Wash Smart
Wash smart
Good news: up to two-thirds of clothes’ carbon footprint happens after you take it home. That means a lot of the nasty stuff in the fashion industry is in your hands to fix. The extra good news is that is that it’s not even hard stuff to do. Here are some easy ways to make a difference.
Only wash as needed. Not only will you save water and detergent, but your clothes will last way longer. Next time you don’t do laundry in a while, you’re not being lazy, you’re just being a super good person.
Skip the dryer. Normal tumble dryers emit 40 million tons of CO2e in the US each year¹. It’s way better to air or line dry–plus hanging your clothes to dry looks super chic.
When you do the wash, set your washer to “cold” to save energy and help your clothes live a little longer (heat can break fibers down). Also, switching from hot water to cold or warm every four out of five loads would save 864 pounds of CO2 per year². That’s the same as driving 1,000 miles, which is a really long road trip.
For denim, consider bagging and putting it in the freezer for a day or two–this will kill bacteria and odors, keep your jeans in better shape, and is just a chill way to do laundry that your science teacher would have loved.
Make your shoes last with proper care. Before wearing them for the first time, we recommend spraying your shoes with an eco-friendly spray that will protect them from things like water, oil, and dust. Store your shoes in a cool, dry environment. Also, polishing your leather shoes works well to keep them looking practically new. Check out our FAQs for additional shoe care information.
When you machine wash anything —even recycled stuff—it sheds tiny bits of microfibers, which contribute to the pollution of our waterways. This can be especially problematic with synthetic, petroleum-based fabrics like polyester. Clean up your act by hand washing your stuff in cold water—especially swimwear and activewear. You can also use a Guppyfriend bag to capture microfibers when you hand or machine wash your stuff. They’re available right here on our website.
Use spot cleaner. If it’s only dirty in one teeny place, exercise that spot cleaner. Speaking of tools, lint rollers, fabric shavers, and sewing kits are your best friends for keeping your clothes in good shape.
Once your clothes need professional help, we have a whole list of truly green dry cleaners–that use water as the primary solvent, reducing toxicity and CO2 emissions– in areas where we operate. Also, we offer free simple alterations and repairs on our clothes with Hemster for our US customers.
¹ “https://thenewfashioninitiative.org/four-super-easy-sustainable-laundry-tips/”
² “https://quantis-intl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/measuringfashion_globalimpactstudy
_full-report_quantis_cwf_2018a.pdf”