it was treated, and whether the fabric is preshrunk, so we can’t predict how it will react to washing.
1.
For best results, follow the dry cleaning best practices above.
Although it is one of the sturdiest cotton weaves, washing and drying denim breaks down and softens the fabric, changing the garment’s fit, look, and how long it lasts.
1.
Wash denim no more than every 10 wears.
2.
Before washing, try spot cleaning and hanging denim inside out in fresh air and sunlight.
3.
Hand or machine wash in cold water when absolutely necessary.
4.
Turn garment inside out before washing to preserve color.
5.
Use biodegradable detergent free of artificial fragrance, bleach, optical brighteners, sulfates, and dioxane.
6.
Hang-dry denim; this will preserve the fit and will prevent the denim from shrinking or warping (be sure to turn inside out so the pockets dry too.)
Your Questions Answered:
It’s likely not going to return to the exact size it was before but there are things you can try to stretch it back out. Try steaming it with a hand steamer and lightly stretching it as you go. You can also ask a dry cleaner to steam it.
Still, we suggest dry cleaning. But if that’s not an option you can extend the amount of wear between washes by placing in a bag in the freezer to kill any bacteria. Try hanging in the sunshine outside to refresh it. And if you must wash it at home we would suggest hand washing in cold water with mild natural detergent then hang drying.
The best thing for you, your garment, and the Earth is to wear more and wash less. Hanging worn garments in fresh air, spraying with a natural fabric spray, and spot-cleaning any problem areas are all great ways to extend the amount of wears between washes.
Yes, that is perfectly normal the first few wears! The indigo our dyers use will wash off of skin and is 100% plant-based and natural. In fact, indigo has many naturally healing properties for the skin. Adding a little bit of vinegar when you hand wash your indigo piece will help fix the dye to the fabric to reduce the color rubbing off.
The color of naturally dyed garments will change with use, sun exposure, washes, and stain if exposed to bases, acids, or harsh chemicals. For better or worse, naturally dyed pieces are just that, natural. Usually, stains will fade and the color will find an equilibrium over time.
Leather gets better with time, but needs light cleaning every once in a while. Brush off dirt or dust using a damp rag or brush. You can use an all-natural shoe cleaner, polish, and/or conditioner to replenish the shoes back to their original look.
Block printing is a fully handmade, artisanal process. Although the printers have years of practice with precision, each print will be unique. A slight shift in the printer's grip, a cloud going across the sky during the sun-curing phase, or wind blowing sand onto the fabric while it drys will all change the finished looks and create small inconsistencies. Block-printed dresses are a piece of art. Each piece is unique and represents the artisan and the Earth who created it.
Contributing Writer Mairin Wilson
