Five ways to better care for your clothes
We're all washing our clothes too much. That's according to a report by the Society of Chemical Industry, which says laundry has a “huge environmental impact,” and that people should do less of it, except where underwear is concerned.
Orsola De Castro is the co-founder of Fashion Revolution, a charity which campaigns for more sustainable clothing. She's also written a book called "Loved Clothes Last"
Speaking to 5 Live's Naga Munchetty, she gives five ways we could reinvent our washing habits.
Know your polyester from your cotton
We know merino wool has properties that are anti-odour and so can be washed less, even if it's worn close to the skin, whereas we know most synthetic fibres do precisely the opposite - they attract stinky armpits and therefore need to be washed much more frequently.
It all goes down to understanding what the ingredients are of your clothes, although the fashion industry is not a regulated industry so the ingredients do not necessarily have to be listed on the label and this in itself is impairing the way in which we are caring for our clothes.
Give it a sniff
100% I am a sniffer of clothes, it's completely human - these are the type of tricks and thinking we need to attach to modern technology in order to be efficient.
When I sort out my washing piles, I do the sniff test to see if anything can be worn again, then I split items into those that can take a lower temperature wash, those that might be still good enough for a good thorough steam rather than a full wash and those that can be sponge cleaned and de-stained without any harmful ingredients.
Line dry - if you can
I never had a tumble dryer for years, because I had a garden, but I recently moved and now don't have good outside space so I've had to temporarily start using one for things like school uniforms.
I use it as little as I can and as efficiently as I can, I would advocate for no tumble dryer if you have a lovely outdoor space you can use, but we have to be mindful of life's circumstances before we preach and when we are faced with a difficult choice, make it with as much knowledge and reason as we possibly can.
Always wash your underwear...
The one thing you should wash after each wear is underwear.
I would advocate never wearing polyester underwear because as well as releasing millions of microfibres for each wash, they release microfibres when they're on your body - so let's be very clear that we need to be careful what we put on our intimate parts of the body.
Personally I wash my underwear in the shower - it's just as quick and easy, there's less usage of water and it's kinder and better for my underwear in the first place.
Use less detergent
We're all using way too much detergent in our washing, I was told by an expert in this field that if you use a tablespoon of detergent, that's plenty.
There are some brands of detergent that are more conscious of the environment than others, and I urge people to do their own research because there's a huge difference in price and availability.
Washing opens up a whole new avenue where customers of brands can both demand more information and be an active part of the solution with the way they operate their washing.
