How to make Your Wardrobe More Environmentally Friendly
We hear about fast fashion all the time and how it’s harmful for the environment. However, creating a sustainable wardrobe can feel intimidating in the beginning.
Here are our easy and helpful tips on making your wardrobe more environmentally friendly:
Sustainable Wardrobe Basics- Buy quality clothes
If you’re only starting out on your journey toward a sustainable wardrobe and fashion, you may feel like spending almost double the amount you would normally is not good for your budget.
Instead of looking only at the price tag, look at your clothes as an investment. Spending a little more to buy once ensures that your clothes will last longer and will be worth the money.
Look at the label
Brands can use any labels they want or market themselves as sustainable or eco-friendly when the reality is otherwise. To make sure you’re actually supporting a sustainable brand, read the label's list of materials. Choose items made with organic cotton, liner or go for lines that use recycled materials
Search around for sustainable brands
Shopping is easy when you know where to look. Find brands that offer clothes in your style and are sustainable.
Luckily for those of us shopping for eco-friendly clothing, the number of sustainable brands has only been growing for the past couple of years, so you won’t have trouble picking a favorite when you start looking.
Learn how to repair your items
Besides just buying quality clothes, you should also know how to prolong their lifespan. Sometimes accidents happen. Small tears arise and buttons pop out unexpectedly. Learn how to repair minor damages to extend the life of your item.
There are dozens of videos and tutorials to help you gain expertise. If you grow to love it, you can unlock a whole world of repurposing items and giving those old pieces a new chance at life.
Tailor your clothes
Wearing properly tailored clothes is going to make a world of difference, especially when it comes to professional clothing like suits or blazers. A well-tailored suit can make the clothes look more expensive and made just for you.
Quality fabrics can also be a fashion staple. When investing in well made clothing, a sustainable wardrobe will be comprised of quality fabrics. In general, they will have a longer life than many inexpensive fabrics.
Properly take care of your clothes
Avoid accidentally damaging by ensuring you take proper care of them. Learn how to read the labels on clothes so you can know how to wash and dry them without causing damage. Taking good care of your clothes ensures that they will last longer and that you will not have to replace them as frequently.
With many fabrics, hanging to dry rather than using a dryer can help prolong the lifetime of the fabric. Fabrics such as quality wool, linen, and finely woven cottons are prone to shrinkage in the dryer. Be aware of proper fabric care to take care of your investment clothing pieces.
Don’t wash too often
Not all clothes need to be thrown in the laundry the second you take them off after wearing them once. For example, experts even recommend wearing jeans 5–10 times before they need a wash. Washing too frequently is also bad for the environment because all of the soap and product buildup ends up in the water cycle.
In addition, you can use cold water to wash your clothes. This is not only better for your clothes, but it can save up to 40% more energy. When having a sustainable wardrobe, fabric care that is eco-friendly is also an important thing to think about.
When you have to take your clothes to be dry-cleaned, choose a company that is environmentally conscious. There are many alternatives to choose from. For example, this company offers green cleaning in Chicago and uses zero petrochemicals in the process. Make sure that your choices contribute to conservation and protecting the environment.
Use natural laundry products
There are numerous environmentally friendly alternatives. These may be traditional laundry detergents or homemade DIY laundry detergents. Ultimately, the goal is to keep your clothes clean and fresh while using fewer harmful chemicals. These are often made with natural ingredients and produced with care. Keep in mind even DIY versions do contain “chemicals” but may include many that are not as harmful to the environment. We have many DIY laundry options right here on the blog.
Another final tip is to avoid using too much product as well. This may cause your garments to feel stiff and seem dull very quickly. Add some baking soda to your load for a natural detergent booster, if garmet labels allow.
We hope this post is encouraging if you are thinking about buying more sustainable wardrobe pieces, and intend to shop for more eco-friendly options. Rest assured even small changes can make a big impact as we all do our part to help protect our environment.
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