People Tree and Ecover tell you how to wash
Fairtrade fashion label People Tree has teamed up with Ecover to offer advice on caring for your clothes, while caring for the planet at the same time.
Washing can become such a habitual process that it's easy to stick to your usual bio detergent, even when studies have shown that eco-friendly alternatives can be more effective in some cases. To get us all thinking about what we use for cleaning and the volume of our 'chemical splash', the two companies have produced a definitive guide to washing effectively and ethically; I've reproduced the guide in full after the jump.
1. Labels - it sounds obvious but many of us forget to read them and
end up ruining our favourite dress or shrinking our woolly jumper by washing
at the wrong temperature. (Check your washing machine manual if you're not
sure what some of those washing symbols mean).
2. Clothes have hand wash labels for a reason, they need special care.
Use a gentle liquid for this task, Ecover Delicate liquid is a great option.
3. Sort clothes according to colour, washing temperature and fabric
type - this will prevent any colour mishaps and shrunken favourites.
4. Zip zippers, velcro tabs and check pockets for tissues, coins, and
leaky pens to avoid washing nightmares.
5. Do you really need to hot wash those clothes? A warm wash and cold
rinse will often work as well as a hot water wash.
6. Why not hang washing outside to dry the natural way rather than
using a tumble dryer?
7. If you have to iron your clothes de-calcify your iron by pouring a
solution of white wine vinegar and water in to the steam cavity. Turn the
iron on hot and let it steam for five minutes, then pour the solution away
and rinse.
8. Top tips for stains - on dry clean only fabrics rub the stain
immediately with an ice cube rather than a cloth, to prevent the stain from
setting or use Ecover's ecological Stain remover.
9. Wherever possible treat the stain on the reverse of the fabric.
10. Washing machines work most efficiently when they are almost full -
just keep a few inches free at the top
