Washing sustainably
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Did you know that laundering a garment accounts for about 3% of its total climate impact?* That’s why it’s important to wash garments in the right way – not only to ensure that they last longer but also to be kind to our planet.
To make sure that your clothes last as long as possible, it’s important to know how to take care of them in the best possible way. Every time you wash a garment you shorten its life, so it’s important to wash it correctly – and to only wash it if it truly needs it.
Here are our tips on how to wash in a climate-smart way that also ensures your garments will last longer:
1. Sorting
Colours
If you wash one-colour and multicolour clothes in the same load, you run the risk of a one-colour garment discolouring the lighter colours in the other clothes.
How to sort colours:
- All-white garments – only wash with other all-white garments; completely avoid all other colours.
- One-colour garments – wash with garments in similar colours.
- Multicolour garments – wash with other multicolour garments. Wash garments with lighter and darker colours separately.
Did you know that...
Your garments may become discoloured if you leave them in the washing machine after the wash cycle has ended? When damp garments are left lying together, dye from coloured garments may ‘bleed’ into the others. So quickly hang up the garments to dry at the end of the washing cycle.
2. Dosage
A full load
Washing full loads saves energy, which is kinder to our planet. But never overload your washing machine with laundry, as this can damage both the machine and your clothes.
Correct amount of detergent
Do not overdose detergent – too much detergent may affect the colour of the garment and thus reduce its lifespan. Furthermore, detergent residue may adhere to the garment, which can cause itching/problems for children with allergies or hypersensitivity. Remember that children have much more sensitive skin than adults. Always follow the dosing instructions on the packaging. And always use an eco-label laundry detergent!
No fabric softener
We recommend that you avoid using fabric softener, as it overloads the environment and the garment. It also abrades the fabric of the garments, meaning they don't last as long.
A household trick you can use if you want a softer wash without fabric softener is to mix 100ml of vinegar with 400ml water. This makes an eco-friendly alternative to fabric softener! This trick is best used for washing lighter fabrics, as vinegar may have a bleaching effect.
Did you know that...
- Water hardness varies in different parts of the country? If you have hard water, you will need to slightly increase the dose of detergent. But if you live in a soft water area, there will be no need to increase the dose.
- Different washing machines have different energy classes? A washing machine with the highest energy class can save a lot of energy on each wash. Newer washing machines usually have many different laundry programmes? This allows you to save energy and water with every wash. The programmes are also adapted to the product type. So garments are washed according to how delicate they are, which means a longer lifespan.
- Certain garments, such as wool garments, usually only need airing rather than washing?
3. Temperature
The temperature specified in the garment’s washing instructions is the maximum recommended temperature for washing the garment, but not a requirement for the garment to be clean. Unless the garment is particularly dirty, you can wash it at a lower temperature than the one specified on the care label. Washing at lower temperatures is gentler on the garment and our planet. The washing machine uses less energy at lower temperatures, and the garment’s fabric and colours will look good for longer.
So why don't we always recommend washing at a low temperature?
Some stains respond better to higher temperatures. That’s why we want it to be possible to wash very dirty or stained clothes at higher temperatures. One warm or hot wash that gets the garment really clean and removes stains is more eco-friendly than washing several times at lower temperatures, without the desired result. So you should always consider how dirty the garment is at the time you wash it.
4. Drying
From an environmental perspective, it’s best not to use a tumble dryer or a drying cabinet, and your clothes will last longer if they’re allowed to dry naturally. But there is one exception: outerwear garments need to be dried in a tumble dryer or drying cabinet in order to reactivate their water-repellent finish. And you must allow them to dry completely. However, it’s important to dry them at the temperature specified in their washing instructions. If 40°C is the garment’s recommended washing temperature then that will also be its maximum drying temperature.
Fill your tumble dryer according to the capacity of the machine and the drying programme you will be using. Even if no weight limit has been specified for the selected programme, you should not overload the machine, as this will cause the garments to dry unevenly and crease. It’s best to let garments with the same drying time dry together. Synthetic and cotton garments, for example, have completely different drying times.
Washing jeans
If you take good care of a pair of jeans, they will be a trusty wardrobe staple for longer, and their look and feel will only get better with time.
Here are our useful tips for washing jeans:
- Follow the washing instructions in the jeans.
- Empty all pockets.
- Turn the jeans inside out: this protects the outside from possible wear and tear, which helps the jeans to stay looking good for longer
- Always wash jeans with similar colours.
Use a bleach-free laundry detergent. - Do not use fabric softener. Fabric softener may impair the elasticity of the jeans and is bad for the environment.
- Don’t leave jeans lying wet in the washing machine.
- Take your jeans out of the washing machine as soon as the laundry cycle is finished. Turn right side out, shake and stretch the legs.
- Let jeans air dry. Do not tumble dry them, as this may make them lose their shape.
Washing technical outerwear
If you wash technical outerwear garments the right way, they will last longer – and the way that you dry them is almost as important. Here are some handy tips to keep in mind! But remember that simply wiping the garment clean with a damp cloth will often be best for it and for the planet.
Washing
Follow the washing instructions.
Wash at the correct temperature and with similar colours.
Close all parts & empty pockets
Close all buttons, buckles, zips and Velcro fastenings. This avoids unnecessary wear and tear on the different parts of the garment and the outer fabric.
Empty the pockets to avoid accidentally getting a pebble or similar in your washing machine.
Inside out
Wash the garment inside out to avoid wear and tear on the outer fabric.
No fabric softener
Do not use fabric softener, as it can impair the garment’s water repellency.
Don't leave the garments lying wet
Remove the garments from the washing machine as soon as the laundry cycle has finished. This prevents colour running from one garment to another.
Washing fleece
Avoid washing your fleece items if possible. Try airing the garment and spot-washing any stains.
If fleece truly needs washing, we recommend using the Guppyfriend Mesh Laundry Bag. It captures any microplastics that synthetic materials may release during washing, which stops them ending up in our lakes and seas. The bag also protects your clothes during washing, which means that they last longer!
Dry the garment & reactivate water repellency
Always dry in a tumble dryer/drying cabinet, but at a low temperature.
The garment will need heat treatment after washing to reactivate its water repellency. Do this by drying the garment at its recommended washing temperature in a tumble dryer/drying cabinet. This avoids unsealing taped seams.
Tumble dry on low heat to reactivate the water repellency. If you don’t have a tumble dryer, you can hang the garment in a drying cabinet or use an iron. Take care not to use steam or select too hot a setting on the iron: follow the washing instructions. To avoid damaging the garment, place a piece of thin cotton fabric between the garment and the iron when ironing. The fabric also helps to distribute heat evenly.
But even if the garment has dried, it will still not be too late to heat-treat it afterwards!
Time to re-impregnate?
Even if you dry your outerwear correctly, the water repellency will gradually wash away and after about ten washes you will need to re-impregnate the garment. It’s easy to test if the water-repellent finish is still intact: simply spray or splash a little water on the garment. If the water beads and runs off, the surface impregnation is still okay. But if the water soaks into the fabric, it will be time to re-impregnate the garment.
It is important that the garment is clean when re-impregnated, otherwise dirt and grease will be encapsulated and the garment’s function will be impaired.
You can buy impregnation sprays from most sport and outdoor clothing retailers – just remember they should be free from PFCs!
Washing UV-garments
To ensure that UV garments maintain their high sun protection, you need to look after them in the right way. Luckily, that’s easy!
Washing
- Rinse the garment after use.
- Carefully rinse in cold tap water as soon as your family has finished swimming for the day.
- Turn the garment inside out.
- Follow the UV garment’s washing instructions
- Use a bleach-free laundry detergent.
- Do not wrap the garment wet in a towel after use.
- The garment should be rinsed and gently stretched after use to remove any remaining salt, chlorine or sand. This helps to preserve its look, colour and sun protection.
Dry
Do not dry in the sun or tumble dry. Hang the garments to air dry in the shade or indoors instead.
How to wash different fabrics
Different fabrics have different needs. Viscose is easily damaged when wet and wool can usually just be aired after wearing. By understanding different materials, you can keep your garments looking good for longer.
Wool
Wool doesn’t attract a lot of dirt. This means you can often just gently shake and air a wool garment to keep it clean. Wool is self-cleaning thanks to its thin layer of lanolin – a type of natural fat that surrounds the fibre and helps to repell dirt and impurities, and is also antibacterial.
If you do need to wash your wool garment, use a wool detergent and select the hand wash or wool programme on your washing machine. Wool needs a special detergent free from the enzymes that ordinary laundry detergents contain. Enzymes dissolve proteins, and wool consists of keratin, which is a protein.
Viscose & Lyocell
Viscose and Lyocell are fibres that become fragile and prone to breaking when wet. That’s why you should wash Viscose and Lyocell in a delicate wash programme, preferably in a laundry bag.
When these materials get wet, the fibres contract and become hard and stiff. So stretch the garment very carefully when it’s still wet. Once the garment is dry, you can iron it to restore its original shape and sheen.
*Environmental assessment of Swedish clothing consumption – six garments, sustainable futures, Mistra future fashion: 2019