By caring for your garments well you can extend their lives, and reduce each garment's carbon footprint by around 20–30%.
Here are a few simple tips to help you maximize the life of your garments —keeping both your favorite pieces and the planet, in better shape.
Wait until you have enough to comfortably fill your machine. Also, make sure you avoid overfilling your machine as heavy loads cause friction which wears clothes out faster and may also result in the garments being poorly washed.
Care labels are there for a reason, so make sure you read them carefully. All SMOKE® care labels can be found on the underside of the main label, except those in the shirts, which are found on the inside left of the garment.
Pay special attention to our hat care labels, as they have more specific washing instructions. They both prefer to be spot-cleaned, instead of being put through the washing machine, so opt for this instead.
Modern washing machines and washing powder can do some pretty impressive cleaning using low temperatures. This is not only better for the environment, but it also puts less stress on your garments, prolonging their lives. Items such as sheets and underwear may require a slightly hotter temperature, but the majority of your SMOKE® wardrobe will benefit from a cool wash.
Choosing to line dry your garments instead of bundling them all into the dryer is one of the most significant decisions you can make to reduce your impact and keep your garments in tip-top condition. Remember to pop them on the line as soon as you can, to keep them as fresh as possible, and to avoid unnecessary creasing.
All garments are not made equal, so treat them as such. Sort your laundry to make sure you’re washing similar colors and types (heavier versus more delicate garments) together to avoid laundry casualties. An important thing to remember is to make sure no garments are going to cause harm to others mid-wash — remove anything from your pockets. Also, remember that our hats prefer not to go through the washing machine.
Traditional dry-cleaning is generally pretty harsh on the environment, and most dry cleaners use the chemical perc, which causes health issues and contributes to air pollution — so it’s not a great option for anyone. Luckily, none of our garments require dry-cleaning so this can be avoided altogether.
