Eco-friendly tips to make your clothes last long
Letting go of fast fashion is not a process that can happen in isolation from the adoption of numerous other practices that help you be more mindful of how you consume things. A switch to products and apparel made from eco-friendly materials is only the beginning of a long journey of conscious living. Re-using and re-styling apparel to bring freshness to your wardrobe is an equally important aspect of ensuring that you don’t fall into the trap of “what’s trending”. It is this mindless chase of trends that allows fast fashion to thrive. However, if we take a step back and adopt practices that make our clothing last, in new and interesting ways, buying new things becomes a more mindful careful activity that you only do when absolutely necessary, ultimately reducing your individual carbon footprint.
Here are some eco-friendly tips that can help you preserve the clothing you already have, to ensure that very little of what you buy ends up in a landfill:
Careful about where and how you keep your clothes
Stains can be the end of a garment. There are stain-removal tips easily available online, ensure that any stains on your clothes are removed before storing them. When it comes to seasonal garments, how you store them has a significant impact on how long they last. Spending a little time choosing where and how you want to store them makes a huge difference. For instance, Cedar lining or lids prove to be useful in preserving winter clothing.
Washing machines treat all clothes the same way. There are not enough settings to be able to ensure appropriate care that individual items need. Handwashing using minimal cold water and air drying can retain a certain freshness in all your clothes. Further to that, being mindful of the kind of material that clothing is made out of, can help preserve their texture. For instance, 100% wool and cashmere need to be gently hand-washed in a tub with a couple of caps of mild, non-conditioning shampoo. Rinse in cold water and gently place on a towel. Then roll up the towel and gently squeeze the water from the garment. Lay flat to dry.
Re-style: Alterations and Tailoring
Clothing and textiles production releases 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year – that's more than the combined emissions for all international flights and shipping. How many of your clothes end up in a landfill is a choice you can make. There are numerous exciting ways to repurpose old clothes to fit them into new styles and sizes. From natural DIY dyeing kits to tailoring, your old clothes can be your own canvas of self-expression.
