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Clean Clothes | Sustainable Style
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items Eco-friendly tips for looking after your clothes in ways that are good for the environment that also help your clothes last longer.
This list contains a few affiliate links from which I may receive a small commission.
Sections
4
Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips
Eco-Friendly Laundry Products
Eco-Friendly Clothing Sources
Eco-Friendly Clothes Maintenace
Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips
Everything from how to wash and dry your clothes, to how often to wash and dry your clothes to reduce the environmental impact of doing your laundry/
Great tips from Australia’s best independent product tester.
Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips | Choice
Imperfectly Sustainable specialist Jenna’s tips for line drying clothes.
The BEST Tips for Line Drying Your Clothes Outside | Life of an Earth Muffin
A great guide on how often to wash - and just as importantly not wash - your clothes.
How Often Should We Wash Our Clothes, Exactly? | Vogue
Eco-Friendly Laundry Products
Everything you need to wash and dry your clothes while minimising your impact on the planet.
Front loading washing machines use less water and are less harmful on clothes. From personal experience, you need to be careful not to catch anything in the door. Any items held be the door will be held in place by the door and rotated by the door. This not only stretches the item, but can damage the seal on the door.
Front Load Washing Machines
For those in Australia, this washing machine received an independent award from Choice.
12kg Series 9 Front Load Washing Machine - WV9-1412B | LG AU
Ditch plastic pegs for marine grade stainless steel pegs and reduce the amount of microplastics going into our waterways. (Source: Choice)
Stainless Steel Pegs Marine Grade - 50 Pack Silver or Rainbow. ...
When its raining outside, a wooden clothes airer is better for you and the environment than a plastic coated rack or the clothes dryer.
Wooden Laundry Foldable Drying Rack | Etsy
Hang your shirts, jackets and trousers on clothes hangers rather than peg them. This reduces the need to iron saving time and energy. Wooden and bamboo hangers are more environmentally friendly than plastic hangers.
Wooden Clothes Hangers
I have a wardrobe-style clothes rail over my laundry tub. It is a great spot to hang clothes that will fade or become discoloured if left outside to dry. Clothes can literally drip dry into the tub - and its more environmentally friendly than putting them in the dryer.
Handi Homes 70 - 120cm Aluminium Extenda Rail | Bunnings
The most effective eco-laundry solution according to independent tester Choice. While a liquid in plastic packaging might not seem like the most eco-friendly option, according to Choice you are better off just using water than most of the alternative...
GOLD STANDARD Laundry Liquid
Eco-Friendly Clothing Sources
The most eco-friendly clothes are the ones you already own. Here are some great options for when they are worn out or not appropriate for the occasion.
My local buy nothing group is a great source of second hand clothing. Whether you need a new school uniform for the kids after they outgrew their last one in 6 weeks, or you are after something for yourself for work or a special occasion.
BNProject | Find Your Community
Why buy when you can rent? While Glam Corner's clothes aren't necessarily the most sustainably sourced, and are dry-cleaned between wears, but there is a lot less waste from renting rather than buying clothes you will only wear once. I tried Glam C...
Dress Hire | Designer Dress Rental Australia | Glam Corner
Take the guess work out of determining the sustainability of your clothes with Good On You brand ratings that cover 100 different ethics and sustainability criteria.
About - Good On You
Consignment stores offer a carefully curated collection of clothes. I have found some of my favourite clothes at my local store, Materials Pleasures.
Material Pleasures Consignment Store
Eco-Friendly Clothes Maintenace
Great for removing pet hair, tissue remnants and more so you don’t need to (re)wash your clothes as often, which will help them last longer.
Superio Brand Lint Dual Side Brush & Reviews | Wayfair
Assorted needles for every occasion - with a handy storage tube.
Stainless Steel Sewing Needles
While a small sewing kit will enable you to do repairs on the fly, I recommend only buying the colours you need to minimise waste. A dark, a medium and a light thread will be enough to get you out of trouble in a pinch.
Coats & Clark 100% Cotton Sewing Thread, 1200 yd Size 50, Nugrey
When a button falls off a garment don’t through it out, but replace the button (or all the buttons if you want them to match or want a new look). This is a great tutorial on how to sew on a button.
How to sew a button (EASY BEGINNER'S TUTORIAL)
Visible mending is currently fashionable. Everything from adding patches to visible stitching can give your clothes a new lease of life while saving them from landfill.
Instead of hiding rips and tears, the visible mending movement turns them into art
More tips on mending clothes.
How to Mend Your Clothes: 5 Easy Stitch Fixes for Beginners
Ready to take it to the next level and create new clothes from old? Here’s some inspiration.
Fuse TV - UPCYCLE NATION