Washing
- Reduce your use of water and energy by only washing your clothes when you really need to. You can remove a stain also by just soaping and sponging the affected area.
- When you decide to wash, choosing lower temperatures and shorter cycles is an excellent way to contribute to reducing your own carbon footprint.
- Regular detergents and softeners pollute the environment when released into nature – make sure you choose an eco-friendly detergent for your laundry. It's not necessary to use large amounts of detergent when washing your clothes, as this will not make your clothes cleaner, but it will have a negative impact on the environment.
- Remember to wash your clothes inside out, check their pockets, and fasten all buttons and zippers.
- Smart tip: we recommend placing 2 or 3 tennis balls into the washing machine with your garment, as this will keep the padding regular.
Avoid microfibres pollution
- You can place synthetic clothing into filter bags (such as the ones from http://guppyfriend.com/en/) before washing, no matter whether you are handwashing, or using your machine: this will greatly reduce the amount of microfibres you will release into the environment.
- You can also install a permanent filter in your machine, although you might need an expert's help for this. In both cases, rememeber ro clean the filter bag after a few washings. You will notice when you need to do it because you will actually see the fibres in the filter. Remove them manually, and place them in the rubbish bin.
Waterproofing Replenishing
- Most waterproof and breathable coating is usually treated with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish, which is what keeps water out of the garment's outer layer. Make sure you replenish this coating at least once a season, possibly more if you use your garment very often.
- You can reactivate the DWR coating by placing your garment in the dryer on a low/medium setting for about 30 minutes (check on the label that the garment is dryer friendly.)
- You can also iron the garment very gently, using a low setting. Test if your garment is waterproof again. If reactivating doesn't seem to have worked, you may have to add a layer of coating.
- You can easily spray it on if you have a 2-layer garment, or wash it in if you have a 3-layer garment, ie. one with an inner fabric working as a protective layer for the barrier.
Don't iron
- Only iron if you really have to, to save energy and time.
- After washing, hang your clothing or place it horizontally on a non-heated surface, and turn it around every once in a while.
Don't Dry Clean
- Unless otherwise recommended on the care label, don't dry clean your garment, as dry cleaning uses chemical subtances with a high human and environmental impact.
